RDA – RECOMMENDED DIETARY ALLOWANCES

For using balanced diet, RDA’s are the professional tools which are
very essential to know the daily requirements for different nutrients
for different age groups. RDA’S are considered daily food guide for
meal planning as it provides guidelines regarding amount of
nutrients to be actually consumed in order to meet the requirements
of the body. RDA’S are based on gender, age, body size, type of
activity and physiological state.

DEFINITION : RDA is defined as the intake of nutrient derived from

diet which keeps nearly all people in good health (according to ICMR)
(Or)
RDA is defined as the amount of nutrient present in diet which
satisfies the daily requirement of nearly all normal individuals in a
population.
(or)
The term RDA is defined as the amounts of nutrients sufficient for
the maintenance of health in all people. They are reference
standards of nutritional intakes. The value will meet the
requirements of 9.7 percent of the population. In fact, for many
individuals this level will be in excess of their needs.
 FACTORS AFFECTING RDA :

1. AGE ( infants, adolescents, aged )

An infant requires more protein per kilogram of body weight
than an adolescent, since their metabolic rate is much faster
than that of adolescents.

2. SEX (Male or Female )

Adolescent girls require more iron than adolescent boys, in
order to replace the iron lost during menstruation every
month.

3. BODY SIZE (Height, Weight, Stature)

A tall heavily built man needs more calories than a small
statured man since his body surface area is more than that of
the latter.

4. PHYSIOLOGICAL STATE (pregnancy, lactation)

Pregnant woman requires more nutritious food than an
ordinary adult woman, since she has to meet the additional
nutritional requirement of the growing foetus.

5. TYPE OF WORK (Sedentary, Moderate, Heavy work )

A sedentary worker requires less calories than a heavy worker,
since the former expands less energy than the latter during
work.
USES OF RDA :

1. RDA’S are very useful to evaluate the adequacy of the

national food supply and setting goal for food production.

2. For setting the standards for menu planning, for the funds
and for the various nutritional programmes (MMP, ICDS)

3. To evaluate the nutritional policy for public assistance,

nurseries and homes and to establish guidelines for food
assistance programme.

4. To interpret the adequacy of diet in food consumption,

studies and surveillance.

5. Used to develop materials for nutritional education

6. Used for setting the patterns for diet in hospitals

7. For setting guidelines for formation of new products and

location of specific food.

8. To develop food guides and evaluate new food products

9. To evaluate the adequacy of food supplies in relation to

nutritional needs.
10. To establish guidelines for labelling of food from the
nutritional stand point of view.