Editorial Policy: Every Number Traces to a Named Source
IOM/NASEM equations and USDA tables in code, re-run against 44 checks before each release. Independent. No paid placement; errors fixed at the root.
Three kinds of content, one sourcing rule
MyPlate.food publishes calculators, recipes, and printables. Each is built from a named public source, and each carries that source where you can see it.
Calculators
The nutrition math uses the IOM (2005) and NASEM (2023) energy equations and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 food patterns. The body and fitness tools use named published formulas, such as Mifflin-St Jeor, the U.S. Navy method and Epley.
The body, fitness and calorie tools print their formula and sources right on the page. The MyPlate Plan and DRI math is on the methodology page, and each country's calculator has its own methodology page.
Recipes
The full USDA MyPlate Kitchen collection, preserved: 1,072 recipes carried over unmodified, each with the per-serving USDA nutrition panel it came with. We do not rewrite ingredients or recompute nutrition.
Printables & tables
Tables we reprint from a publication, like the DASH servings chart, are cell-for-cell transcriptions of named public-domain publications from USDA, NIH, and the NHLBI. The figures are copied, never adapted. Each reprinted table names its publication on the sheet itself.
The rule behind all three: every number traces to a named public source. No coefficient is invented, rounded off for convenience, or filled in by a model: if it cannot be cited, it is not published. Food and nutrient values are looked up from USDA data, never generated. The methodology page carries every equation and citation.
How the math is verified
Before every release, an automated test runs each of the 44 scenarios below through the live calculation code and checks the answer. A scenario is a fixed set of inputs with a known answer from a published source: a federal table or equation for the nutrition math, the named formula or reference standard for the body and fitness tools. Each row shows whether the source prints that number or it is calculated from the source's formula, so you can open the source and check it yourself.
Each row says where its answer comes from: 18 are numbers printed in the source, 25 are calculated from the source's equation or cutoffs, and 1 is a rule of thumb.
Numeric verification is separate from clinical review: a nutrition professional's read of a page's wording is credited per page and is a different thing from this numeric verification.
| Scenario | Inputs | Expected result | Primary source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40-year-old active man, 180 cm, 80 kg (IOM 2005) | M · 40 y · 180 cm · 80 kg · active | 3,086 kcal/day | IOM (2005) DRIs for Energy — adult-male EER equation (age 19+) (Calculated from the source) |
| 30-year-old sedentary woman, 165 cm, 60 kg (IOM 2005) | F · 30 y · 165 cm · 60 kg · sedentary | 1,906 kcal/day | IOM (2005) DRIs for Energy — adult-female EER equation (age 19+) (Calculated from the source) |
| 35-year-old moderately active man, 5 ft 10 in, 170 lb (IOM 2005) | M · 35 y · 5'10" · 170 lb · moderately active | 2,755 kcal/day | IOM (2005) DRIs for Energy — adult-male EER equation (age 19+); imperial input converted at 2.54 cm/in, 0.453592 kg/lb (Calculated from the source) |
| 35-year-old moderately active woman, 5 ft 6 in, 140 lb (IOM 2005) | F · 35 y · 5'6" · 140 lb · moderately active | 2,141 kcal/day | IOM (2005) DRIs for Energy — adult-female EER equation (age 19+); imperial input converted at 2.54 cm/in, 0.453592 kg/lb (Calculated from the source) |
| 15-year-old active boy, 170 cm, 66 kg (IOM 2005) | M · 15 y · 170 cm · 66 kg · active | 3,340 kcal/day | IOM (2005) DRIs for Energy — boys 9–18 EER equation (incl. +25 kcal growth) (Calculated from the source) |
