No More Food Pyramid: Nutritional Icon Is Now A Plate (新聞英文: 餐碟圖將取代食物金字塔，作為營養攝取的參考)

這是一個用新聞事件來說明學習英文好處多多的最好案例! 你知道即使在資訊爆炸的時代，若能妥善使用英文，就能幫你賺得因資訊時間差而可能帶來的好處!

我們熟知的食物金字塔 Food Pyramid，在今天 (June 2) 被美國的農業部 The U.S. Department of Agriculture 宣布用新的 MyPlate ，亦或所謂的餐碟圖所取代

以下是簡單的原文報導中英文對照

The food pyramid that represented a healthy diet for almost 20 years now gives way to a food plate, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today.

First lady Michelle Obama, Surgeon General Regina Benjamin and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack unveiled the new icon. It’s called MyPlate, and it has four colored sections representing fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins. Next to the plate is a smaller circle representing dairy products.

“MyPlate is a truly simple, powerful visual cue to help people adopt healthy eating habits at meal times," said Vilsack.

On MyPlate’s website, the USDA emphasizes several important nutrition messages: eat smaller portions, make at least half the plate fruits and vegetables and avoid sugary drinks.

Nutrition experts believe a plate is a good choice. (ABC World News)

鑑於金字塔的內容複雜難明又籠統，美國農業部週四起將推出全新的碟形圖案取代食物金字塔，新圖案把碟子明確分成五穀、蔬菜、水果及蛋白質4大基本類別，讓公眾一看就知均衡飲食中，蔬果應佔每餐至少一半的分量，希望改善美國人越來越不健康的飲食習慣。(星洲日報)

在國內媒體正一窩瘋的追逐八卦腥羶之際，這個相對而言重要但溫和的新聞訊息被埋沒了。若能主動運用英文蒐集資訊，就能擺脫營養不均衡的台灣媒體缺乏國際觀的擺佈。