Guidelines for Good Nutrition

A healthy diet provides sufficient amounts of all the nutrients your body needs. But how much is enough?
One way is through the RDA's (Recommended Dietary Allowance). The RDA's are an established set of guidelines from the Food and Nutrition Board. The doses provided by the RDA's are safe and effective averages that provide a margin of safety for healthy people. They won't cure an existing deficiency, but they can prevent the start of one.
The latest RDAs, published in 1989, list recommendations for protein as well as 18 essential vitamins and minerals:
Vitamin A
Folate
Vitamin D
Vitamin B12
Vitamin E
Calcium
Vitamin K
Phosphorus
Vitamin C
Magnesium
Thiamin (Vitamin B1)
Iron
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
Zinc
Niacin
Iodine
Vitamin B6
Selenium

The nutrients missing from this list are carbohydrates and fat. The reason is if your diet provides enough protein, vitamins and minerals, you will also get enough carbohydrates and fats.
According to the experts, the total amount of fat in your diet should not be more than 30 percent of the calories you consume every day. If your daily calorie intake is 2000, then you shouldn't consume more than 600 calories in fat.
No more than 10 percent of calories you consume should be from saturated fats. One a 2,000 calorie diet, only 200 would come from this fat.
Carbohydrates (complex from fruits, vegetables and whole grains) should be 60 percent. That's 1,200 calories on a 2,000 calorie diet.
About 11.5 grams of dietary fiber for every 1,000 calories you consume. That's 23 grams in a 2,000 calorie diet.
Moderate drink, which may contribute to a healthy lifestyle, means one drink a day for a woman, two for a man.
Different people have different needs. The RDA for protein is set in terms of grams of protein per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight. Because the average man weighs more than the average woman, his RDA for protein is higher than hers. The RDA for an adult male, age 25 to 50, is 63 grams; for a woman, it is 50 grams.
Because women of childbearing age lose iron when they menstruate, their RDA for iron is higher than men's, 15 mg. versus 10 mg.
As you get older, you may need supplements to provide additional nutrients, but it is a good idea to get your nutrients from food. With supplements, all you take in are nutrients; but with food you get a package deal: nutrients plus protein, fats, carbohydrates, and fiber.
You can get the skinny on supplements from your doctor. Discuss this with him and he will give you the answers you need. ~ Aunt Millie