March is National Nutrition Month. Throughout the month, USDA will be highlighting results of our efforts to improve access to safe, healthy food for all Americans and supporting the health of our next generation.
Knowing what and how much to eat can be complicated. And in today’s quick-paced society, Americans are looking for modern, on-the-go solutions for all aspects of our lives, including personal nutrition. USDA offers a variety of online tools, available on desktop, tablet, and mobile, to help you plan a healthy diet and see how you’re doing over time.
SuperTracker is a free food, physical activity, and weight tracking tool. It provides nutrition recommendations based on the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans that are personalized for your specific needs. You can track your foods to see how your choices stack up and quickly identify small changes for improvement. SuperTracker can help you build your own healthy eating style through interactive tracking. The Food Tracker feature offers an at-a-glance view of your dietary intake, including the five MyPlate food groups, calories, added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium.
Also, in July 2015 USDA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) teamed up to bring you a simple new tool that can help you set, reach, and maintain your goal. Using science-based technology, the NIH Body Weight Planner calculates how many calories you need to eat and how much exercise you need to achieve a goal weight within a specific time period. You set the goal and decide what timeframe makes sense for you. The NIH Body Weight Planner is available as a goal-setting resource within SuperTracker, so you can create a personalized meal plan based on results. Join the 1.2 million people who have used the Body Weight Planner to help them set and reach their goal.
Millions of Americans are currently using SuperTracker to help them get on the path to health. The site averages nearly 10 million page views a month. Take advantage of this healthy eating solution by registering for a SuperTracker account today. Also, stay tuned for future enhancements, including healthy eating challenges and integration with wearable fitness tracking technology!
Additional tools and nutrition resources can be found at www.ChooseMyPlate.gov. And for news, healthy eating tips, and more, follow @MyPlate on Twitter and Facebook or join MyPlate’s email list.