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Dietary Reference Intakes

Recommended intake for vitamins   |    Recommended intake for elements (minerals)
Recommended intake for macronutrients (carbs, protein, fats, fiber and water)

What numbers should you use to evaluate your diet? About the RDA, the DRI and the RDI.

Values in parentheses represent Adequate Intakes (AIs) instead of Recommended Dietary Allowances. These numbers are used when no RDA is available for that nutrient. For more information on AIs see the link above. If you have any questions about this chart or nutrition in general, email me.

A microgram (µg) is one thousandth of a milligram, and one millionth of a gram.

Values in parentheses represent Adequate Intakes (AIs) instead of Recommended Dietary Allowances. These numbers are used when no RDA is available for that nutrient. For more information on AIs see what numbers should you use to evaluate your diet. If you have any questions about this chart or nutrition in general, email me.

A microgram (µg) is one thousandth of a milligram, and one millionth of a gram.

Values in parentheses represent Adequate Intakes (AIs) instead of Recommended Dietary Allowances. These numbers are used when no RDA is available for that nutrient. For more information on AIs see what numbers should you use to evaluate your diet. If you have any questions about this chart or nutrition in general, email me.

What numbers should you use to evaluate your diet?

From 1941 to 1989, the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances) were the gold standard used to determine if someone from a particular age and gender group was getting the nutrients they needed. In the early 1990's the Food and Nutrition Board decided these benchmarks needed an overhaul. Out of this revision came a whole new way to evaluate nutrients, the DRIs (Dietary Reference Intakes).

Between 1997 and 2004 the values were written for 46 different nutrient substances, including vitamins, many more minerals than were included in the RDA, electrolytes, water and macronutrients such as fiber, carbohydrates, fatty acids, cholesterol and amino acids.

DRIs actually include four different reference values.

• The RDA, which is the daily intake of a nutrient sufficient to meet the needs of almost all healthy people in an age and gender group.
• The AI, or Adequate Intake, which is used if the RDA cannot be established. This is based on looking at how much of a nutrient healthy people actually eat.
• The UL is the Tolerable Upper Intake Level, or the amount of a nutrient that a healthy person can eat without any risk of toxicity.
• The EAR, or Estimated Average Requirement, is the amount of a nutrient that is estimated to meet the requirement of half of all healthy individuals in the population.

Of these four reference values, the RDA, AI and UL are of most use to individuals who want to know a safe and healthy level of nutrient intake. The EAR is mainly of use to people who are planning diets for large population groups, or developing new foods.

As if things aren't confusing enough, you will also find references to the RDI on food labels. This value is The Reference Daily Intake, established by the Food and Drug Administration for use in nutrition labeling. It was based initially on the highest 1968 Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for each nutrient, to assure that needs were met for all age groups. So when a food label states that it contains 50% of your daily requirement for calcium, they are referring to the RDI.