In plain words
The Recommended Dietary Allowance, or RDA, is the amount of a nutrient that is enough for almost every healthy person in a group. Expert panels at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine set it for the United States and Canada. In pregnancy and after birth, needs for some nutrients rise, including , iron, , and protein. The RDA is a population target, not a personal goal. Your needs depend on your body, your health, your diet, and your provider's view. Many mothers look at the percent daily value on a label and wonder what it means for them. A registered dietitian can talk through your own intake without turning it into a rule.
The deeper version
The RDA is the average daily intake level that meets the requirement of nearly all (97 to 98 percent) healthy individuals in a life-stage and sex group. It is derived from the estimated average requirement (EAR) plus two standard deviations of the requirement distribution. It is one of four categories, alongside the , the , and the EAR itself. Pregnancy and lactation values come from successive Institute of Medicine reports, with later updates for calcium and vitamin D (IOM 2011). The RDA is not a measure of any one person's nutritional status. Controversy persists over how well pregnancy-specific values are derived for some micronutrients, given sparse data.
Where it comes up
- Protein: how much and from wherePregnancy: Eating
- What to eat in pregnancy: the short versionPregnancy: Eating
- Why postpartum food is differentNourishment and Traditions
What mothers here say about Recommended Dietary Allowance
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- Institute of Medicine (now National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) — Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements (2006)
- Institute of Medicine — Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D (2011)