Know your nutrients
The nutrition rules have changed again! Rosemary Stanton interprets them so you don't have to.
If you already struggle to get enough calcium then you're not going to like what comes next. It's just one of many nutrients that we've been setting the bar too low for, so you need to eat even more!
Following a recent review of the recommended dietary intake (RDI) of nutrients in the Australian diet, the RDI for calcium has risen 20 per cent from 800mg to 1000mg. That's an extra half tub of yoghurt or 165ml milk a day. The review also recommended we consume twice as much folate as before (up 200mcg to 400mcg), plus more thiamin B1, riboflavin B2 (over 70 years of age only), niacin B3 (women only), vitamin B6 (women only), vitamin B12, vitamin C, iron, magnesium and iodine (women only), vitamin A (men only) and zinc (men only).
On the flip side, the old targets for some nutrients were too high. Women's zinc RDI has been cut more than 30 per cent from 12mg to 8mg, while sodium levels have been drastically reduced for both sexes. Others to be reduced include: riboflavin B2 (for those under 70 years), niacin (men only), vitamin B6 (men only), vitamin A (women only) and selenium.
Why did they change?
RDIs are set by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) based on the latest research. They represent the average daily intakes we should aim for. The last review was in 1991 and since then many studies have been done, and new ways of analysing nutrients needs have been developed.
Armed with this extra information, the NHMRC have finetuned existing RDIs and also developed RDIs for many other nutrients that didn't have them (see Know your RDIs, below). Two new categories, adequate intake (AI) and upper limit (UL) have also been introduced. AI is used when there isn't enough evidence to set an RDI but indicates a level that appears sufficient for healthy people. UL is the maximum intake you can have without possible adverse health effects.
Why do we need RDIs?
All packaged foods sold in Australia must list the energy, protein, fat, saturated fat, total carbohydrate, sugars and sodium content. If the label or advertising material makes a claim about any other nutrient - such as fibre or calcium - it must also be listed.
But if a product claims to have two grams of fibre or 50 micrograms of folate, it doesn't tell you if you're getting enough of the nutrient. So, we need a point of reference, which is where the RDIs and AIs come in.
Many people also take supplements, often without much idea if the nutrients on the label represent a lot or a little of what they need. Some multivitamins, for example, may have more than 50 times the RDI for some of the B-group vitamins that few people lack, but only insignificant quantities of others, such as folate, that are more likely to be needed. The new UL values will be useful for those who take supplements.
ULs are also important if food authorities decide a nutrient is so universally low that they need to add it to foods (known as fortification). By looking at the likely consumption of different foods and the RDI, they can work out which ones to fortify without exceeding those safe upper limits.
|Vitamin B12||2.4mcg||2.4mcg||Not set||150g cooked meat = 3mcg||In animal products, liver, kidney, fish and poultry but added to some soy beverages.|
|Folate||400mcg||400mcg||1000mcg||1/2 cup cooked spinach = 90mcg||Leafy green vegetables, beetroot, liver, kidney, wholegrains, nuts, salmon, avocado and yeast.|
|Pantothenic acid*||6mg (AI)||4mg (AI)||Not set||150g grilled salmon = 2.4mg||Seafood, eggs, peanuts, dairy products and meat.|
|Biotin*||30mcg (AI)||30mcg (AI)||Not set||25mg peanuts = 25mcg||Liver, nuts, soy beans, mushrooms. Itâ€™s also made by bacteria in the intestine.|
|Vitamin A||900mcg||700mcg||3000mcg**||1 carrot = 2000mcg (from conversion of its beta carotene); 50g cheese = 160mcg (as preformed vitamin A)||Preformed vitamin A (retinol): liver and salmon. Beta carotene: brightly coloured vegetables and fruits.|
|Vitamin C||45mg||45mg||Not set||1 orange = 75mg||Fruits and vegetables|
|Vitamin D*||5mcg (AI) (10mcg (AI) for 51-70 yrs) (15mcg (AI) for 70+ yrs)||5mcg (AI) (10mcg (AI) for 51-70 yrs) (15mcg (AI) for 70+ yrs)||80mcg||100g canned salmon = 6mcg||Herrings and other fatty fish, margarine. Itâ€™s also made in the body when skin is exposed to sunlight.|
|Vitamin E||10mg (AI)||7mg (AI)||300mg||1 tablespoon sunflower seeds = 7.6mg||Wheatgerm, vegetable oils, nuts and seeds.|
|Vitamin K*||70mcg (AI)||60mcg (AI)||Not set||1 cup broccoli = 70mcg||Liver and leafy green vegetables.|
|Calcium||1000mg (1300mg for 70+ yrs)||1000mg (1300mg for 50+ yrs)||2500mg||1 cup skim milk = 300mg||Cheese, yoghurt, soy beverages and almonds.|
|Zinc||14mg||8mg||40mg||6 oysters = 27mg||Shellfish, red meat, oats, peanuts, wholegrains and dairy products.|
|Iron||8mg||18mg (8mg for 50+ years)||45mg||6 oysters = 3.6mg||Lean meat, fish, poultry, legumes, tofu, green vegetables and wholegrains.|
|Magnesium||400mg for 19-30yrs ( 420mg for 30+ yrs)||310mg for 19-30yrs (320mg for 30+ yrs)||350mg (supplements only)||100g prawns = 110mg||Brazil nuts, almonds, peanuts, legumes and wholegrains.|
|Iodine||150mcg||150mcg||1100mcg||100g canned salmon = 80mcg||Seafood and iodised salt.|
|Selenium||70mcg||60mcg||400mcg||30g mixed nuts = 125mcg||Brazil nuts, chicken, fish, dairy products and wholegrains.|
|Molybdenum*||45mcg||45mcg||2000mcg||100g potatoes = 600mcg||Vegetables, especially carrots, parsnips, fruits and wholegrains.|
|Copper||1.7mg (AI)||1.2mg (AI)||10mg||100g cooked beef = 4.5mg||Oysters, crab, legumes, wholegrains, Brazil nuts, peanuts and cocoa.|
|Chromium*||35mcg (AI)||25mcg (AI)||Not set||1 egg yolk = 45mcg||Seafood, beef, wholegrains, apples (with skin) and potatoes|
|Manganese*||5.5mg (AI)||5mg (AI)||Not set||1 cup pineapple = 2.5mg||Nuts, wholegrains, vegetables and blackberries.|
|Fluoride*||4mg (AI)||3mg (AI)||10mg||1 cup tea = 0.9mg||Tap water (applies to some areas only) and seafood.|
|Sodium||460-920mg||460-920mg||2300mg||1 glass milk = 120mg||Seafood, vegetables, meat and processed foods (mostly in excess).|
|Potassium||3800mg||2800mg||Not set||1 large potato = 900 mg||Fruits, vegetables, meat and nuts.|
|Choline*||550mg (AI)||425mg (AI)||3500mg||2 eggs = 250mg||Liver, pork, red meat and wholegrains.|
|RDI = recommended daily intake mg = milligrams mcg = micrograms (1000mcg = 1mg) AI = adequate intake * New listing ** Applies only to preformed vitamin A intake from animal products and supplements. NOTE: Upper limits have not been set where a hazardous limit cannot yet be determined.|