Vitamin & Mineral RDA Calculator
Your daily vitamin and mineral needs and upper limits, from NASEM, ICMR-NIN or EFSA.
About you
Daily reference values
Type what you usually have in a day — food, drinks and supplements, averaged over a few days — in the Your intake column. Leave a nutrient empty to skip it.
| Nutrient | Recommended a day | Average requirement | Upper level | Your intake |
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For general information only, not medical advice. Consult a qualified health professional for advice about your situation.
About the Vitamin & Mineral RDA Calculator
Enter an age, sex and stage of life — pregnancy by trimester, or breastfeeding — and see the official daily reference values for vitamins, minerals, protein, fibre, water and fats, with the upper level where one is set. Choose the standard: the NASEM Dietary Reference Intakes used in the US and Canada, ICMR-NIN 2020 for India, or EFSA’s Dietary Reference Values for the EU.
For each nutrient you get the recommended intake (RDA, PRI or adequate intake), the average requirement and the upper level, with the age band the figures come from. Add your weight for protein, your daily calories for EFSA’s thiamin and niacin and for fats and carbohydrate in grams, and — optionally — your own intakes to see shortfalls and amounts above the upper level. Everything is worked out in your browser.
How to use it
- Choose the standard: ICMR-NIN for India, NASEM for the US and Canada, or EFSA for the EU.
- Enter the age (years, and months for a baby) and sex. For a woman, choose pregnancy (with the trimester) or breastfeeding (0–6 or 7–12 months after the birth) if it applies.
- Optionally add body weight (protein, and ICMR-NIN’s water) and daily calories (EFSA’s thiamin and niacin, and fats and carbohydrate in grams). ICMR-NIN adults also choose an activity level; EFSA asks about phytate in the diet (zinc) and, for women aged 40 to 59, the menopause (iron).
- Read the table: the recommended intake, the average requirement and the upper level for each nutrient, with notes on how each value is worked out.
- Tick Compare my intake and type what you usually have each day to see where you fall short or go above the upper level. Copy the table or download it as CSV.
Examples
Iron 29 mg (EAR 15, upper limit 45) · calcium 1,000 mg · vitamin D 15 µg (600 IU) · folate 220 µg
Iron 18 mg (EAR 8.1, UL 45) · calcium 1,000 mg · vitamin D 15 µg · folate 400 µg DFE (UL 1,000 µg from supplements and fortified foods)
Iron 16 mg (AR 7, safe level 40) · calcium 950 mg · vitamin C 95 mg · zinc 9.3 mg with 600 mg of phytate a day
NASEM: iron 27 mg, folate 600 µg, iodine 220 µg · ICMR-NIN: iron 27 mg, folate 570 µg (EAR 480)
Vitamin D 20 µg (800 IU) · calcium 1,200 mg (UL 2,000) · vitamin B6 1.7 mg · protein 0.8 g per kg of body weight
What the numbers mean
- RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance, NASEM and ICMR-NIN) and PRI (Population Reference Intake, EFSA): the daily intake that meets the needs of nearly all (97–98%) healthy people in the group. It is worked out from the average requirement.
- EAR (Estimated Average Requirement) or AR (EFSA): the intake that meets the needs of half of healthy people. A usual intake below it is likely to be too low.
- AI (Adequate Intake): used when there is not enough evidence for an average requirement. It is believed to cover the needs of healthy people, but it is not a requirement, so an intake below it does not show a shortfall.
- UL (Tolerable Upper Intake Level) — TUL in ICMR-NIN: the highest daily intake likely to pose no risk of adverse effects for almost all people. Above it, the risk rises. Some ULs cover only part of the intake — magnesium from supplements and medicines, folic acid, preformed vitamin A — and the table says so.
- Safe level of intake (EFSA): given instead of a UL when one could not be set (iron, manganese and fluoride, for example) — the highest intake at which EFSA is reasonably confident there are no adverse effects.
- AMDR (NASEM, ICMR-NIN) and RI (EFSA): ranges for fat, carbohydrate and protein as a share of energy.
- Sodium: NASEM advises reducing intakes above its Chronic Disease Risk Reduction Intake (2,300 mg for adults); ICMR-NIN gives a safe intake of 2,000 mg (5 g of salt) and EFSA a safe and adequate intake of 2,000 mg.
Why the three standards differ
Each committee reviewed the evidence for its own population, at different times, with different assumptions. Iron for a woman of 30 is 29 mg a day in ICMR-NIN, 18 mg in NASEM and 16 mg in EFSA, partly because ICMR-NIN assumes that only about 8% of the iron in Indian diets is absorbed. EFSA’s zinc depends on how much phytate (from wholegrains and pulses) you eat: from 7.5 mg a day for a woman at 300 mg of phytate to 12.7 mg at 1,200 mg. EFSA gives adequate intakes, not RDAs, for vitamin D, folate in pregnancy and many minerals. Protein is 0.8 g per kg of body weight in NASEM and 0.83 g per kg in ICMR-NIN and EFSA; the table values assume a reference body weight, so enter your weight for your own figure.
Use the standard of the country you live in, or the one your doctor or dietitian works with. The calculator shows the age band each value comes from, and what a standard does not cover — for example, ICMR-NIN gives no separate pregnancy values for some minerals.
