# ATLAS staple-food planner

Reviewed 26 September 2026. Composition explorer for adults aged 19+.

## A flexible repertoire

Small staple sets are editorial starting points for shopping and everyday variety.
The displayed counts (including vegetarian 4–10 and vegan 8–14) are adjustable
repertoire ideas, not established nutritional minimums. Lion-inspired means the
ATLAS beef-plus-small-liver variation, not a universal definition. BBE means beef,
butter and eggs. Ketovore here means animal foods with berries; ketosis is not
measured or guaranteed. Preferences match patterns, not clinical suitability.

## Data and calculation

27 curated food records come from the verified ATLAS USDA composition pack,
Foundation April 2026 and SR Legacy April 2018. Each contribution preserves its
source food ID, preparation, nutrient identity, unit, 100 g edible-portion basis,
measurement ID and source locator. Recorded amounts are scaled by entered grams.
Missing, ambiguous and incompatible measurements remain unknown; the known
subtotal is displayed as a lower bound, not a complete total. No zero is invented.
Energy uses specific Atwater factors when reported, then general factors, then
legacy energy; alternative energy estimates are not added together.

21 nutrients are compared with [FDA general daily label references](https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-facts-label/daily-value-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels).
Percentages are amount/reference ratios, not individualized requirements or
protein-quality-adjusted labeling claims. A partial food selection below a daily
reference is not a diagnosis of deficiency. A single meal need not meet a day’s
references. Total vitamin K is not available: the displayed K1 contribution is
compared with the vitamin K reference and does not include K2. Folate uses DFE;
vitamin A uses RAE. Other essential nutrients, fatty-acid balance, absorption and
long-term outcomes are not assessed. Food preparation and serving quantities matter.

## Useful additions

The planner evaluates one stated, editable portion per candidate food. It ranks
additions by the sum of their measured contributions to the remaining gaps across
the displayed nutrients, capping each nutrient's credit at its reference. The
next candidate is evaluated after the preceding candidate. Equal scores sort by
source food ID. This bounded greedy method is a practical shortlist, not proof
of a globally optimal or minimum-food set. Unknown contributions earn no credit,
but their possible presence is not denied. No absorption multiplier, disease-risk
score or clinical recommendation is produced.

Food preferences, individual exclusions and a 1–14 food budget apply throughout.
The starting selection permits 1–4 foods; optional additions fill the remaining
budget. No automatic organ-meat suggestion is generated. Suggested additions are
screened against measured sodium/saturated-fat daily limits and retinol/copper
upper limits; incomplete measurements can prevent a full assessment. Ordinary
staple choices and optional variety remain visible independently of this ranking.

## Limits and source details

- Sodium 2,300 mg and saturated fat 20 g are FDA daily limits used for this
  general comparison, not toxicity thresholds.
- Preformed vitamin A uses the US age-19+ upper limit of 3,000 µg RAE per day,
  assessed through the available retinol measurement; total plant carotenoid
  vitamin A is not substituted for preformed A. Copper uses the age-19+ upper
  limit of 10 mg per day. These limits include other dietary and supplemental
  sources not entered in this calculator. They are not liver portion prescriptions.
  Sources: [NIH vitamin A](https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/)
  and [NIH copper](https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Copper-HealthProfessional/).
- Unfortified plant staples do not reliably cover B12. A reliable fortified food
  or supplement belongs alongside a vegan routine and is outside this whole-food
  calculation. Source: [NIH B12](https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/).
- Composition does not establish absorbed-nutrient equivalence. Absorption varies
  with nutrient form, preparation, other foods and the person. Sources:
  [NIH iron](https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/),
  [NIH zinc](https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/) and
  [NIH calcium](https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/).

FDA/NIH documents are reference guidance, not diet-comparison trials. This feature
makes no claim that one diet is universally superior or that a fixed number of
foods is sufficient. Source-food variation, incomplete composition coverage and
unmodeled nutrients remain visible limits of the calculation.