Nutrition & Prevention

Question by tai4short: Why do every nutrition categorize say ” based on a 2000 calorie diet” ?
i permanently see it and im unusual to know why

Best answer:

Answer by Christine
My appreciative is that the “based on a 2000 calorie diet” is related to the RDA guidelines, which are specifically designed to cover 98% of the populace’s needs for particular nutrients to prevent widespread deficiencies that were more run of the mill previous to the RDA was developed.

What that means:

1) It is NOT a suggestion that 98% of people need 2000 calories a day. It’s just a convenient number to hang the percentage of nutrients on. If you only need 1500 calories per day, then you don’t need 100% of the RDA amounts, you only need 75%. If you need 2500 calories per day, then you need more than 100% of the RDA.

2) The 98% encompasses everyone – young and ancient, fit and unfit, active and inactive, pregnant or not, children, teens, adults, bodybuilders, tall and small. Everyone except those with illness and disease. And it applies to nutrients, not calories.

3) Previous to the RDA, people were getting deficiency-related diseases such as rickets, etc. The RDA led to manufacturers enriching processed grains and cereals to boost the nutrient content, which is why such deficiencies are reasonably rare today.

4) If manufacturers were required to list RDAs for numerous caloric levels, not just 2000, there simply wouldn’t be sufficient room on the packaging categorize.

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