A LIMERICK deputy has called for the traditional food pyramid to be scrapped and replaced by a ‘food plate’, as is the practice in the United States.
The food pyramid was designed to assist people in choosing how much food to consume from each group, with the lower, wider levels representing healthy foods, and the smaller, high levels symbolising fatty foods or those with more sugar and salt.
Deputy Patrick O’Donovan said this method was “out of date” and is overcomplicated.
“People are being bombarded with more dietary messages than ever before, so a clear, simple info graphic like the Food Plate could help to give people greater certainty about the types and amounts of food they should be eating to achieve a balanced diet”, said the deputy.
“We need to be innovative in our methods for fighting obesity.
“Obesity-related deaths are costing our health service about €4 billion a year.
“At present, 61% of Irish adults and around 20% of Irish children are overweight or obese. So clearly the message that we all need to be looking after our waistlines isn’t getting through”.
The Food Plate Graphic separates the plate into four sections, with a separate plate for dairy products.
Deputy O’Donovan said that health professionals have expressed serious concerns about obesity related condition, like diabetes, heart disease and obesity-related cancers.
“The Minister for Health, James Reilly TD, has already stated his intention to improve nutrition labelling and to include revenue counts on menus.
“The adoption of the ‘Food Plate’ campaign is being launched to encourage people to fill half of their plates with fruit and vegetables.
“It will also give tips on portion control, and the importance of a varied diet. Often, the simplest ideas work the best. The ‘Food Plate’ is very easy to understand and could help us to get across the message that we all need to eat a balanced diet to stay healthy”.
