RDA & DRI

What vitamins do you recommend that will give me a boost of energy during working hours? If you want energy and to stay awake, eat more meat, fish or poultry than carbohydrates at breakfast and lunch. If you want to fall asleep, eat more carbohydrates at dinner. Also, don't eat too much food at one...

I am a 24-year old masters swimmer. I have been getting cramps - calf and toe- a lot recently. On the advice of the coach and teammates, I am taking a potassium supplement and eating a lot of bananas. However, this hasn't really solved my problem. I think now that it may be a...

What nutrients form our bones? Your bones contain mostly calcium and phosphorus which are minerals that give bone its rigidity. Your bones have the breaking strength of cast iron. In other words, as much pressure as it would take to break a cast iron pan, it would take that much force to break a bone...

What foods naturally contain folic acid? Folic acid also called folacin is richly (>10% per 1 cup serving) found in spinach, asparagus, turnip greens, lima beans, beef liver, parsley, broccoli, and romaine lettuce.

I was recently told I have low saturation levels of iron in my blood, although I am not anemic at the present time. I also have recently been diagnosed with an adrenal tumor that, so far, tests have shown to be benign. I have no systemic indications of malignancy. I'm being followed by a...

I am a young student presently in the 9th grade. Your site is awesome! I am doing a project in biology class and I chose to do it on vitamin A. Your site was the only one that had some vital information on vitamin A. I was hoping that you could somehow give me...

Is there any relationship between strenuous exercise, chromium and insulin resistance? Would you consider a chromium supplement with a reduction in sugar consumption? What are natural sources of chromium? Does magnesium also factor into this? I exercise treadmill/Stairmaster 6 to 7 days a week and blood sugar recently was up to 160 - 190 ranges. Lower carbohydrate/sugar has...

Thanks for the advice. Yes, I meant 50 grams a day and it seemed too much to me, especially since I was pregnant at the time and was not about to take anything experimental. My dad got his medical feelings hurt over the whole issue and is still mad at me. But this is...

I have a general question for you. There is a dispute right now in my house about carrots having vitamin D. We all agree that they contain a large amount of vitamin A, but are they also a good source of vitamin D? Thank you. Carrots are not a good source of vitamin D which...

I'm wondering whether my kids are getting enough calcium. How much do they need and about how much milk, cheese, yogurt, etc. is that? I have a girl, 6 years, another girl, 3 years and a boy, 1-year. Thanks for your help! Your 6-year-old child needs 800 milligrams of calcium per day. Your 3-year-old needs 500...