My Clean Eating Plate

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Not too long ago, the government left the food pyramid in the dust and came up with something called MyPlate. While it still leaves a lot to be desired, I think it’s far better than the pyramid which did nothing but confuse people.

I did my own version of what a clean eating pyramid might look like. And, of course, as soon as I got that done, our lovely government changed to a plate. Figures.

So while this is a little past due, here is an update on the MyPlate in clean eating terms. I simply adjusted the government’s version to approximate what a clean eater’s plate might look like. This is not an exact science. Just a rough estimate, much like the one from the government.

My Clean Eating Plate

This graphic leaves no room for personal differences in eating plans. Allergies and such are not accounted for here. But it’s a somewhat decent overview of what your plate might look like at any given time.

Personally, I either go with veggies OR fruits. I rarely do both in the same meal unless the fruit is dessert.

But as I said, the original version leaves a lot to be desired, so chances are, this version does too.

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts!

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  • trude wofford

    thank you Tiffany- this is more like it!

  • http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

    Trude – Fabulous! Thanks for the feedback!

  • Gina

    PERFECT!

  • http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

    Gina – Thanks!

  • Anne

    I love it! This makes more sense to me.

  • http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

    Anne – Fantastic! Makes more sense to me too! lol

  • Shannon

    Wow! That’s great. We had a diet challenge in November where I go for Bootcamp and Cardio, and it was a great challenge! Basically it was a way for our instructors to break us from refined sugar and too much dairy and the like. This pyramid is exactly the right balance for what we did!

  • http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

    Shannon – That’s great! I’m on track then… lol

  • carlos

    I like it except, lose the “whole grains” section, and the dairy section. I could go with an exception for raw milk and raw milk cheeses… Ok, fine, I prefer a paleo pyramid. Yours is definitely better than the government/industrially sponsored one.

  • http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

    Carlos – Thanks for your input! I was tempted to leave out the dairy all together, but I knew most folks wouldn’t like that. So I gave it the smallest ranking. Dairy is basically unnecessary for human beings. But it’s tough to get away from in the American diet.

  • Jodi

    Wonderful, Tiffany! Putting fruits & whole grains together is briliant because of the glycemic loads. Yeah I would have a hard time giving up dairy altogether. I freqently use Silk but I have always loved milk and cheese-your clean eating alfredo sauce is fabulous.

  • http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

    Jodi – Thank you!

  • Lyn

    Hey Tiffany – I am a natural therapist (nutritionist), and love your pyramid. Can I use it with clients – with due credit of course?

  • http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

    Lyn – Please email be through my blog here. Thank you! http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/about/contact/

  • http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-food-pyramid/ TDAVIS

    Clean eating rocks.

  • http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

    TDAVIS – Yes it does!

  • Shelly

    Totally better than the FDAs!!

    And I agree with some other comments….we aren’t calves, therefore we don’t meet baby cow nutritional requirements! LOL haha well somedays I feel like a cow, but that’s another post!

    I do like this A LOT better than what the FDA is pushing!! Love you blog!! So glad I was turned onto it!!

  • http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

    Shelly – Thanks! Glad you like it!

  • http://www.teambeachbody.com/bzymumof5 Dana Cohen

    This is GREAT — what a better visual to expose our children to as to how they should be fueling their bodies every day!!!! Including water is brilliant, and I have always just scratched my head when I’ve looked at the FDA food pyramid like, “Who eats like that???” I thought I was just some weird protein freak because I don’t see how anyone can eat more bread/pasta/starch than any of their other food groups and not be as big as a house, I know I can’t eat like that and maintain healthy weight. Never made sense to me; this one does — TOTALLY!! As usual, you nailed it!! Great job!

  • http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

    Dana – Awwwe, thanks!

  • Anonymous

    Nicole – Every person will be different. There are, of course, the recommended daily allowances from the FDA. But outside of that, it’s really an individual thing. I think we’ve gotten so used to somebody telling us how much of something we should eat that we’ve forgotten that our bodies know better than anybody.

    That said, I try to include veggies with every meal, and I balance out the carbs and proteins at each meal so that I have about the same amount of each. That works for me. It may not work for you.

    If you really do need numbers though, I would start with the FDA numbers and adjust from there until you find what works best for you.

  • Nicole Park

    Thanks for putting this together. Any chance, you might be able to add some suggested number of servings along with this? :)

  • Nicole Park

    Hi Tiffany – makes sense. I do need to learn to ‘listen’ to my body in terms of portion sizes

    I am just in the researching phase of clean eating, and want to incorporate into part of my life. But there just aren’t a lot of resources. Glad I found your blog – it’s an amazing help!

  • Anonymous

    Nicole – I’m glad I could help! If you have any more questions, just let me know!

  • Anonymous

    Lisa – Awwwe, thank you!

  • Lisa Marie Mastro Shimahara

    My thoughts are…you are awesome!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Kerrie-Sisson-Hutchinson/1372124616 Kerrie Sisson Hutchinson

    I like it. I think the govt’s quadrants are not exactly square like that, making grains have a larger portion of the plate than yours does, but yours seems more right as the pyramid and now the plate are heavy on grains anyway… I had started doing the whole F/V side as Vegs, with a portion raw, as in a salad of some kind, and a portion cooked, as in a serving of green beans, etc, and using fruits for snacks or desserts. I like the plate SO much more than the pyramid. Is easier to understand and try to follow.

  • Anonymous

    Kerrie – I think you’ve got the right idea there. Good for you! You’re doing a great job! And yes, the plate is far easier to understand!

  • Anonymous

    Julie – You are correct, I have a dairy allergy, so I do not use it very often. Dairy is fine, so long as it’s low fat. Cheese should be no less fat than 2%, otherwise you get additives for taste and texture that are not clean, and always buy the block. Not the shredded stuff. Hope that helps!

  • graciouspantry

    Williams – I’m not sure what page you are referring to. But typically, the idea is to get carbs and protein in the same meal. I think that’s what you mean.

  • graciouspantry

    Ejames – If portion control is an issue, I recommend using a salad plate. That’s what I use and it just makes so much more sense.