Are Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for Nutrients Enough?

Recommended Dietary Allowances, or RDA’s, as they are commonly referred to, are daily recommended nutrient requirements are guidelines set by the Food and Nutrition Board, which is a part of the Institute of Medicine.

It should be noted that the RDA value for each nutrient isn’t an optimal amount but rather it is the MINIMAL amount required to prevent deficiencies. 

Are the RDA’s Enough for Optimal Health?

Our answer is a RESOUNDING NO!

Here’s the big reason why – nutritional needs vary by individual.

Sure, we can try to establish minimum levels that all people need to sustain life.

But for you – or anyone – to be at their best health, RDA’s at best are simply a beginning point.

Nutrition is individual based, not average population based. It can’t be.

There are so many factors like diet, lifestyle, environment and even how you were raised, that all impact your unique nutrient needs.

That is why the RDA’s are not suitable for ensuring that your nutrient requirements are met.

The RDA’s are okay for preventing deficiencies. Yet they are not great at preventing or treating disease.

Interestingly, the RDA’s are not set in stone. This is because there is new research that is constantly being conducted that reveals the RDA for a specific nutrient isn’t accurate and recommended amounts need to be changed.

This is a good thing.

Recently, the Institute of Medicine decided that (based on research) they needed to lower calcium recommendations for men and increase vitamin D recommendations for all age groups.

Both things we were already aware of here at The Drs. Wolfson.

Reasons Why the RDA’s Are Not Enough:

  • The RDA category groups don’t take other factors into accountThe RDA’s are imprecise because they don’t consider a vast majority of factors that can impact nutritional status.  For example, within the same age category for “female, 19-30 years old” there are so many factors that can change one 25-year old female’s nutrient needs from the next. These factors include level of physical activity, toxin exposures, leaky gut status, type of food eaten (organic or non organic) and type of diet to name a few. Based on all of these individual factors, two people of the same age and gender have vastly different nutrient requirements. A standard set of guidelines cannot account for all of them.
  • Nutrients depend on other nutrients to functionVitamin D helps you absorb calcium and vitamin K2 helps put that calcium where it belongs in bones and teeth. Vitamin C helps you absorb minerals like iron. These helper nutrients are known as cofactors and they help your body absorb and use different vitamins and minerals. The fact that nutrients need other nutrients to be absorbed and to properly function should be taken into account.
  • Your environment determines your nutrient needsIf you live in a toxic environment, eat pesticide-laden food and use chemicals to clean your house, you are likely depleted in nutrients. If you live somewhere where there is low sunshine in the winter, you may need to consider you increasing vitamin D intake through food or supplements. If you work in a job where you’re constantly exposed to chemicals or toxins, your nutrient needs are automatically higher!
  • The RDA’s prevent deficiencies, not diseaseAs stated earlier, the RDA’s were designed to prevent nutritional deficiencies, not chronic disease. These numbers were not created for optimal health. If you meet the RDA for vitamin C, then you prevent Scurvy. If you meet the recommendations for vitamin B 1 you will prevent Beri Beri. Yet, just preventing nutritional deficiency diseases like Scurvy or Beri Berie doesn’t make you healthy. There’s evidence that many of the RDA’s are too low (for example, vitamin D) and at the same time many are too high (for example, calcium).

What Should You Do?

The best thing you can do is get tested with the most advanced intracellular nutrient testing in the world called the Vibrant America micronutrient test. That way you can know exactly what nutrients you are low in within your cells and how much of certain nutrients you need to be functioning at your highest health level.

Most tests measure only what’s happening in your blood. The Vibrant America micronutrient test not only measures what’s in your blood but also what’s happening within your cells. See, nutrients belong in your cells to keep you healthy and this test finds out what’s going on at a cellular level.

You can order the test from us online. We’ll review your results and one of our certified health coaches will explain your results and a recommend a plan of action for great health.

After learning the results, it is time to address your micronutrient needs. This allows for individual customization of nutrition, which is how nutrition should be.

Takeaway Message:

We believe that everyone’s nutrient needs are different. This is why we recommend getting tested for your micronutrient status and seeking out the help of a functional medicine practitioner. This is how you get healthy. Don’t just prevent deficiency, prevent disease!

Our multivitamin is a great way to ensure you are getting a healthy vitamin and mineral foundation.

Our Kick Start My Heart is a animal-based glandular product to get you the best nutrients in it’s most natural form.

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