Comparing your own intake
The reference values are for usual intake averaged over time, not a single day. To compare, total what you eat and drink on a few typical days — from food labels, the nutrition facts lookup or a food diary — and divide by the number of days. Include supplements and fortified foods: they count towards the upper levels, and some upper levels apply only to them.
The calculator then marks each nutrient: below the average requirement (probably too low if this is your usual intake), between the average requirement and the recommended intake (enough for some people but not all), at or above the recommended or adequate intake, or above the upper level. For upper levels that cover only supplements or synthetic forms, it asks you to check how much comes from those.
Sources
- Food and Nutrition Board, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine — Dietary Reference Intakes summary tables: RDAs and AIs for vitamins, elements, water and macronutrients; AMDRs; EARs; Tolerable Upper Intake Levels; Chronic Disease Risk Reduction Intakes for sodium. The table files are marked "prepublication copy". Calcium for pregnancy and breastfeeding at 14–18 years follows Table S-1 of the report on calcium and vitamin D (average requirement 1,100 mg, as for other girls of that age).
- ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad — Short Summary Report of Nutrient Requirements for Indians: Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) and Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) 2020 (revised), ICMR-NIN Expert Group on Nutrient Requirements for Indians: Annexures A1–A6 and Tables 8, 10, 13, 17 and 19. Values are reproduced here with acknowledgement of the source; © ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition.
- European Food Safety Authority — Dietary Reference Values for nutrients: Summary report, EFSA supporting publication 2017:e15121, and the EFSA DRV Finder, which includes EFSA’s updated upper levels for vitamin D, folate, manganese, selenium, vitamin B6, vitamin A, iron, vitamin E and fluoride. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
Limitations
- Reference values are for groups of healthy people and for intake averaged over time. They are not targets for treating a deficiency or an illness, and do not apply to people with medical conditions or on medicines that affect a nutrient.
- Upper levels do not apply to people treated with a nutrient under medical supervision. Do not take high-dose supplements without advice.
- ICMR-NIN gives no separate pregnancy or breastfeeding values for vitamins E and K, selenium, copper, manganese, chromium, sodium and potassium. This calculator has no ICMR-NIN sodium or potassium values for ages 10–17 or from 61 years, and has ICMR-NIN’s vitamins E and K, selenium, copper, manganese and chromium for adults only; it lists what is missing for the age and stage you choose. Its summary tables give 3 mg of iron for babies of 6–12 months, while its detailed iron table gives 6 mg.
- ICMR-NIN values come from its revised short summary report. Copies of the original 2020 summary table that still circulate — for example in FSSAI directions — show different figures for some nutrients, such as 40 mg of iron in pregnancy against 27 mg in the revised report.
- Energy (calorie) needs are not shown — use the TDEE calculator. EFSA’s thiamin and niacin depend on energy: without your calories, EFSA’s average energy requirement is used — at moderate activity (PAL 1.6) from 4 years, at PAL 1.4 for ages 1–3 (the only level EFSA gives) and by month for babies. EFSA gives none from 80 years: enter your calories there.
- NASEM’s summary tables are labelled "prepublication copy: uncorrected proofs". Values were transcribed from the published tables and checked, but always confirm a value that matters with the source.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an RDA and an adequate intake?
An RDA (or EFSA’s PRI) is worked out from the average requirement so that it meets the needs of nearly all (97–98%) healthy people. An adequate intake is set when there is not enough evidence for an average requirement; it is believed to be enough, but an intake below it does not prove a shortfall.
Which standard should I use?
The one for where you live, or the one your doctor or dietitian uses: ICMR-NIN in India, NASEM (the US and Canadian Dietary Reference Intakes) in North America, and EFSA in the European Union. Many other countries base their values on one of these.
How much vitamin D do I need a day?
NASEM: 15 µg (600 IU) from 1 to 70 years and 20 µg (800 IU) from 71. ICMR-NIN: 15 µg (600 IU) for adults and 20 µg (800 IU) from 60. EFSA: an adequate intake of 15 µg from 1 year. Babies: 10 µg (400 IU) a day in all three (EFSA from 7 months). The upper level for adults is 100 µg (4,000 IU).
Why is the iron requirement for women so much higher in ICMR-NIN?
ICMR-NIN gives 29 mg a day for a woman of 19–59, against 18 mg in NASEM and 16 mg in EFSA (before the menopause). It assumes that only about 8% of the iron in Indian diets is absorbed, so more must be eaten to absorb the same amount.
Is it harmful to go above the upper level?
The upper level is the highest daily intake likely to pose no risk of adverse effects for almost all people; above it the risk rises. It is about usual intake, not an occasional day. Some upper levels cover only supplements or synthetic forms — magnesium, folic acid and, in NASEM, niacin and vitamin E — so food alone rarely exceeds them.
How much protein do I need?
For adults, 0.8 g per kg of body weight a day in NASEM and 0.83 g per kg in ICMR-NIN and EFSA — 48 to 50 g for a 60 kg adult. Pregnancy and breastfeeding add more: in ICMR-NIN, 9.5 g in the second trimester and 22 g in the third.