Rachel Travers Topic: MyPlate General Purpose: To inform

Informative Speech Outline

Specific Purpose: to educate the audience about the nutrition guidelines highlighted in MyPlate Thesis: MyPlate shows people how to properly plan their meals while also stressing the importance of behavioral modifications in order to live a healthier lifestyle. Introduction I. II. III. IV. When surveying the class Tuesday, 85% of you all said that you consciously try to maintain a healthy, well balanced diet. However, 85% of you all also responded that you had never heard of MyPlate before. In my major of nutrition-dietetics, we study MyPlate as a guideline for people to live overall healthier lifestyles. MyPlate shows people how to properly plan their meals, while also stressing the importance of behavioral modifications in order to live a healthier lifestyle.

Transition: First, we will discuss the principals shown in the diagram of MyPlate. Body I. Principals of MyPlate diagram a. MyPlate is the USDAs new dietary guidelines established in 2010, replacing the well know Food Pyramid. b. Half a plate of fruits and vegetables, half of grains and proteins. c. (Sharon Palmer, a Registered Dietitian tells us in an article entitled Fill Your Fruits and Veggie Gap) that only 6% of people meet the daily need of vegetables, and 8% meet the daily need of fruit. d. Need whole grains and lean proteins. i. 40-60% of calories from carbs; 20-30% fats; 10-15% proteins e. Try to consume low fat or reduced fat dairy.

Transition: Now that we have discussed the basic concepts of MyPlate, we will discuss other behavioral modifications the USDA encourages along with MyPlate. II. Behavioral Modifications a. Moderation i. What portion size is the correct size? ii. (Constance Dickerson wrote in his column entitled Eat Smart! MyPlate & Dietary Guidelines) that plate size matters; the larger the plate, the smaller the portion seems.

b. Variety i. Eating the same thing can cause people to become deficient in essential vitamins and minerals. ii. Not only do we need a variety of food in our diets, (Meredith Melnick tells us in her Article entitled The USDA ditches the Food Pyramid for a Plate) that the guidelines suggest we reduce consumption of salt, sugar, and fat. iii. We need a variety of whole grains, lean proteins, and fruits and vegetables filled with vitamins and minerals. c. Exercise i. (My good friend Carly Moss, who is a Registered Dietitian and a grad-student at Auburn) told me in an interview that modeling your meals after MyPlate guidelines is not enough, you need physical activity as well. ii. The physical activity tracker on www.myplate.gov allows users to better understand their dietary needs in relation to their physical activity. Conclusion I. II. In conclusion, the USDA has established MyPlate for our benefit. If we model our meals after the guidelines provided and modify our lifestyles to include moderation, variety, and exercise, then we can all live happier, healthier lifestyles.

References Dickerson, C. (2012). Eat Smart! My Plate & Dietary Guidelines. School Library Journal, 58(4), 51. Melnick, M. (2011). The USDA Ditches the Food Pyramid for a Plate. Time. Retrieved from http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/02/the-usda-ditches-the-food-pyramid-and-offers-a-plate/ Moss, C. personal communication, September 30, 2013. Palmer, S. (2013). Fill Your Fruits and Veggie Gap. Environmental Nutrition, 36(6), 1-4.