The decade-old diagram that told us to eat lots of grains, less meat, some vegetables and a minimal amount of sweets and fats has moved into a retirement community, off to play golf with the Marlboro Man and other long-gone icons. Its replacement: a plate, half devoted to fruits and vegetables, a little more than a quarter for grains and less than a quarter for "protein." There's a little circle off to the side for dairy. While I applaud the USDA's endeavors to help Americans eat a more balanced, healthy diet, I still have a few questions...

1. How big should my plate be?

2. What are they trying to tell us without actually saying? The word "meat" doesn't appear anywhere on the diagram. Is using "protein" instead code for "eat less meat" (not that there's anything wrong with that, as we learned from Michael Pollan)?

3. Isn't there protein in vegetables, grains and dairy? So why is there a separate section for protein on the plate?

4. Are we really supposed to start eating fruit with dinner?

5. What was wrong with the pyramid? Nutrition professionals said it was confusing, but I think most people got the gist: eat more fruit, vegetables and grains, and fewer sweets.

6. Is anyone else with me on wanting to get a set of these divided plates (you know, the ones with little segmented areas for each component of your meal)?