The USDA has launched a challenge in honor of National Nutrition Month.  The MyPlate, My Wins Challenge encourages people to make a small, simple change towards a healthier lifestyle.  Teams or groups can join the challenge online and pledge to consume two foods from each of the My Plate food groups a day and be active twice a day for two days.

“The MyPlate, MyWins Challenge as a fun and social way to encourage better health, with support from people around us and a little friendly competition,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “We hope people will take the two-day challenge and realize how easy it is to make small, healthy changes, and then keep the momentum going beyond just those two days.”

The MyPlate, MyWins Challenge is available to the public through CNPP’s SuperTracker, a free, interactive food and physical activity tracking tool. There, anyone can create a group and invite others to join. Participants earn points for eating healthy foods and being physically active, and can compare their progress to others in the group. Group leaders can send messages of encouragement, cheer on members to earn more points, and compare progress amongst the participants. They can also choose from other ready-made challenges or design their own custom challenge specifically for their group. Later this month, CNPP nutritionists will host two-day MyPlate, MyWins Challenges for the public.

“With MyPlate, MyWins, our goal is to help Americans achieve healthy eating styles that they can maintain for a lifetime of good health – small victories along the way are key and can add up to big successes,” said Angie Tagtow, CNPP executive director. “We know that everything we eat and drink over time matters. The two-day challenge this month is a great way to jumpstart things. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it fits in at home, in classrooms, as part of workplace wellness programs, in faith-based settings, and more, helping to create a sense of community around healthy living.”

Find more information about MyPlate, MyWins challenges and videos at http://www.choosemyplate.gov/take-challenge.