Recommended Daily Intake (RDI)
To make our bodies function the best way we need to cover all 5 food groups and ensure all macronutrients are included into our diets.
Studies have been done and are continually done to work out our RDI of Protein, Carbohydrates, fats and fibre etc.
I have listed blow some simple examples of what you should try to aim for to maintain a healthy diet, to keep your body working at its best and to hopefully deter illnesses for many more years.
PROTEIN:
You should aim for about 20% -25% protein per day in your diet.
This is worked out on 0.75g per kilo body weight eg: 60kg woman 45g, 65kg woman 49g, 75kg – 56g.
If pregnant add on 6g extra per day, in lactation add on extra 16g per day.
Below is a chart on what foods = one serving and to make it easier to follow:
A- Women 19-50 2 serves, women 51-70 2 serves, men 19-50 3 serves, men 51-70 2 ½ serves
B- Women 19-50 2 serves, women 51-70 4 serves, men 19-50 2 ½ serves, men 51-70 2 ½ serves
A. B.
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CARBOHYDRATES:
This is relating to complex carbohydrates such as fruit, vegetables and wholesome grains (dietary fibre).
Your diet should contain 50% of these and again I will list the serving sizes and amounts per day.
A-Women 19-50 5 veg 2 fruits, women 51-70 5 veg 2 fruits, men 19-50 6 veg 2 fruits, men 51-70 6 veg 2 fruits
B-Women 19-50 6 serves, women 51-70 4 serves, men 19-50 6 serves, men 51-70 6 serves.
A.
| VegetablesLegumes/beans | 75g ½ cup cooked green brassica or cruciferous vegetables – brocc, cauli75g ½ cup cooked orange vegetables75g ½ cup cooked or canned beans, chickpeas, lentils, no added salt
75g 1 cup raw leafy green vegetables 75g starchy vegetables – ½ potato, sweet potato, corn 75g other vegetable – tomato |
| Fruit | 150g 1 med size banana, apple, orange, pear150g 2 small fixed kiwi, plums, apricots150g 1 cup cooked/can fruit (no added sugar)
125ml fruit juice (100% no added sugar) 30g dried fruit eg. 4 dried apricots, 1 ½ tbl sultanas (I’m way over) |
B.
| Grain (cereal) foodmostly wholegrain and/or high cereal fibre varieties, such as breads, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles, polenta, couscous, oats, quinoa, barley. | 1 slice of bread or ½ medium roll or flat bread½ cup cooked rice, pasta, noodles, barley, buckwheat, semolina, polenta, bulgur or quinoa.½ cup cooked porridge (120g), 2/3 cup wheat cereal flakes (30g) or ¼ cup muesli (40g) * bit more if homemade.
3 crispbreads (35g) 1 crumpet or 1 small English muffin or scone ¼ cup flour |
FATS:
You should balance your diet with approximately 30% of good fats in your daily diet, try to work a little bit less than this if you can to 25%.
These are avocado, nuts, olive oil, nut butters, and nut pastes.
Please vary your foods within these groups as each food has different amount of nutrients in them as well and having a variety will ensure your body benefits from all of these.
Always eat in moderation and MyFitnessPal is a great app to download to help you monitor all these nutrients and help you balance your carbohydrate, protein and fat intake.
These guidelines are for healthy bodies.
We must remember for weight loss programs you still need to incorporate these food groups, you would need to include exercise to help with weight loss, these are overall guidelines; everyone varies due to genetics, ages, daily activity, lifestyle etc.
I always advise to experiment with what works for you and always keep the variety as much as possible.
