Dietary analysis can help you track diet quality, plan food choices and make better nutrient choices. Diet is linked to your overall health. Poor nutrition can cause disease while good nutrition can prevent digestive diseases and health disorders such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease. Using dietary assessment tools can provide nutrition information to help you improve your diet and overall health.
Harvard Healthy Eating Pyramid
The Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health based the Healthy Eating Pyramid on the latest nutrition science. This simple nutrition guide is easy to follow. The food pyramid is based on exercise, weight control and a plant-based diet. The bottom layer of the pyramid focuses on staying active, maintaining a healthy weight and focusing on balanced meals. The pyramid is designed so you eat more foods from the base and less from the top.
The Healthy Eating Pyramid guides you to build your nutrition based on balance, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. The bulk of your diet would be from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and oils. The smallest portion of your diet should be from red meats, refined grains, sugars and salt.
USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory
The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database is used as the basis for most food and nutrition databases in the U.S. The Nutrient Data Laboratory is a nutrient search tool that allows easy access to food composition and nutrient value of foods and dietary supplements. This state-of-the-art tool will help you evaluate any food item or nutritional supplement and choose the best food options for your diet. It can also help you evaluate your current diet's nutritional content.
Simply enter the food item and/or food group into the diet search tool. Hit submit for a breakdown of how that item can be consumed, region of origin and type of food. Submit and follow the prompts to the nutritional analysis.
University of Illinois Nutrition Analysis Tool
The University of Illinois developed the Nutrition Analysis Tool, also referred to as NAT, as a way of simplifying diet analysis. The NAT is a diet analyzer with an extensive database of food nutrient values. It also offers other diet information, such as an energy calculator, educational resources and a personal diet analysis of your overall nutrition. Whether you are looking for specific nutrient information such as carbohydrates, protein and saturated fats, or for an overall analysis of your diet, the NAT can be tailored to evaluate specific concerns.
References
- United States Department of Agriculture: Nutrient Data Laboratory
- United States Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidance
- Harvard School of Public Health: The Nutrition SourceHealthy Eating Pyramid
- University of Illinois: Nutrition Analysis Tool
- United States Department of Agriculture: Welcome to The Nutrient Data Laboratory Home Page
