Here's a quick quiz: What replaced the food pyramid, the government guide to healthy eating that stood for nearly 20 years?
If you're stumped, you're not alone.
More than a decade after Agriculture Department officials ditched the pyramid, few Americans have heard of MyPlate, a dinner plate-shaped logo that emphasizes fruits and vegetables.
Only about 25% of adults were aware of MyPlate – and less than 10% had attempted to use the guidance, according to a study released Tuesday by the National Center for Health Statistics. Those figures for 2017-2020 showed only slight improvement from a similar survey done a few years earlier.
That means that the Obama administration program that costs about $3 million a year hasn't reached most Americans, even as diet-related diseases such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease have continued to rise.
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"This is currently the primary education tool that communicates guidelines for Americans," said the study's lead author, Edwina Wambogo, a nutrition epidemiologist at the agency. "MyPlate should be doing a little bit better."
The results are hardly surprising, said Marion Nestle, a food policy expert.
"Why would anyone expect otherwise?" she said in an email. "MyPlate never came with an education campaign, is old hat by now, only dealt with healthy foods, said nothing about unhealthy foods and is so far from what Americans actually eat as to seem unattainable."
FILE - A sample plate of the food icon MyPlate, is unveiled at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, Thursday, June 2, 2011. A new study finds that few Americans have heard of MyPlate, the government diet guide that replaced the longstanding food pyramid in 2011, and even fewer have tried to follow its advice. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
A top USDA official said the agency's proposed fiscal year 2023 budget seeks an increase from $3 million to $10 million a year to bolster the MyPlate campaign by extending its reach and making recipes and other materials more culturally relevant.
"We absolutely want to make sure that MyPlate and other critical tools are in the hands of more people," said Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services.
The new study found that people who rated their diet as excellent, very good or good were far more likely to have heard of MyPlate than those who said their diet was fair or poor. Of those who'd heard of the plan, about one-third tried to follow it, the study found.
MyPlate was introduced in 2011 with high-profile support from former first lady Michelle Obama, who made healthy eating and exercise her focus.
It uses a dinner plate with four colored sections for fruit, vegetables, grain and protein, with a smaller circle for dairy products, such as low-fat milk or yogurt. It encouraged Americans to make half of their meals fruits and vegetables in what was promoted as a fast, easily accessible format.
But the guide left out crucial details, said Dr. Vijaya Surampudi, a nutrition specialist at the University of California, Los Angeles.
"It doesn't differentiate between starchy vegetables and non-starchy vegetables," she said. "There's no fats on there."
Nor does MyPlate acknowledge that vegetables, grains and dairy foods also contain protein, Nestle added.
MyPlate replaced the USDA's food pyramid, which was in use from 1992 to 2011. Although it was recognized by generations of schoolkids, nutritionists were critical of the pyramid for promoting too many carbohydrates through grains and cutting back on fats.
"It wasn't the best set of recommendations on so many levels," Surampudi said. "Our rates of diabetes didn't go down. Our rates of obesity didn't go down. It went up."
The new study called for research into why some groups are less likely to be aware of and follow government guidance – and how best to reach those with poor diets.
But it's tricky, Surampudi said. In general, people know now that they should eat more fruits and vegetables. Beyond that, the message gets muddled.
"The minute it gets a little confusing, people shut down," she said.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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How your eating habits could be affecting your sleep
How sleep quality and nutrition are linked
Improving your health starts with a simple step: getting the right amount of sleep.
Sleep is crucial for restoring the body's energy and maintaining immune health. While sleep specialists recommend getting at least seven or more hours of nightly sleep, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports only 1 in 3 adults consistently gets sufficient rest. Perhaps surprisingly, what you eat can directly affect how much and well you sleep.
Sunday Citizen identified how eating habits could influence sleep quality by researching scientific literature about food and nutrition and the connection to sleep patterns.
Studies have shown that inadequate sleep can be linked to cravings for sweet and salty, high-calorie foods and may put individuals at higher risk for chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and depression. Some health experts have also suggested that healthy food choices can make a difference. For example, some nutritionists note that foods such as almonds could improve sleep quality—they contain magnesium, which can decrease stress levels that may disrupt sleep. But while sleep quality and nutrition are closely correlated, remember that there are challenges in analyzing the direct causation. Results may vary from person to person and as with anything medical-related, it's essential to talk with a medical professional.
Chemicals like caffeine and alcohol can interrupt sleep patterns
Coffee may be the ideal beverage to help you get started in the mornings, but consuming caffeine later in the day can cause insomnia. Caffeine inhibits adenosine, a sleep-promoting receptor. It takes four to six hours for the body to metabolize what's been ingested, according to the FDA, which is why caffeine at night can keep you awake longer.
Alcohol may immediately promote relaxation, but excessive consumption before bedtime can lead to sleep disruptions and poor sleep quality. It's been linked to snoring and worsened sleep apnea, a severe sleeping disorder that can hinder breathing.
Eating too close to nighttime can interrupt the circadian rhythm
The body's circadian rhythm serves as an internal clock for your organs, hormones, energy regulation, and immune system. The brain receives information based on the environment (i.e., sunlight vs. nighttime), which triggers certain hormones and the body's sleep-wake pattern.
Eating sends signals from the brain to the digestive system based on external factors, guiding the body on the "correct" time to be awake. The circadian rhythm produces "feedback loops" that are completed within a 24-hour cycle and also regulate your metabolism, so when you eat can be just as important as what you eat, especially when trying to maintain a certain weight.
Large meals right before bed can be tough on digestion
Late-night eating can cause digestive issues like acid reflux. It can also raise your blood sugar, increasing your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Having large meals before bedtime has also been associated with weight gain. Blood sugar levels can fluctuate while you doze, and studies have shown that nighttime eating can impair the ability to process glucose in the body.
More nutritious food can lead to more restful sleep
Nutrition plays a vital role in sleep quality. A balanced meal of fruits and vegetables helps promote healthy body weight and restful sleep.
In a 2016 study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, eating foods low in fiber and high in saturated fat and sugar was linked to "less restorative sleep." Meals high in carbohydrates and high glycemic indexes (a value used to gauge how specific foods can raise blood sugar levels) also affect energy and sleep quality. A high-carb diet is associated with more sleep disruptions and reduced deep sleep.
Insufficient sleep can influence food choices
Generally, people are more inclined to make unhealthy food choices when they don't get enough sleep. This is because inadequate sleep can cause hormonal changes that boost cravings for foods high in fat and sugar and even increase abdominal fat.
A 2012 study found that when women experience short sleep time, levels of GLP-1, a hormone that tells your stomach when you're full, are reduced. For men, inadequate sleep causes the hormone ghrelin to spike, which boosts hunger pangs. Simply put, improving sleep habits can promote healthier food choices.
This story originally appeared on Sunday Citizen and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
