What is RDA?
RDA is commonly known as Recommended Dietary Allowance. It is defined as the average daily dietary nutrient intake amount sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of all healthy persons in a given life stage. In basic terms, it refers to the number of nutrients that must be included in one’s daily diet to meet the nutritional needs of a given community. To live a healthy life, every human needs to have the proper range of nutrients in their diet. There are different nutrients designed for different needs. The diet is to be curated in such a way that it provides every individual with the nutrients in the right proportion according to their age, gender, and physiological status.
Why is It Important to Meet the RDA Level?
To let your body function, your diet must include the proper amount of nutrients and vitamins in it. Every individual wants to remain healthy, but do they know what exactly should be included in their diet? The Food and Nutrition Board is here to guide you with specific guidelines that are necessary to have in your diet. It is important to match the RDA level because it helps in decreasing or removing all the deficiencies in the majority of people. The nutritional value in the body increases with the correct amount of RDA in your diet. Recommended dietary allowances are what keep your body fit and fine.
Simple RDA Chart
Image Reference: https://www.time-to-run.com/nutrition/wp-content/uploads/1RDA1.gif
Factors Affecting RDA
Age
Be it an infant, adolescent, or an adult, every individual needs to have a sufficient amount of vitamins and nutrients in their diet. The metabolic rate of an infant is more as compared to an adolescent, and thus they need more proteins per kilogram of body weight.
Sex
The proportion of RDA required in males and females is different. Females lose iron every month at the time of menstruation. Hence, adolescent girls need more iron as compared to boys of that age.
Body
The body of each person is different, and so is the weight. RDA of a person also differs as per the size of the person. For instance, the level of recommended daily allowance for a tall man needs to be more because he has more of a body surface as compared to a short man.
Physical Status
This includes adult women and pregnant women. A pregnant woman needs more nutrients and vitamins in her body as she also has to nourish the fetus.
Type of Work
This is one of the factors in which RDA is to be considered. When a person works for more hours, it is natural that he or she will need the energy to work as compared to one who doesn’t work long hours. The type of labor can also influence RDA requirements- for instance, physical labour will require more energy and nutrients.
