MyPlate different than most American's plates

The nutritionally balanced quadrants of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) MyPlate --- the new federal dietary guidelines that depict a healthful daily diet -- look quite different from what’s actually on the plates of most Americans, according to new research from The NPD Group. Using its National Eating Trends (NET) research, NPD has continually tracked the eating and drinking habits of U.S. consumers for more than 30 years. NPD calculated MyPlate days based on consumers who, on the same day, achieved at least 70 percent of the daily recommended intake for dairy, fruit, grains, proteins and vegetables.

For the average consumer, only 2 percent of their days (about seven days a year) come close to resembling the USDA’s MyPlate dietary guidelines, the research showed. When a MyPlate day is achieved, consumers are highly likely to consume more than three meals a day.