USDA diet plans are eating patterns for meeting your nutrient needs and reducing your risk for chronic diseases, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 from the USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. MyPyramid.gov is the interactive food pyramid from the USDA that can help you develop a diet plan for free. For a healthy diet plan, consult a nutritionist.
Calories
The USDA recommends daily calorie levels based on gender, age and activity level. Men need more calories than women, and younger adults need more calories than older adults. The average adult may need between 2,000 and 3,000 calories per day to maintain weight, and you must reduce your calories to be successful on a weight-loss diet. Once you determine your calorie goal, you can look at a USDA guide to see how many servings you should eat from each group. The calorie level from the USDA is only an estimate, and your individual needs may be different.
Food Group Servings
For each food group, USDA diet plans tell you the size of a serving and how many servings you should have each day. On a 2,000-calorie diet, you should eat four 1/2-cup servings of fruit, five 1/2-cup servings of vegetables, three 1-cup servings of dairy, 6-oz. equivalents of grains, 5-1/2-oz. equivalents of protein foods and 27 g of oils. You can have up to 258 calories from a combination of added sugars and solid, or unhealthy, saturated fats.
Variety of Choices
USDA diet plans promote selecting a variety of healthy choices within each food group to increase your range of nutrients. From the vegetable group, include beans and dark-green, red and orange, starchy and other vegetables each week. Have some meat, eggs and poultry from the protein foods group, but also include fatty fish or shellfish for their heart-healthy omega-3 fats, as well as protein alternatives, such as soy-based meat substitutes, beans, nuts and seeds. Get at least half of your grains from whole-grain sources.
Alternatives
Follow the USDA's lacto-ovo vegetarian adaptation of the USDA Food Guide if your diet includes eggs and dairy but excludes meat, fish and poultry. This plan increases recommendations for the consumption of eggs, beans, soy, nuts and seeds. The vegan adaptation only includes plant-based foods, while excluding animal products. Modifications include nondairy milk substitutes and more soy products, beans, nuts and seeds. Another alternative to the regular diet plan recommended by the USDA is the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, diet.
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