Nutritional standards

The nutritional standards used in MyDietAnalysis are sourced from Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) standards and from the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These standards are used to generate the Recommendations report and all reports that compare “Actual intake” with “Recommended intake.”

DRI dietary standards for nutrients – The program uses the DRI macronutrient ranges for protein, carbohydrate and fat standards. For more information, see Nutrient Recommendations: Dietary Reference Intake.

DRI dietary standards for Calorie goal calculations – Calorie goal calculations take into account age, gender, height, weight and activity level.

● The initial Calorie goal calculation assumes weight maintenance. Weight loss or weight gain information needs to be entered when a profile is created in order for the calculation to generate a goal to promote those objectives.

● The Calorie goal calculation also assumes a Sedentary activity level unless a different activity level (Low Active, Active or Very Active) is selected when creating a profile. As activities are added to a Profile, the Calories needed to perform them will be added to the Calorie total. If added activities cross specific intensity and duration thresholds, MyDietAnalysis will let you know that you have moved to the next activity level.

For the formulas used, see Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements.

MyPlate standard goals – MyPlate is a USDA food guide that identifies daily meal proportions for the fruit, vegetable, grains, protein, and dairy food groups to promote a healthy eating style. The MyPlate value used in MyDietAnalysis indicates how closely food intake for a Profile compares to these USDA Dietary Guidelines.

The MyPlate standard goals are sourced from Appendix 3 of the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The program goals follow the Healthy US-Style Eating Pattern outlined for Calorie levels from 1000 to 3200 Calories. The program chooses the pattern that most closely matches the Calorie goal calculation.