Looking for a way to monitor your calories and see a breakdown of your daily carb, fat, and protein intake? Wish there was just a way you could type everything you ate into a computer program and have it fire back a summary of all your macro- and micronutrients?  

Well, yes, such a program exists and it’s accessible to anyone on the web!    

The USDA website, http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov, has a “Nutrient Assessment” Program that lets you type in a day’s worth of dietary information and then calculates your total caloric intake along with your carbohydrate, fat, protein, micro- and macronutrient distribution. Then, based on your gender, height, and weight, it offers a recommended nutrient amount or acceptable range, so you can alter your diet to incorporate the suggested numbers. To get a better understanding of your diet over time, the MyPyramid Tracker lets you monitor what you eat up to a year. 

The USDA MyPyramid Tracker site is easy to use and it’s FREE! All you have to do is go to http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov, click “Assess Your Food Intake,” Enter Your Food Item (type in what you ate that day, one food at a time), then Select Quantity (and select how much of each item you consumed), and then Save & Analyze. You will have to register first, which is quick and free of cost, and simply requires that you type in your gender, age, height and weight and to make a log-in and password.    

The final result will look like this:

And there's more! You can use the site to assess your physical activity and compare other recommendations, as well.

Bottom line: Definitely worth checking out!