Now that you are pregnant and watching what you should eat, knowing a little more about RDA can help you track your daily nutrient intake.
What is RDA?
Recommended dietary allowance or RDA is the amount of nutrients you need to eat in a day, which will help you maintain good health. The RDA is also sometimes referred as the recommended daily intake.
Who decides RDA?
Including a variety of whole grains, pulses, legumes, fresh and locally available fruits and vegetables, milk and milk products, fish, chicken, good fats and oils in your daily diet can help you fulfill your recommended daily intakes of nutrients.
In India, the National Institute of Nutrition under the Indian Council of Medical Research at Hyderabad develops the RDA.
How is the RDA decided?
The RDA for a nutrient is decided keeping in mind a number of aspects of daily life that determine the daily requirement of that nutrient.
Some of these aspects are how much of the nutrient is absorbed and used by the body, physical activity of individuals, margin of safety of the nutrient, individual variation, dietary traditions and practices etc.
What are the nutrient requirements of a pregnant woman?
As mentioned earlier, nutrient requirements differ depending on how active you are. Here is the RDA for a sedentary (woman with no or irregular physical activity) pregnant woman:
Energy (kcal): 2200
Protein (g): 78
Fat (g): 30
Calcium (mg): 1200
Iron (mg): 35
Thiamine (mg): 12
Riboflavin (mg): 14
Niacin (mg): 14
Pyridoxine (mg): 205
Vitamin A: 800 µg as retinol or 6400 µg as β-carotene
Vitamin C (mg): 60
Folate (µg): 500
Vitamin B12 (µg): 12
Magnesium (mg): 310
Zinc (mg): 12
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