If you've ever looked at the back of any food label, you get these nice little charts that break down what's in it from a vitamin and mineral standpoint and the percentage of daily values. But then I've always found it a little hard to calculate on the fly like that. I've always been much more interested in what my body needs on a daily basis to function optimally. Perhaps you feel the same way? I gathered this information as I found it useful to know. Using this as a relative starting point, should greatly assist you in planning your meals throughout the day to cater to your daily recommended needed intake. A big note here: Everyone is different, and some of us have particular allergies or needs. This is not meant to be a medical diagnosis or recommendation, but rather, gathered research for informational purposes only.
Vitamins | Recommended daily intake | Where Found | Over dosage (mg or µg/d) |
Biotin (B-complex) | 30 µg | Biotin in food and asa supplement | No information found |
Folate (B-complex) | 400 µg | Folate in food and asa supplement | Doses larger than 400 µg may cause anaemia and may mask symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency |
Vitamin A | 600 µg | Vitamin A in food and asa supplement | Extremely high doses (>9000 mg) can cause dry, scaly skin, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, bone and joint pains and headaches |
Vitamin B1 (thiamin) | 1,4 mg | Vitamin B1 in food and asa supplement | No toxic effects resulting from high doses have been observed |
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) | 1,6 mg | Vitamin B2 in food and asa supplement | Doses higher than 200 mg may cause urine colour alteration |
Vitamin B3 (niacin) | 18 mg | Vitamin B3 in food and asa supplement | Doses larger than 150 mg may cause problems ranging from facial flushing to liver disease |
Vitamin B5 (patothenic acid) | 6 mg | Vitamin B5 in food and asa supplement | Dose should not exceed 1200 mg; this may cause nausea and heartburn |
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) | 2 mg | Vitamin B6 in food and asa supplement | Doses larger than 100 mg may cause numbness and tingling in hands and feet |
Vitamin B12 (cobalamine) | 6 µg | Vitamin B12 in food and asa supplement | Doses larger than 3000 µg may cause eye conditions |
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | 75 mg | Vitamin C in food and asa supplement | No impacts of over dose have been proven so far |
Vitamin D (cholecalciferol) | 5 µg | Vitamin D in food and asa supplement | Large doses (>50 µg) obtained form food can cause eating problems and ultimately disorientation, coma and death |
Vitamin E (tocopherol) | 10 mg | Vitamin E in food and asa supplement | Doses larger than 1000 mg cause blood clotting, which results in increased likelihood of haemorrhage in some individuals |
Vitamin K | 80 µg | Vitamin K in food and asa supplement | Large doses of one form of vitamin K (menadione or K3) may result in liver damage or anaemia |
Minerals | Recommended daily intake | Over dosage |
Boron | < 20 mg | No information found |
Calcium | 1000 mg | Doses larger than 1500 mg may cause stomach problems for sensitive individuals |
Chlorine(in chloride form) | 3400 mg | No information found |
Chromium | 120 µg | Doses larger than 200 µg are toxic and may cause concentration problems and fainting |
Copper | 2 mg | As little as 10mg of copper can have a toxic effect |
Fluorine | 3,5 mg | No information found |
Iodine | 150 µg | No information found |
Iron | 15 mg | Doses larger than 20 mg may cause stomach upset, constipation and blackened stools |
Magnesium | 350 mg | Doses larger than 400 mg may cause stomach problems and diarrhea |
Manganese | 5 mg | Excess manganese may hinder iron adsorption |
Molybdenum | 75 µg | Doses larger than 200 µg may cause kidney problems and copper deficiencies |
Nickel | < 1 mg | Products containing nickel may cause skin rash in case of allergies |
Phosphorus | 1000 mg | Contradiction: the FDA states that doses larger than 250 mg may cause stomach problems for sensitive individuals |
Potassium | 3500 mg | Large doses may cause stomach upsets, intestinal problems or heart rhythm disorder |
Selenium | 35 µg | Doses larger than 200 µg can be toxic |
Sodium | 2400 mg | No information found |
Vanadium | < 1,8 mg | No information found |
Zinc | 15 mg | Doses larger than 25 mg may cause anaemia and copper deficiency |
NOTES:
– The above-stated values are not meant for diagnosis, these are mainly reference values for informational purposes.
– Most of these values are based on a 2000 calorie intake for people of 4 or more years of age. This reference is
applied because it approximates the caloric requirements for postmenopausal women. This group has the highest
risk for excessive intake of calories and fat.
– Values on labels are stated Daily Reference values (DRV) of Recommended Daily Intake (RDI). The RDI is a
renewed value referring to the old Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). All values in this table are new RDI values.
– Maximum values are based on Food and Drug Administration (FDA) values, the World Health Organization (WHO),
BBC Health values, the European Union Directive (based on FDA values) and values from various other governmental
and private agencies in the USA and the UK.
– Values from the World Health Organization (WHO) may be somewhat lower than those of the FDA for various vitamins
and minerals. Examples of differences (WHO values to FDA values): Mg: -60 mg, Vitamin B6: -0,5 mg, Vitamin B12: -4 µg,
vitamin C: -15 mg, Vitamin K: -35 mg, folate: -220 µg.
– Elements that have a recommended daily intake within µg range are sometimes referred to as trace elements (e.g. copper,
chromium, selenium).