| 2-year-old, 13 kg (weight-only toddler equation) (IOM 2005) | 2 y · 13 kg | 1,077 kcal/day | IOM (2005) DRIs for Energy — toddler equation, 13–35 months: 89×W − 100 + 20 (Calculated from the source) |
| 19-year-old sedentary man, 178 cm, 75 kg (IOM 2005) | M · 19 y · 178 cm · 75 kg · sedentary | 2,635 kcal/day | IOM (2005) DRIs for Energy — adult-male EER equation (age 19+), first adult-band year (Calculated from the source) |
| 18½-year-old sedentary young man, 178 cm, 70 kg (IOM 2005) | M · 18.5 y · 178 cm · 70 kg · sedentary | 2,445 kcal/day | IOM (2005) DRIs for Energy — boys 9–18 EER equation (incl. +25 kcal growth); the 9-through-18 stage runs to the 19th birthday (Calculated from the source) |
| 8½-year-old sedentary girl, 132 cm, 28 kg (IOM 2005) | F · 8.5 y · 132 cm · 28 kg · sedentary | 1,406 kcal/day | IOM (2005) DRIs for Energy — girls 3–8 EER equation (incl. +20 kcal growth); the 3-through-8 stage runs to the 9th birthday (Calculated from the source) |
| 18½-year-old active young man, 178 cm, 70 kg (IOM 2005) | M · 18.5 y · 178 cm · 70 kg · active | 3,349 kcal/day | IOM (2005) DRIs for Energy — boys 9–18 EER equation with the boys 3–18 PA row (active, 1.26); both the equation and the PA row apply until the 19th birthday (Calculated from the source) |
| 30-year-old sedentary woman, 165 cm, 60 kg, 2nd trimester (+340 kcal) (IOM 2005) | F · 30 y · 165 cm · 60 kg · 2nd trimester | 2,246 kcal/day | IOM (2005) DRIs for Energy — adult-female EER + 2nd-trimester pregnancy add (+340 kcal) (Calculated from the source) |
| 30-year-old sedentary woman, 165 cm, 60 kg, lactating 0–6 mo (+330 kcal) (IOM 2005) | F · 30 y · 165 cm · 60 kg · lactation 0–6 mo | 2,236 kcal/day | IOM (2005) DRIs for Energy — adult-female EER + lactation add, 0–6 months (+330 kcal) (Calculated from the source) |
| 40-year-old active man, 180 cm, 80 kg (NASEM 2023) | M · 40 y · 180 cm · 80 kg · active | 3,018 kcal/day | NASEM (2023) DRIs for Energy (NBK591021) — adult-male Active regression (Calculated from the source) |
| 22-year-old low-active woman, 165 cm, 63 kg (NASEM 2023) | F · 22 y · 165 cm · 63 kg · low active | 2,275 kcal/day | NASEM (2023) DRIs for Energy (NBK591021) — adult-female Low-active regression (worked example) (Printed in the source) |
| 30-year-old inactive woman, 165 cm, 60 kg, 2nd trimester — NASEM's own pregnancy regression, not a flat add (NASEM 2023) | F · 30 y · 165 cm · 60 kg · inactive · 2nd trimester | 2,238 kcal/day | NASEM (2023) DRIs for Energy (NBK591021) Table 5-17 — pregnancy Inactive regression, gestation week 20, normal-weight deposition (Table 5-13) (Calculated from the source) |
| 30-year-old inactive woman, 165 cm, 60 kg, lactating 0–6 mo (+540 milk − 140 mobilization) (NASEM 2023) | F · 30 y · 165 cm · 60 kg · inactive · lactation 0–6 mo | 2,421 kcal/day | NASEM (2023) DRIs for Energy (NBK591021) Table 5-18 — adult-female Inactive regression + milk production 540 kcal/d − energy mobilization 140 kcal/d (Calculated from the source) |
| 70-year-old inactive woman, 157 cm, 70 kg (NASEM 2023) | F · 70 y · 157 cm · 70 kg · inactive | 1,812 kcal/day | NASEM (2023) DRIs for Energy (NBK591021) — adult-female Inactive regression (worked example) (Printed in the source) |
| 15-year-old active boy, 170 cm, 66 kg (NASEM 2023) | M · 15 y · 170 cm · 66 kg · active | 3,190 kcal/day | NASEM (2023) DRIs for Energy (NBK591021) — boys 3–18 Active regression (incl. +20 growth) (Printed in the source) |
| 10-year-old low-active girl, 138 cm, 32 kg (NASEM 2023) | F · 10 y · 138 cm · 32 kg · low active | 1,744 kcal/day | NASEM (2023) DRIs for Energy (NBK591021) — girls 3–18 Low-active regression (incl. +30 growth) (Calculated from the source) |
| 2-year-old boy, 98 cm, 15.5 kg (NASEM 2023) | M · 2 y · 98 cm · 15.5 kg | 1,281 kcal/day | NASEM (2023) DRIs for Energy (NBK591021) — boys 1–<3 regression (incl. +20 growth) (Printed in the source) |
