About MyPlate Plan Calculator — Mission & Sources
MyPlate.food is an independent nutrition calculator implementing the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2020–2025) and National Academies DRI methodology.
Nutrition tools for everyone
When the USDA MyPlate tools went offline, we rebuilt them on the same public sources: the IOM equations and the USDA tables. Free to use.
Our Mission
Make healthy eating easier.
MyPlate.food exists to keep food and healthy-eating guidance free, fast, and dependable.
Everything here runs on publicly available, peer-reviewed nutrition science, in clear calculators and food-group guidance that work on any device. No account required.
Who's behind it
An independent project, by someone who's spent a career on food access
Lucas Czekaj
Founder
When I moved to the US from Poland in 2015, my culture shock was the grocery store: sugar and sodium in everything, and almost no education about what good food looks like. I've been working on that problem ever since: I built Instacart's health platform, then left to tackle the nutrition side of groceries independently. MyPlate.food is that work in its most direct form.
I'm not a clinician, and MyPlate.food doesn't give medical advice. The nutrition guidance here comes straight from the USDA's published science, presented faithfully and transparently.
Our Principles
How we build it
Transparent
Every formula, coefficient, and data table we use is documented on our methodology page. You can verify every calculation yourself.
Private
The calculator math runs entirely in your browser. We only store the inputs you explicitly send, whether by emailing yourself a plan, signing in, or saving a plan.
Evidence-Based
We use the published IOM equations and USDA food pattern tables that nutrition professionals use. No proprietary algorithms, no shortcuts.
Data Sources
Peer-reviewed, federal science
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025
U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Used for: Food pattern tables, calorie levels, food group amounts
IOM Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy
Institute of Medicine, National Academies Press, 2002/2005
Used for: EER equations, PA coefficients, pregnancy/lactation adjustments
CDC Growth Charts
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Used for: BMI-for-age percentile charts for children and adolescents
Get in touch
Let's build something together
Schools, health platforms, nonprofits: if you're working to make nutrition more accessible, we'd love to hear from you.
MyPlate.food is operated by Reindex Ventures LLC, an independent studio based in Nevada and California. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the USDA or any government agency.
Try the calculator
Get your personalized daily calorie and food group targets in under a minute. Free, private, evidence-based.