Recommended Daily Intakes

As we saw in the Nutrients guide, nutrients are essential for the body to function properly. The amount of each nutrient that the body needs is called the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) or Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA).

These values are set by health authorities and are based on the latest scientific research. The RDI values are different for different nutrients and are based on factors such as age, life-stage, and gender. Different countries have different guidelines for RDIs. The following table is an example of various RDIs provided by different health authorities in some of the countries:

Country	Organization	Recommended Daily Intake	Notes
United States	National Institutes of Health	Link	The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency for conducting and supporting medical research.
United States	Food and Drug Administration	Link	The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. This is used for Food Product and Supplement Labels
Canada	Health Canada	Link	Health Canada is the department of the Government of Canada responsible for national public health.
Australia	National Health and Medical Research Council	Link	The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is Australia’s leading expert body promoting the development and maintenance of public and individual health standards.
United Kingdom	National Health Service	Link	The National Health Service (NHS) is the publicly funded healthcare system in the United Kingdom.
India	Indian Council of Medical Research	Link	The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination, and promotion of biomedical research.
New Zealand	Ministry of Health	Link	The Ministry of Health is the New Zealand government’s principal advisor on health and disability.