PART 1: GETTING PERSONALIZED RECOMMENDATION USING MYPLATE PLAN.
Visit the USDA MyPlate Plan websiteLinks to an external site..
Click “Start” in “Get Your MyPlate Plan.”
Following the instructions on screen, add your information.
Click “Calculate food plan”
It will give you the energy need (number of calories) and two options: “to achieve a healthy weight” or “to maintain your current weight”.
Choose the one that fits best with your goal.
If your current weight is appropriate, it will give you only one option of “to maintain your current weight”
It will give you your personalized MyPlate Plan. You can save your plan by taking screen shot or by downloading the personalized MyPlate Plan. You can also use the provide MyPlate Plan template form (if you have a problem with saving screen capture or downloading the plan). Choose either screen shot/download or template, not both.
You will submit your MyPlate Plan with this assignment.
PART 2: RECORD YOUR OWN DIET FOR A DAY – MUST USE THE PROVIDED TEMPLATE
Keep a food record for a single day’s food consumption, including three meals and any snacks and drinks you eat.
As you learned in the lecture, avoid tracking a special day (e.g. birthday party, big gathering) and pick a day that represents your typical dietary habits.
Try to keep your record in real-time so you don’t forget any details (e.g. size, drink, snacks, brand, restaurant name, etc.)
Once you have all the food filled in for the day, estimate your calorie intake for each meal, snack, and drink.
For this, you can use the calorie information on the food package. Make sure you check the serving size when you estimate calories and make sure it is close to what you actually consumed. Make adjustments if needed.
You can also use any tools or websites you find or that we learned from the lecture, “Module 3.2. Food Guide and Dietary Assessment” (e.g. USDA FoodDate Central or Recipe Analyzer).
Determine what food group each food you consumed belongs to.
Before reporting on your diet, take some time to analyze your diet by comparing your intake from the selected day to your MyPlate Plan recommendation (from Part 1).
Is your calorie intake close to what is recommended for you?
Did you eat foods from all five basic food groups (vegetables, fruits, grains, protein, and dairy)?
Is there any group that you eat too much or too little of?
Write a 1-2 page report based on what you learned from your analysis. Your report should include the following:
Assessment: Compare your actual energy intake to the recommended intake. Determine if you have taken foods from all 5 groups. Is there any food group you over-consume or under-consumer? Explain.
USDA MyPlate website ( to an external site.) contains a quiz, which helps you assess your diet and provides personalized advice. You can use the result from this quiz as a part your assessment (and improvement plan).
Improvement plan: Based on your analysis, how do you think you can improve your diet? If you have any food group that you did not get enough of, what can you change about your diet?