What is MyPlate for older adults?
MyPlate for older adults applies USDA's five food groups — fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, and dairy — to the years after 60, when the same balanced plate works but the numbers behind it shift. As metabolism and activity slow, daily calorie needs fall: under the USDA Dietary Guidelines' estimated needs, a woman over 60 typically needs about 1,600–2,000 calories a day and a man 2,000–2,600.
Yet protein and several key nutrients hold steady or rise even as calories drop, so every bite has to do more work. USDA retired its MyPlate.gov older-adults page in January 2026; this page and our free MyPlate Plan calculator carry that guidance forward, with the food-group amounts and nutrient targets below drawn from USDA food-pattern tables and the Dietary Reference Intakes.
The short version
- Calories fall after 60 — roughly 1,600–2,000 a day for women and 2,000–2,600 for men.
- Protein doesn't drop — 56 g a day for men and 46 g for women, so it fills a bigger share of a smaller plate.
- Vitamin D and calcium rise at 71+ — 20 mcg (800 IU) and 1,200 mg — even as total calories fall.
Daily food-group amounts for typical 60+ calorie levels
How much of each food group you need scales with your calorie level — the MyPlate Plan calculator finds yours, then the USDA Healthy US-Style Pattern below sets the daily cups and ounce-equivalents across the 1,600–2,600-calorie band older adults fall into.
| Calorie level | Fruits (cups) | Vegetables (cups) | Grains (oz-eq) | Protein (oz-eq) | Dairy (cups) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,600 cal | 1.5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| 1,800 cal | 1.5 | 2.5 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| 2,000 cal | 2 | 2.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 3 |
| 2,200 cal | 2 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 3 |
| 2,400 cal | 2 | 3 | 8 | 6.5 | 3 |
| 2,600 cal | 2 | 3.5 | 9 | 6.5 | 3 |
Daily amounts from the USDA Healthy US-Style Pattern (Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025 (opens in new tab)). Vegetables and dairy in cups; grains and protein in ounce-equivalents.
Key nutrients after 60
Eating less doesn't mean needing less of everything. Several nutrients hold steady or climb after 60 even as calories fall — the practical meaning of "nutrient-dense" for older adults. Below are the Dietary Reference Intakes for the two older-adult brackets, from the data behind our DRI calculator.
| Nutrient | Men 51–70 | Men 71+ | Women 51–70 | Women 71+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protein (opens in new tab)g · RDA — Holds steady with age while calories fall, so it fills a bigger share of the plate. | 56 | 56 | 46 | 46 |
| Vitamin D (opens in new tab)mcg · RDA — Rises to 20 mcg (800 IU) at 71+ — skin makes less from sunlight with age. | 15 | 20 | 15 | 20 |
| Vitamin B12 (opens in new tab)mcg · RDA — Unchanged at 2.4 mcg, but harder to absorb from food after 50; fortified foods help. | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| Vitamin B6 (opens in new tab)mg · RDA — Higher after 50 than in younger adults (up to 1.7 mg for men). | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Calcium (opens in new tab)mg · RDA — 1,200 mg for everyone 71+ (and for women from 51) to protect bone. | 1000 | 1200 | 1200 | 1200 |
| Potassium (opens in new tab)mg · AI — Unchanged into older age; helps blunt sodium's effect on blood pressure. | 3400 | 3400 | 2600 | 2600 |
| Total Fiber (opens in new tab)g · AI — Scales with calories, so the target eases — but density still matters for digestion. | 30 | 30 | 21 | 21 |
Dietary Reference Intakes (RDA or AI) from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (opens in new tab), for the 51–70 and 71+ life-stage brackets. See the DRI calculator for your full personalized set.
How many calories do older adults need?
Calorie needs decline with age. The Estimated Energy Requirement equations behind our calculator subtract energy for every year of age — about 9.5 calories a year for men and 6.9 for women — on top of the drop that comes as activity eases. In the USDA Dietary Guidelines' estimated ranges, most women over 60 sit near 1,600 calories a day when they're not very active and up toward 2,000 when they are; most men land between about 2,000 and 2,600.
Starting points, not prescriptions
Do protein needs change after 60?
The federal RDA for protein doesn't drop with age — it stays at 56 grams a day for men and 46 grams for women across every adult bracket, including 51–70 and 71+. Because calorie needs fall while that target holds, protein has to fill a larger share of a smaller plate, leaving less room for empty calories.
So MyPlate's advice to vary your protein matters more, not less, after 60. All of these count toward your daily target:
- Lean meats and poultry
- Seafood
- Eggs
- Beans, peas, and lentils
- Nuts and seeds
- Soy foods like tofu and tempeh
The protein foods group guide breaks down what a daily ounce-equivalent looks like, and the MyPlate Plan calculator shows how many you need at your calorie level.
What did USDA's older-adults MyPlate page say?
MyPlate.gov carried a set of life-stage pages: one applied the plate to older adults — the same five food groups and daily amounts, framed for the realities of eating well after 60 — while a companion MyPlate for pregnancy & breastfeeding page did the same for expecting and nursing parents. When USDA retired the MyPlate.gov website in January 2026 alongside the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines, that page went offline with the rest of the site; the underlying science did not.
The food-pattern tables that set those amounts are still published, and this page rebuilds the older-adults guidance from them — independently of USDA, which appears here only as the source of the data. For the broader story of what changed in 2026 and where the plate lives now, see our explainer on what happened to MyPlate.
Is the Tufts "MyPlate for Older Adults" the same thing?
Not quite, and the distinction matters. The named graphic often called "MyPlate for Older Adults" is a separate adaptation created and maintained by nutrition scientists at Tufts University, not a USDA product. It builds on the MyPlate idea but adds age-specific cues:
- Reminders about fluids and staying hydrated
- Prompts to stay physically active
- Convenient, affordable food forms — like frozen and canned produce that make cooking for one or two easier
What this page gives you
MyPlate for older adults — frequently asked questions
Is MyPlate still used for older adults in 2026?
How much protein does an older adult need per day?
Which nutrients matter most after age 70?
Is "MyPlate for Older Adults" a USDA program?
Sources
Every figure on this page traces to a public federal source. MyPlate.food is independent and not affiliated with the USDA, HHS, the NIH, or the National Academies — they appear here only as source credits.
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025 (opens in new tab) — USDA & HHS. The Healthy US-Style Pattern food-group amounts and the estimated calorie ranges after 60.
- Dietary Reference Intakes — National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (opens in new tab) — The RDA/AI targets for the 51–70 and 71+ life stages, including protein and fiber.
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — Vitamin D (opens in new tab) — The RDA rises to 20 mcg (800 IU) at 71+, as skin makes less from sunlight.
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — Vitamin B12 (opens in new tab) — Harder to absorb from food after 50; fortified foods and supplements help.
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — Vitamin B6 (opens in new tab) — Targets are higher after 50 than earlier in adulthood.
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — Calcium (opens in new tab) — 1,200 mg to protect bone in later life.
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — Potassium (opens in new tab) — Helps blunt sodium's effect on blood pressure.
- RealFood.gov — Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 (opens in new tab) — Where federal nutrition guidance moved after MyPlate.gov was retired in January 2026.
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MyPlate.food. (2026). MyPlate for Older Adults — Food Group Amounts & Key Nutrients After 60. https://myplate.food/myplate-for-older-adultsLink
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