| Adult, 178 cm, 81.65 kg → BMI 25.8 | 178 cm · 81.65 kg | 25.8 · Overweight | WHO adult BMI cutoffs (underweight <18.5, normal <25, overweight <30, obese ≥30) (Calculated from the source) |
| 10-year-old boy at BMI 21.7 → ~93rd percentile | M · 10 y · 138 cm · BMI 21.7 | 21.7 · Overweight | CDC 2000 BMI-for-age growth charts (LMS reference); ≥85th percentile = overweight (Calculated from the source) |
| BMI 24: normal under WHO, overweight under the Asia-Pacific/KSSO scheme | BMI 24.0 | WHO: normal · Asia-Pacific: overweight | WHO Asia-Pacific / Korean Society for the Study of Obesity (KSSO) BMI cutoffs (overweight ≥23, obese ≥25) (Calculated from the source) |
| Iron RDA for women 31–50 | F · 40 y | 18 mg | IOM (2006) DRIs: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements — iron RDA (Printed in the source) |
| Iron RDA drops for women 51+ | F · 60 y | 8 mg | IOM (2006) DRIs: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements — iron RDA (Printed in the source) |
| Calcium RDA for women 31–50 | F · 40 y | 1,000 mg | IOM (2011) DRIs for Calcium and Vitamin D — calcium RDA (Printed in the source) |
| Protein RDA for a 170 lb man: 0.8 g per kg of body weight | M · 30 y · 5 ft 10 in · 170 lb | 62 g | IOM (2006) DRIs: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements, Protein and Amino Acids, Table 1: RDA 0.80 g/kg/day from 19 y (Printed in the source) |
| Protein RDA in the second half of pregnancy: 1.1 g per kg of body weight | F · 28 y · 5 ft 5 in · 150 lb · 2nd trimester | 75 g | IOM (2006) DRIs: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements, Protein and Amino Acids, Table 1: RDA 1.1 g/kg/day, second half of pregnancy (footnote f) (Printed in the source) |
| Vitamin C RDA for men 19–30 | M · 25 y | 90 mg | IOM (2006) DRIs: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements — vitamin C RDA (Printed in the source) |
| Vitamin D RDA for adults (rises to 20 mcg at 71+) | M · 25 y | 15 mcg | IOM (2011) DRIs for Calcium and Vitamin D — vitamin D RDA (Printed in the source) |
| Folate RDA in pregnancy (400 base → 600) | F · 25 y · 2nd trimester | 600 mcg | IOM (2006) DRIs: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements — folate RDA (DFE) (Printed in the source) |
| Sodium AI with a Chronic Disease Risk Reduction limit (not a UL) | M · 25 y | 1,500 mg (AI) · CDRR 2,300 mg | NASEM (2019) DRIs for Sodium and Potassium — sodium AI 1,500 mg + CDRR 2,300 mg (Printed in the source) |
| Potassium AI for men 19–30 | M · 25 y | 3,400 mg | NASEM (2019) DRIs for Sodium and Potassium — potassium AI (Printed in the source) |
| Total fiber AI: 14 g per 1,000 kcal of the calorie estimate (2,884 kcal) (NASEM 2023) | M · 30 y · 5 ft 10 in · 170 lb · moderately active | 40 g | IOM (2006) DRIs: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements, Fiber, Table 1: AI 14 g/1,000 kcal; energy from NASEM (2023) Table 5-16 (Printed in the source) |
| Healthy U.S.-Style daily amounts at 2,000 kcal | 2,000 kcal · U.S.-Style | Fruits 2 c · Vegetables 2.5 c · Grains 6 oz-eq · Protein 5.5 oz-eq · Dairy 3 c · Oils 27 g | Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025, Appendix 3 — Healthy U.S.-Style Pattern (Printed in the source) |
| Healthy U.S.-Style daily amounts at 1,600 kcal | 1,600 kcal · U.S.-Style | Fruits 1.5 c · Vegetables 2 c · Grains 5 oz-eq · Protein 5 oz-eq · Dairy 3 c · Oils 22 g | Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025, Appendix 3 — Healthy U.S.-Style Pattern (Printed in the source) |
| Healthy Mediterranean-Style daily amounts at 2,000 kcal (more fruit + protein, less dairy) | 2,000 kcal · Mediterranean | Fruits 2.5 c · Vegetables 2.5 c · Grains 6 oz-eq · Protein 6.5 oz-eq · Dairy 2 c · Oils 27 g | Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025, Appendix 3, Table A3-5 — Healthy Mediterranean-Style Pattern (Printed in the source) |
