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The USRDA
   
The United States Recommended Daily Allowance is a standard that tells you how much of certain vitamins and minerals you need each day.

These values are published by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council (a branch of the National Academy of Sciences).

The values vary by person depending on your sex and your age. A complete list of these values can be obtained from the National Agriculture Laboratory: USRDAs

The values in Do-It! are based on the 2001 Dietary Reference Intakes from the USDA as published by the National Academies Press.

Your Personal RDA
    The values on food labels will often contain a '% of USRDA' for vitamins and minerals. So how can they do that if the recommended values vary by sex and age? The answer is that they are labeled according to regulations created quite a few years ago that standardize vitamins and minerals across the board, which means that it is basically easier for them to print labels.

To find out a customized RDA, based on your age and sex, go to the Diet Plan tab in Do-It!, then click the Nutrient Profile button. Your RDAs will be shown, as well as information on each nutrient.
    

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