RDA & DRI

I have been discussing with doctors this issue of the vitamins, but none could give me that convincing explanation and advice as you did. What you say make a lot of sense i.e. making expensive urine. Thanks a lot. The reason I said you would make expensive urine is your body absorbs about 15% from...

Thank you for your common sense approach to calcium supplements. We have been trying to force these lead-containing products off of the shelves or at least to force the manufacturers to disclose the contents to unsuspecting consumers of these products. I am interested in any information that you may have on this topic. Bone meal...

In your experience do dietary supplements actually help people, are there more positive effects than negative? Dietary supplements include vitamin, mineral, herbal and amino acid supplements. Because I am not sure to which you are referring I will respond about each. It depends on which dietary supplement a person is taking and why they are taking...

I take a multivitamin to supplement my diet. I have read, on a couple of occasions (don't ask me where), that men should use a multivitamin which does not contain iron. The reason, if I remember correctly, was that men could get their RDA of iron from their normal diet. Is this true? Men who...

I am an American dietitian revising a United Kingdom nutrition book for the U.S. public. I was wondering what would be the correct way of discussing nutrient intakes for the general population (the book is designed for the general public). Should I talk about RDAs, USRDAs /RDI, or DRVs? What would be most appropriate? The...

Under our federal guidelines for WIC (Women, Infants, and Children), we can only give out iron-fortified formula until 12 months of age. Every so often we hear from parents that a doctor told them that they don't need iron-fortified formula because they will pick up iron from the rural well water they use. Most...

While looking at my weight, age and the certainty of increasing medical problems, I've been working on a database that I can use for myself that will allow me to track things like track high blood pressure, blood sugars, medications, exercise, meals and the specific foods. While looking at the food section of the database,...

I am familiar with the Recommended Dietary Allowance, but I don't really know if I am getting enough from what I eat. Is there any way to find out if I am actually taking in the RDA? One way to know if you are getting the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for all the nutrients you...

How important is it to have a balanced nutrient intake in your diet? Is it okay to have more of a certain nutrient? The goal of eating a balanced amount of nutrients is to eat a wide variety of foods from all food groups (meat, starch, vegetables, fruit, dairy, and healthy fats) that will give...

I am taking a nutrition course this semester and my professor mentioned that the RDA is doubled what is actually required for a few reasons, one being to ensure there are no deficiencies and the other because some vitamin supplement manufacturers lobbied to keep it high, so we will purchase their product. Her second reason...