Sec. Vilsack & ObFo Do "What's On #MyPlate Day?" Lunch

Today is the US Department of Agriculture's national "What's on MyPlate Day?," designed "to heighten public awareness of the importance of choosing nutritious foods for a healthy meal" and encourage the use of the MyPlate icon to design meals built around the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. USDA is asking citizens to post photos of their Myplate meals to Twitter all day, using the hashtag #MyPlate. The agency tweeted a photo of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's lunch, above, writing on @USDA "Healthy #MyPlate pic courtesy of Secretary Vilsack himself! Chicken, veggies, whole grains and milk."

Above, a photo of ObFo's #MyPlate lunch: Broccoli, kale, spinach, sweet peppers, lots of garlic with tofu and brown rice buried under the veggies, and more mini sweet peppers on the side. There's water behind President Obama's smiling face. First Lady Michelle Obama unveiled the MyPlate icon last year as part of the Let's Move! campaign.

Today's social media MyPlate event is part of the celebration of National Nutrition Month. For those interested in eating White House-style, the chefs have created two special MyPlate recipes: CLICK HERE for the recipes for Seared Tilapia and Fried Rice with Broccoli and Carrots. CLICK HERE for White House Turkey Lasagna with Spinach. The recipes include video demonstrations from Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives Sam Kass. Check the blog sidebar for more White House recipes; many can anchor a MyPlate meal.

Visit ChooseMyPlate.gov for more information on the icon, and LetsMove.gov for more information on the First Lady's campaign.