MyPlate

Do you ever get tired of reading yet-another headline about The 10 Best Super Sports Foods, only be instructed to buy exotic fruits, ancient grains, and other unusual items? Do we really need chia, spelt, and quinoa? Is anything wrong with old-fashioned peanut butter, broccoli and brown rice? A top sports nutritionist weighs in.

The USDA's MyPlate has replaced its outdated and much-maligned Food Pyramid. The colorful quarters of the plate - green for vegetables, red for fruits, orange for grains, and purple for protein - are aimed at nudging Americans away from meals dominated by meat and starch and towards meals made up mostly of plant-based foods.

Fruits and veggies offer many benefits. As summer approaches and an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables become available from your local grocery story or better yet farmer's market, it is important to know how each "group" contributes to long term health. And the easiest way to do that? By following the colors of the rainbow!  

When you or your child athlete thinks of food, think about carbohydrates, such as the whole-grain products, vegetables, and fruits that make up three-fourths of the FDA's new MyPlate food guidance system.