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Nutrient Target Checker

Daily nutrient targets for one person by age, sex and life stage, using the NASEM Dietary Reference Intakes. Then check any food against those targets. Label %DV uses a single reference population; a person needs their own numbers.

Add weight and height for an energy estimate (optional)
Reference group: Females 31 to 50 years
NutrientDaily targetBasis
Protein46 gRDA
Dietary Fibre25 gAdequate Intake
Calcium1000 mgRDA
Iron18 mgRDA
Magnesium320 mgRDA
Zinc8 mgRDA
Potassium2600 mgAdequate Intake
Vitamin C75 mgRDA
Vitamin D15 mcgRDA
Folate400 mcg DFERDA
Vitamin B122.4 mcgRDA
This is a reference tool, not medical advice. Dietary Reference Intakes describe the needs of healthy populations. Individual requirements change with medical conditions, medication, pregnancy complications and much else. Anyone using this for patient care should apply their own clinical judgement, and anyone using it for themselves should talk to a qualified professional before making changes.

Targets are RDA values where one exists and AI values where it does not; each row is marked. Source: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes. Energy is an estimate from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, not a DRI value. These figures are not the FDA Daily Values used for label %DV.

How daily nutrient targets are set

Why %DV on a label is not your requirement

The %DV printed on a Nutrition Facts panel is calculated against a single reference population under 21 CFR 101.9 - one set of Daily Values covering adults and children of four and over. That is exactly right for packaging: a manufacturer cannot print a different panel for every shopper, and a fixed reference makes two products comparable on shelf.

It is the wrong number for advising a person. A 24-year-old man, a pregnant woman and a 70-year-old all read "20% DV" off the same package, and it means something different for each of them. This tool keeps the two ideas apart: the label reference stays where it belongs, and the individual gets their own figures from the Dietary Reference Intakes.

RDA and AI are not the same kind of number

The targets here come from the NASEM (Institute of Medicine) Dietary Reference Intakes, and they are of two kinds. An RDA is set to meet the needs of 97–98% of healthy people in a group - deliberately generous, so that hitting it means almost certainly sufficient. An Adequate Intake is used where the evidence was not strong enough to set an RDA at all; it is an observed or approximated level, not a requirement derived the same way.

Of the nutrients shown here, dietary fibre and potassium are AIs. The rest are RDAs. The tool marks which is which rather than presenting one undifferentiated column, because falling short of an AI does not carry the same meaning as falling short of an RDA, and quietly blurring the two would make the output look more precise than the underlying science is.

Folate is in mcg DFE, and the unit is load-bearing

Folate is expressed in micrograms of Dietary Folate Equivalents, not plain micrograms. DFE exists because folic acid - the synthetic form in fortified grains and supplements - is absorbed considerably more efficiently than the folate occurring naturally in food.

The practical consequence: a figure in plain mcg taken off a supplement facts panel or a food database is not directly comparable with a target in mcg DFE. Check the unit before concluding someone is short.

Energy is estimated, not prescribed

There is no RDA for energy, and that is a deliberate feature of the DRI framework rather than an omission. An RDA is set high enough to cover nearly everyone in a group; applying that logic to calories would systematically overfeed roughly half the population. So the DRIs handle energy separately, and this tool does too.

The optional energy figure is a Mifflin-St Jeor estimate of basal metabolic rate from weight, height, age and sex, multiplied by an activity factor. It is a prediction equation, and every prediction equation carries real error for any given individual - two people matching on all four inputs can differ substantially. Treat it as a starting point to be adjusted against actual intake and weight trend, not as a number to hit.

More is not automatically better

These are targets for adequacy. They are not optimum doses, and the DRI framework separately defines Tolerable Upper Intake Levels for several of these nutrients - iron, zinc, vitamin D and folic acid among them - above which the risk of adverse effects rises.

This tool shows targets, not upper limits. Reading a shortfall as a reason to supplement aggressively is a misuse of it, particularly for the fat-soluble vitamins and for iron in anyone who has not been shown to be deficient.

What this tool is not

The DRIs describe the requirements of healthy populations. Pregnancy and lactation are handled here because the DRIs define values for them, but illness, malabsorption, renal disease, bariatric surgery, and many medications all change requirements in ways no reference table covers.

This is reference material for label and recipe work and a starting point for a professional conversation. It is not medical or dietetic advice, and it does not diagnose or treat anything. For the number that belongs on a package rather than the number that belongs to a person, use the %DV calculator.

For the label side of the same numbers, see the daily value chart by age group and the 50 g daily value for added sugars.

Reference information, not legal advice. Requirements change and turn on facts specific to your product - confirm against the current regulation before relying on it.

Common questions

What is the difference between a DRI and a Daily Value?

Dietary Reference Intakes are the science: a set of reference values from the National Academies that vary by age, sex and life stage. Daily Values are the labelling figures FDA derives from them, deliberately collapsed into a single set so one number fits on a package. So a DRI answers "how much does this person need", and a Daily Value answers "what percentage do I print on the panel".

Which DRI value should I use?

It depends on the question. The RDA is the intake that meets the needs of almost all healthy people in a group and is the usual target for an individual. The AI is used where there is not enough evidence to set an RDA. The EAR is a group median and is the right value for assessing a population, not a person. The UL is an upper limit, not a goal.

Can I put DRI percentages on a label?

No. A US Nutrition Facts panel uses the FDA Daily Values, not DRIs, and the %DV column must be calculated from them. DRIs are useful for formulation, for menu planning and for deciding whether a fortification level makes sense, but they are not the labelling reference.

Do these targets apply to people with medical conditions?

No. DRIs are set for healthy populations. Clinical needs, therapeutic diets and medically supervised intakes sit outside this framework entirely and belong with a dietitian or physician. Treat the output here as a formulation and planning reference, not as dietary advice for an individual.

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Check your own jurisdiction

This tool is not tied to one country's rules. What you declare on the label is, and the requirements differ.

Regulation libraryAll 152 label formats, each cited to the paragraph it follows.Coverage by countryFind the rules that apply where you sell.

Read more

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