Food 4 Life - Dietary reference values

Dietary reference values

Dietary Reference Values (DRVs) are reference values for nutrient intakes and are usually used as a guide for vitamins and minerals. Amongst the various DRVs, the RNI corresponds to the amount of a given nutrient that is sufficient or more than sufficient for 97.5 % of the population. Remember that we are all different and our daily needs for nutrients are different. The RNI value is actually higher than the amount that would be sufficient for the 'average' person.

Ideally, 10 - 20% of your total daily calories should come from protein, less than 10% from saturated fat, less than 10% from polyunsaturated fat and 60 - 70% from monounsaturated fat and carbohydrates combined. Try to aim for 50 - 55% from carbohydrates.

Below are some general guidelines for fat and total energy intake:

If you know how much sodium is in a food, you can work out roughly the amount of salt it contains by multiplying the sodium by 2.5. So if a portion of food contains 1.2g sodium, then it contains about 3g salt.