Importance of Reference Daily Values In A Healthy Diet

Nutrition is the process by which a living organism assimilates food and uses it for growth and for replacement of tissues. Nutrition is to take the nutrients, which are tremendously important to maintain a healthy and productive life. Adequate and balanced diet is important mostly for the mental development and healthy body, while it can also improve productivity and efficiency in business life. However, inadequate and unbalanced diet causes reduction of body resistance for the illnesses.

Adequate and balanced diet can be achieved by taking enough nutrients to meet the energy, carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamin and mineral needs of the body.

Foods are made up of chemical molecules called nutrients, which provides what the body needs to grow, develop and maintain a healthy life. Everyone needs nutrients to have enough energy in order to maintain a healthy growth, development and reproduction.

So, what is the daily need of our body? The daily values differ in both nutrients and energy when considered for a 4-year-old child, an 18-year-old adolescent or a 50-year-old adult. Age is not the only factor that affects the change in need for nutrients but also sex, height, weight and physical activity affect the requirements as well.

In Figure 1, the physical activity and energy consumption relationship is shown.

Figure 1 – Energy Consumption in Some Physical Activities*