What is Picture Your Plate?
Picture Your PlateTM is a brief (48-question) dietary assessment questionnaire developed to assess how well an individual’s eating habits align with current evidence-based recommendations. As described below, these recommendations aim for a dietary pattern that reduces cardiovascular disease risk and promotes overall health. Picture Your Plate is a version of the DRA – Dietary Risk Assessment -- originally published in 1991. Picture Your Plate provides a total score ranging from 0 to 96, and sub-scores for specific categories of food choices.
This tool was designed to meet cardiac rehabilitation programs’ needs for content and ease of use (including only 15-20 minutes to administer). However, it is also useful for work with a variety of other people, since it fits with overall nutrition recommendations and is not aligned with any single dietary pattern.
Reference citations: Please scroll to the bottom of this page for published research on the validation of this tool and the association of scores with recognized dietary pattern indexes. Also included are citations and links to studies using previous versions of the DRA tool.
How to Access and Use Picture Your Plate
Picture Your Plate is available at no cost. Scroll down below to complete the request form. Permission to print and use this tool is granted, as long as the following conditions are met:
- Use the tool in its entirety and without changes. This is important in order to allow for potential future research on the tool.
- Provide requested contact information through which we can contact you with updated information about the tool and get your feedback about your use of Picture Your Plate.
Scoring awards points for food choices that support a plant-focused eating pattern emphasizing fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other high-fiber foods; limits foods high in saturated fat, added sugars (including sugar-sweetened beverages), and sodium; and allows for a range of unsaturated fat intake that is reflective of current dietary guidelines. It does not directly address overall caloric intake, but does address several categories of calorie-dense foods that can promote excessive calorie consumption. Total score is associated with recognized dietary pattern indexes that assess diet quality.
Your specific information will never be sold to or shared with anyone. We may use aggregate information about location and profession to describe users of Picture Your Plate.
About Development of Picture Your Plate
Picture Your Plate was developed by Karen K. Collins, MS, RDN, CDN, FAND and Ellen S. Aberegg MA, LD, RDN, FAACVPR, in collaboration with two dietitians specializing in cardiac rehabilitation, Judith M. Hinderliter, MPH, RD and Sharon L. Smalling, MPH, RD, LD. It is a revision of the Dietary Risk Assessment (DRA) tool developed by Alice S. Ammerman, DrPH, and Thomas C. Keyserling, MD, MPH. This revision was undertaken with their permission, and they were actively involved in its validation study (see below).
Picture Your Plate was developed as a revision of a previous DRA tool to better reflect the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the 2016 AHA Recommended Dietary Pattern to Achieve Adherence to the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) Guidelines.
Contact: For questions about Picture Your Plate, please contact Ellen Aberegg, MA, LD, RDN, FAACVPR, or Karen Collins, MS, RDN, CDN, FAND at PictureYourPlate@gmail.com.
Spanish Translation Now Available
New in 2022, a Spanish translation of Picture Your Plate, Piense en su Platillo, is now available.
· English and Spanish forms reflect the same content and context.
· The translation used Spanish natural language techniques that can be understood by all Hispanic cultures.
· Every sentence was carefully evaluated with the most scientific approach to assure accuracy, intercultural understanding, and respect.
Translation and adaptation to Hispanic culture was provided by Sylvia Klinger, DBA, MS, RDN, in collaboration with the certified bilingual interpreters at Spanish Horizons. Ms. Klinger is a global registered dietitian, founder of Hispanic Food Communications, Inc., and a leading expert in cross-cultural Hispanic nutrition and health.
When you request a copy of Picture Your Plate, the email you receive will also include links to download the dietary assessment form and a scoring worksheet in Spanish.
Request Your Copy of the Dietary Assessment Tool Here
Complete this form to get access to the Picture Your Plate dietary assessment tool.
After you provide the requested information, you will immediately receive an email sent to the address you provide. In that email, you will find links to download the Picture Your Plate tool, as well as a scoring worksheet and a document with interim guidelines for interpreting scores.
** If you submit this request and do not receive an email within a few minutes, here's what to do:
(1) Check your spam or promotions email folder to see if the email from Picture Your Plate ended up there.
(2) If your email is part of a medical center or other institution, the institution's firewall may have blocked the email. Please check with your IT department for help accessing the email.
(3) If you are still having problems accessing the tool, please contact us directly at:
PictureYourPlate@gmail.com
We are requesting the following information so that we can contact you with any important updates about the tool and get your feedback about your use of Picture Your Plate.
Your specific information will never be sold to or shared with anyone. We may use aggregate information about location and profession to describe users of Picture Your Plate.
References
Picture Your Plate
Aberegg ES, Collins KK, Hinderliter JM, Smalling SL, Fung TT, Gizlice Z, Johnston LF, Ammerman AS, Keyserling TC. Validity and Reliability of a Brief Dietary Assessment Questionnaire in a Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev. 2020;40(4):280-283. doi:10.1097/HCR.
Dietary Risk Assessment (DRA) Earlier Versions
Ammerman AS, Haines PS, DeVellis RF, et al. A brief dietary assessment to guide cholesterol reduction in low-income individuals: design and validation. J Am Diet Assoc. 1991;91(11):1385-1390.
Jilcott SB, Keyserling TC, Samuel-Hodge CD, Johnston LF, Gross MD, Ammerman AS. Validation of a brief dietary assessment to guide counseling for cardiovascular disease risk reduction in an underserved population. J Am Diet Assoc. 2007;107(2):246-255.
Rosamond WD, Ammerman AS, Holliday JL, et al. Cardiovascular disease risk factor intervention in low-income women: the North Carolina WISEWOMAN project. Prev Med. 2000;31(4):370-379.
Information on this website is not intended as a substitute for consultation with a healthcare professional. Picture Your PlateTM is a separate entity that is not part of Karen Collins Nutrition.
Copyright: Unless otherwise noted, the design, content and all components of this webpage are protected by United States and international copyright laws and should not be reused or republished without express written permission from Karen K Collins or Ellen S Aberegg. Conditions for printing and patient use of Picture Your Plate are noted above.
