Anti-Aging Nutritional Supplements - Recommended Daily Allowance
March 21st, 2008Recommended Daily Allowance
Before advancing any further, a word on the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is needed. The U.S. Federal Government sets these levels. The RDA indicates the amount of vitamins and minerals needed to prevent common deficiency diseases (such as rickets or scurvy) for the “average person.” The “average person” assumes that you are an adult under 60 years of age, in good health, with normal digestion, at your ideal weight, leading a relatively stress-free life, with no medical problems, not needing any medication, and eating a good diet everyday of 2,000 calories.
Needless to say, most of us don’t fit into the definition of the “average person” as defined by RDA. And even at the values set by RDA, most adult women don’t meet the RDA for zinc, Vitamin B, calcium, magnesium, or Vitamin E. Likewise, most adult men don’t meet the RDA for zinc and magnesium. Fewer than 29% of the U.S. population eat 5 servings of fresh fruits and/or vegetables a day. In fact, 20% of the people don’t eat ANY fruits or vegetables at all. And most older people eat less than 1500 calories per day.
