MyPlate has a tool you can use to determine how much food you need each day from the different food groups. Go to ChooseMyPlate.gov to try out this tool. On the site, go to Online Tools and click on “Daily Checklist.” Then enter the information requested. Submit the information, and you will see what your daily requirements are.

To relate these amounts to the foods you eat each day, you need to understand food equivalents. For example, you need 3 cups of milk—or equivalent dairy foods—every day. How does cheese count toward this amount? Click on the dairy category and look for the chart that tells you what counts as a cup. You will see that a 1½-ounce piece of cheddar cheese is equivalent to 1 cup. Notice in the chart how other dairy foods fit into your daily requirement.

For a better understanding of MyPlate food equivalents, answer the questions that follow. Use ChooseMyPlate.gov to find the information.

  1. Go to “Daily Checklist” and enter information for these two teens:

    a. Female, age 16, 135 pounds, 5’7”, and active 30 to 60 minutes each day.

    b. Female, age 16, 115 pounds, 5’5”, and active 30 to 60 minutes each day.


  2. Compare the daily food recommendations for these two teens by clicking on the number of calories recommended in their Daily Checklists:

    a. Austin, male, age 17, 160 pounds, 5’10”, 30 to 60 minutes of activity each day.

    b. Jake, male, age 17, 200 pounds, 5’10”, less than 30 minutes of activity each day.