My Plate.gov Super Tracker

ChooseMyPlate.gov is the USDA website aimed at providing a resource for parents, educators and consumers. Their recommendations are based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans that are updated every 5 years. (before 2010 we had "my pyramid" instead of "my plate"). The SuperTracker program is a great tool that allows you to create a diet plan based on your age, height, weight, gender, activity level and/or ideal caloric intake. You can type in everything you eat to the super tracker and get an in-depth nutrient report that lets you know how close your actual intake is to the recommended dietary guidelines for nutrients. I have used this program several times for class projects at Queens College. I definitely recommend checking out these sources and evaluating your own diet.

     

While using the supertracker, I have learned a few tricks. If the database dosent have the food you're looking for, you can click one that's similar and "customize" the nutrient information based on a food label you have. Another trick is to create a "combo" or "recipe" by searching individual ingredients. This seems to work best for meals made at home. Whenever you're recording what you eat, the more accurate your portion sizes, the more accurate the nutrient information will be.

As an example of diets that meet the recommended guidelines, the following is part of my term project for Meal Planning & Management class:

Meal:	Menu:	Approximate Amount Eaten:
		22 year old female, 125lbs, 5'9”	18yr male, 140lbs, 5'9”	3 yr old female
Breakfast	Oatmeal	1 cup	2 cups	½ cup
	Almond Milk	½ cup	1 cup	¼ cup
	Fruit Smoothie	2 cups	2 cups	1 cup
Lunch	Lettuce/Spinach Salad Mix	1 cup	1 ½ cup	½ cup
	Tomato	1 medium 2.5 inch	1 large 3 inch	1 small 2 inch
	Balsamic Vinaigrette	1 Tablespoon	1 Tablespoon	½ Tablespoon
	Whole Wheat Spaghetti	1 cup	1 ½ cup	2 oz
	Marinara Sauce	½ cup	¾ cup	1 oz
Afternoon Snack	Green Smoothie	2 cups	2 cups	2 cups
Dinner	Ground Beef, seasoned	4oz	4oz	3 oz
	Flour Tortilla Shell 8 inch	2 shells	2 shells	1 shell
	Salsa	4 Tablespoons	4 Tablespoons	2 Tablespoons
	Shredded Lettuce	¼ cup	¼ cup	¼ cup
	Grated Cheddar Cheese	1 oz	1 oz	2 Tablespoons
Snacks	Almonds, raw nuts	1/4 cup	1/4 cup	1 oz
Daily Recommended Intake Ranges:
	Approximate Calories	2260 (of recommended 2200)	2799 (of recommended 2800)	1231 (of rec. 1200)
(12-20%)	% Calories from Protein	14	13	17
(45-65%)	% Calories from Carbs	61	63	52
(25-35%)	% Calories from Fat	30	28	35
Food Groups:	% Met for Grains	106	104	123
	% met for Veggies	100	123	130
	% met for Fruit	129	113	178
**	% met for Dairy	22	22	13
	% met for Protein	113	100	147
Nutrients:	Dietary Fiber	34g of recommended 25g	45g of recommended 38g	22g of recommended 19g
##	Sodium	2455mg of rec. <2300mg	3024mg of rec. <2300mg	1293mg of rec. <2300mg
	Total Sugars	185g	223g	47g
	Calcium	1416mg of rec. 1000mg	1795mg of rec. 1300mg	820mg of rec. 700mg
	Vitamin A	828ug of rec. 700ug	1681ug of rec. 900ug	724ug of rec. 300ug
	Vitamin C	137mg of rec. 75mg	107mg of rec. 75mg	6mg2 of rec. 15mg

** My meal plan matches the 2010 Guidelines for Americans except for the dairy food group. I found it strange when I did this project that no matter who you are, a toddler or a college student, the recommendation for dairy doesn't change. Every other food group changes in proportion to the number of calories recommended. I also find it weird given how much of the population is lactose intolerant. My plan incorporates whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruits that fulfill the recommendations of the Guidelines. I found myself going over the recommended levels for grains, fruits or proteins easily and had to adjust. I never had trouble meeting the macronutrient ranges, but I kept exceeding them. Particularly for percent of calories from fat.

## I was under 10% of calories from saturated fat for all 3 people, according to the guidelines. For Sodium, my diet was over the recommendation by 155mg and the 18 year old male was over by 724mg. However, the 3 year old's diet was under by 1,000mg. I found it really hard to stay within the recommendation. I'm sure I'm not the only American who struggles with sodium intake, it seems to be in everything! I think we need to change the food we produce not the intake recommendations.

I'm not too worried about saturated fat intake since it was within recommended levels. The taco meat and cheese were probably the main source of it in my diet plan. The sodium intake was definitely influenced by the amount of salad dressing and spaghetti sauce. The salad dressing could have been replaced by something healthier and the sauce would have been lower sodium if it was homemade. To stay within recommended amounts I would make foods at home, reducing the amount of sodium in the recipes. I would also be sure to carefully measure out portions of dressing, sauce and cheese. It's easy in everyday life to eat more than we realize and go over for that saturated fat or sodium.

I was able to meet the dietary fiber intake recommendations for all 3 people. I believe the fiber in my diet plan comes from the fruits, vegetables and whole grains. I would agree with recommending 4 ½ cups of fruit & vegetables in the meal plan. I felt like the recommendation for daily fruit intake on my plate was kind of low. I think it is realistic for the US population if we can get people snacking on fruits and vegetables instead of chips and candy. I think we are already starting to see industry changes, fruits and vegetables are offered as snacks in more and more places. They even have apple slices and carrot sticks at the movie theater now. Consumers should not be underestimated. If the information is out there and healthy choices are made more affordable/easily available people will make better choices.

My meal plan met the Calcium, Iron, B-Vitamins, Vitamin C and Vitamin A recommendations for all 3 people. Vitamin D was under the recommendations for all 3. I would look for D fortified OJ and cereals. I would try to get vitamin D through natural sun exposure as weather permits.