If you don't have access to a physician or dietitian to plan a diet for you, you can still create an effective, scientifically sound, healthy eating plan. Whether you're trying to maintain or lose weight or address a medical condition, such as high cholesterol or iron deficiency, you'll find plenty of information on the Internet to guide you as you create your diet. Start by defining your goals, then use online research tools to plan your road map to diet success.
Step 1
Meet with your physician or a registered dietitian to discuss your nutrition needs. You may need to address a weight or other health problem, and a professional can get you started on the path to creating your diet plan.
Step 2
Visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture's website to learn how many calories you should eat each day for good health. The USDA breaks down calorie requirements based on your gender, age and how active you are. The USDA also provides recommendations for the amounts of nutrients you should eat each day, such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, and provides specific recommendations for foods groups that provide these nutrients. Study the USDA's guide to understanding nutrition labels. These labels help you understand the amount and types of nutrients you get from the foods you eat and will help you create daily meal plans for your diet.
Step 3
Calculate how many calories you will burn when you exercise. Find exercise charts, such as the one at MayoClinic.com, which shows you many calories you burn from performing a specific exercise for one hour. Find online calorie calculators that provide calorie-burning numbers based on personal data you input into the calculator.
Step 4
Create daily meal plans using your USDA-recommended calorie and nutrient recommendations. Use nutrition labels, nutrition data from food makers' websites and restaurants, and tools like those found at LiveStrong's My Plate to determine the calories and nutrients found in non-packaged foods, such as fresh meat, fish, poultry, vegetables and fruits you buy.
Step 5
Calculate the total number of calories in the daily meal plan you created, as well as the amount of any vitamins and minerals you specifically need, to make sure your diet plan meets your weight-loss or maintenance goals and nutrition needs. For example, if you are a senior woman, you may need more calcium. If you have high cholesterol, you'll want to reduce the amount of cholesterol in your diet and increase the amount of omega-3 fatty acids you eat.
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