  
#MyPlateChallenge Week 5
Dinner Swaps for a Healthy Eating Style
Welcome to the final week of our 5-week MyPlate New Year’s Challenge. Last week, we focused on protein
and healthy snacks. This week, we will focus on the Grains Food Group and how small
changes to your dinner meal
can help you find a healthy eating style over time. It isn’t too late for you
to challenge yourself to make small changes or to invite others to get involved in
our last week!
Foods
from the Grains Food Group, such as bread, pasta, oatmeal, and tortillas,
provide dietary fiber, B vitamins, and minerals such as iron, magnesium, and
selenium. Making half
your grains whole grains can help reduce the risk of some chronic diseases.
To add more whole grains to your day, trade white bread for whole wheat bread
on your sandwiches; or choose whole-grain pasta instead of refined pastas. Try
substituting whole-wheat or oat flour for half of the flour in pancake, waffle,
muffin or other flour-based recipes, such as these Banana
Muffins.
Fueling your body with whole grains for dinner
is part of a healthy day! Small changes are easy to make, and can have a big
impact over time. If you and your family are not familiar with whole grain products,
try mixing whole and enriched grain products at first. You can incorporate new grains
into mixed dishes like casseroles or stir fries like this Fizzle
Sizzle Stir-fry. Check out our newest #MyPlateMyWins video
which has more ideas for healthy dinners!
Video: #MyPlateMyWins at Dinner
MyPlate makes small changes to meals and snacks easier with resources
for whole
grain recipes,
selecting healthy
choices at buffets, and ordering takeout
foods. Use SuperTracker to
track your progress towards healthier eating and share your solutions for healthy
eating in 2017 on social media using #MyPlateMyWins.
Written by Kara Carter, University of Maryland Dietetic Intern, and
Mary Herrup, Nutritionist, USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
 For updated MyPlate Tools and Resources
visit ChooseMyPlate.gov or follow MyPlate on Facebook and Twitter.
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