| Resting metabolic rate, 35-year-old man, 5 ft 10 in, 170 lb | M · 35 y · 5'10" · 170 lb | 1,712 kcal/day | Mifflin MD & St Jeor ST et al. (1990), Am J Clin Nutr — resting energy expenditure (Calculated from the source) |
| U.S. Navy body-fat %, man 178 cm/81.65 kg, neck 40, waist 90 | M · 178 cm · 81.65 kg · neck 40 · waist 90 | 18.7% | U.S. Navy circumference method (Hodgdon & Beckett, 1984) (Calculated from the source) |
| Lean body mass (Boer), man 80 kg / 180 cm | M · 80 kg · 180 cm | 61.4 kg | Boer P (1984), Am J Physiol 247(4):F632–F636 — lean-body-mass equation (Calculated from the source) |
| Protein RDA floor (0.8 g/kg) for an 80 kg adult | 80 kg · age 40 | 64 g/day | IOM/NASEM DRI (2005) — protein RDA 0.8 g/kg reference body weight (Calculated from the source) |
| Daily fluid target, 70 kg, moderately active (rule-of-thumb estimate) | 70 kg · moderately active | 2.5 liters/day | ≈35 mL/kg/day clinical fluid estimate (IOM 2005 total-water AI as reference) (Rule of thumb) |
| Waist-to-height ratio, 80 cm waist / 180 cm height | waist 80 cm · height 180 cm | 0.44 · Healthy | Ashwell M & Hsieh SD (2005) — waist-to-height ratio (keep waist under half your height) (Calculated from the source) |
| One-rep-max (Epley), 100 kg lifted for 5 reps | 100 kg × 5 reps | 117 kg | Epley B (1985) — one-repetition-maximum estimation formula (Calculated from the source) |
Reproduce these yourself: every scenario is a fixture in src/lib/calculations/verification-scenarios.ts, asserted against the live engines by tests/client/verification-scenarios.test.ts. See the methodology for every equation and citation.
Five languages, with English as the reference
MyPlate.food publishes in English, Spanish, Korean, French, and German. Non-English pages are AI-assisted translations. Before every release, automated tests check many of their figures, in every language, against the data they come from. English is the reference edition: if a translated page and the English page ever disagree on a number, the English one is correct.
Report an error and we fix it at the source
Email hello@myplate.food with the page and the number you are questioning. We check it against the primary source: the equation, the federal table, or the USDA record it came from, not against our own page. A real error is fixed site-wide in the shared data or calculation module, so every page, locale, printable, and API response moves at once rather than one page getting patched. The change is dated, and when the underlying guidelines themselves move, that is tracked publicly in Guideline Watch.
What we don't do
- No medical advice. The calculators are educational estimates for healthy people; they do not diagnose, treat, or stand in for a clinician.
- No paid placement in health content. No advertiser, sponsor, or affiliate partner can influence a number, a recommendation, or the order of anything on this site.
- No blurring of ads into content. Display ads are served by a third-party network and labelled as advertising; affiliate links are marked rel="sponsored" and carry a disclosure next to the link.
- Neither one runs at school. The printables, quizzes, worksheets, and teacher pages load with no ad stack and no session replay.
Independent, and precise about attribution
MyPlate.food is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the USDA or any federal agency. Federal sources are credited where their data actually appears: in provenance lines, source notes on printables, citations under equations, and disclaimers. That is the only place a credit belongs. We use public-domain federal data because it is the best data available and it is meant to be used; we do not borrow a government seal to vouch for our work.