What are Dietary Reference Intakes?

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The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are a comprehensive set of nutrient reference values for healthy populations that can be used for assessing and planning diets. DRIs have been published since 1997 and replace previously published Recommended Nutrient Intakes.
  • RECOMMENDED DIETARY ALLOWANCE (RDA): the average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirement of nearly all (97 to 98 percent) healthy individuals in a group.
  • ADEQUATE INTAKE (AI): a value based on observed or experimentally determined approximations of nutrient intake by a group (or groups) of healthy people—used when an RDA cannot be determined.
  • TOLERABLE UPPER INTAKE LEVEL (UL): the highest level of daily nutrient intake that is likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects to almost all individuals in the general population. As intake increases above the UL, the risk of adverse effects increases.
  • ESTIMATED AVERAGE REQUIREMENT (EAR): a nutrient intake value that is estimated to meet the requirement of half the healthy individuals in a group.
DID YOU KNOW?
Scientists define fruit as the part of a plant that develops from a flower and has seeds.
So squash, bellpeppers, cucumbers, and pumpkins are classified as fruits. But it’s
totally up to you whether or not to include any of those items in your next fruit salad!

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