Name____________________________ Date_______________ Pd. #_____
My Pyramid Tracker ~ Instructions for Internet Activity
My Pyramid Tracker is an online dietary and physical activity assessment tool that provides
information on your diet quality, physical activity status, related nutrition messages, and links to
nutrient and physical activity information.
1. You must have a list of ALL FOODS eaten in a 24-hour period for this activity.
2. Log on to www.mypyramid.gov Look on the right side of the home page, click on
My Pyramid Plan, and fill out the information. BE HONEST ABOUT YOUR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY as
it will affect the number of calories you need.
Results: I am answers wil vary years old and have a vigorous activity of answers will vary minutes
a day.
(Enter one of the categories exactly - minutes/day - as it comes up in the box.)
Click Submit. Your food intake is based on a answers will vary calorie pattern. Check out the chart
that indicates a suggested quantity of each food group you should eat daily. Fill in the following:
Grains
6
ounces
Aim for
3
oz of whole grains a day.
Vegetables
2.5
cups
Aim for
5
teaspoons of oils a day.
Fruit
2
cups
Limit your extras to ______ calories.
Milk
3
cups
Meat & Beans
5.5
ounces
3. From the home page, click on “Inside the Pyramid” and click on each colored part of the pyramid.
List the 6 slogans that go along with each food group and TWO tips for including each one in your
diet on a daily basis.
GRAINS
Slogan:
Make Half Your Grains Whole
Tips: 1. Eat at least 3 ounces of whole grain bread, cereal, crackers rice or pasta each day
2. Look for “whole” before the grain name on the list of ingredients
VEGETABLES
Slogan: Vary Your Veggies
Tips: 1. Eat more dark green and orange veggies
2. Eat more dry beans and peas
FRUITS
Slogan: Focus on Fruits
Tips: 1. Eat a variety of fruits, Go easy on fruit juices
2. Choose fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruit
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OILS
Slogan: Know Your Fats
Tips: 1. Make most of your fat sources from fish, nuts and vegetable oils
2. Limit solid fats like butter, stick margarine, shortening and lard
MILK
Slogan: Get Your Calcium Rich Foods
Tips: 1. Go low-fat or fat-free
2. If you don’t or can’t consume milk, choose lactose-free products or other calcium sources
MEAT AND BEANS
Slogan: Go Lean on Protein
Tips: 1.Choose low-fat or lean meats and poultry
2. Bake it, broil it or grill it. Vary your choices with more fish, beans, peas, nuts and seeds
4. Click on the “Steps to a Healthier Weight” tab and answer the following questions:

If you are significantly overweight, what diseases are you at a greater risk for?
Heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, stroke and some
forms of cancer

What is necessary to maintain weight? Calorie intake must be equivalent to the energy burned

What is necessary to lose weight? Calorie intake must be less than energy burned. 1 pound of
weight loss is equivalent to 3500 calories
What is necessary to gain weight? Calorie intake must be greater than energy burned.

What are nutrient dense foods? Foods that are packed with nutrients but low in extras that just
add calories
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‘My Pyramid Tracker’ Instructions
My Pyramid Tracker is an online dietary and physical activity assessment tool that provides
information on your diet quality, physical activity status, related nutrition messages, and links to
nutrient and physical activity information.
The Food Calories/Energy Balance feature automatically calculates your energy balance by
subtracting the energy you expend from physical activity from your food calories/energy intake. Use
of this tool helps you better understand your energy balance status and enhances the link between
good nutrition and regular physical activity.
1. Begin on the homepage: www.mypyramid.gov.



On the homepage, under Subjects, on the left side of the screen, click on My Pyramid
Tracker.
Scroll to the bottom of this screen and click on “check it out.”
Create a profile using your school username and password.
2. Choose one of the days from your food diary to complete the following…


Click on Assess Your Food Intake.
Click on Proceed to Food Intake.

Enter the first food from your ’24 hour’ list in the text box, then click "Search." To choose a
food, click on it from the list.
o After each food selection and quantity, click Enter Foods
o Be sure that you’ve entered the correct quantity of each food that you’ve eaten!
o Also indicate how many servings this is.
o Repeat until you have included all foods and beverages eaten in the last 24 hours.
When you are finished entering everything that you ate and drank in the last 24 hours, click
Save and Analyze.
Click on each of the categories that comes up next to see how your diet was analyzed. Use
each category to answer the questions provided on the handout.
When you are all finished, print your results.
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3. Using the blue bullet points along the top of the screen, repeat the above steps under Food
Intake Entry.

Enter all physical activities for one 24-hour period
o After each food selection and quantity, click Enter Activity
o Be sure that you’ve entered the amount of time for each activity
o Your total time should be as close to 24 hours (1,440 minutes) as possible.
4. After entering all food/beverages and activity for one 24 hour period, click on the “Energy
Balance” bullet to analyze your energy input (calories) vs. energy output.
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MY PYRAMID TRACKER QUESTIONS
Use the bullets across the top of the webpage to complete the next section. Begin with the bullet
labeled “Analyze Food Intake.” Follow the directions to print the necessary handouts and complete
the questions.
Meeting 2005 Dietary Guidelines (Print Out). Click on each Emoticon for more detailed
information. Which categories showed a ‘happy smiley face’?
ANSWERS WILL VARY
Nutrient Intake (Print Out). Circle nutrients on your print-out that you didn’t get enough of in
your diet. Make a list of these nutrients below. Now, go back and click on each of the deficient
nutrient. Use this information to list specific foods you could add to your diet that contain these
nutrients: (Please DO NOT include fats, sodium or cholesterol here)
Deficient Nutrient
Foods containing this nutrient
ANSWERS WILL VARY
Circle the nutrients on your print-out that were too high & should be limited (these include fats,
cholesterol, carbohydrates and sodium) Make a list of those nutrients below. Now, click on them for
information about ways that you could cut back.
Nutrients that should be limited
Ways that I can cut back
ANSWERS WILL VARY
Go back to Analyze Choices. Click on MyPyramid Recommendations (Print Out).
Write a few sentences about the Food Groups you need to eat more of.
ANSWERS WILL VARY
5. Once you have completed the above sections, you will need to enter all your physical activity for a
24-hour time period. Your activities should be entered in minutes and should TOTAL 1440 MINUTES.
 Click on Enter Physical Activity (This is where you use your 24-hour diet.).
o Enter an activity from your list in the text box, then click Search. To choose an
activity, click on the red ADD button.
o After all activities are selected, click on select quantity. Estimate the amount of
time you spent each on each activity.
o When you are finished entering EVERYTHING you did in the last 24 hours, click
Save and Analyze.
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ENERGY BALANCE (PRINT HANDOUT): Look at your energy balance assessment. Is
the scale balanced? If not, did you consume more or less calories than you burned?
Respond to this report by writing a few sentences explaining your thoughts. Include
whether you believe this is a typical day for you and whether your eating habits and
level of physical activity do or do not match up:
ANSWERS WILL VARY
Using information from MyPyramid Recommendations, data from Nutrient Intake, and the
conclusions from Emoticons, write a 1-page essay defending or attacking your current diet. Use the
facts that you learned. Begin your essay with “I defend (or attack) my current diet, because . . .”
ANSWERS WILL VARY
STAPLE ALL PAPERS TOGETHER IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER:
1. MyPyramid Tracker Rubric
2. This handout
3. ‘Meeting 2005 Dietary Guidelines’ - print-out
4. ‘Nutrient Intake’ - print-out
5. ‘MyPyramid Recommendations’ - print-out
6. Energy Balance – print-out
7. Your 24-hour list of foods
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