DRI Calculator — Dietary Reference Intake
Calculate your daily recommended intake of calories, macronutrients (protein, fats, carbs), fiber, water, vitamins, and minerals based on your age, sex, weight, height, and activity level.
What Is DRI?
DRI stands for Dietary Reference Intake, sometimes incorrectly called the daily recommended intake. The National Academy introduced the DRIs in 1997 — they serve as a source of multiple daily nutritional requirements in both the US and Canada.
To put it simply, the DRIs tell us how much water, calories, macronutrients, and vitamins a given person should consume daily — the entire estimation is based on sex, age, and activity level. 🚴
Professionals may use the DRI recommendations to create diets for people in different public institutions, such as hospitals, schools, or prisons. They're also helpful for companies coming up with new foods or dietary supplements.
We can distinguish a few different types of recommendations:
- Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) — can statistically satisfy the needs of 50% of people in a given group.
- Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) — satisfy the needs of 97.5% of people in a given group. Our DRI calculator is mostly based on these.
- Adequate Intake (AI) — for less precise estimation.
- Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDR) — ranges written in percentages, helpful in calculating protein needs and estimating fats or carbs intake.
How to Calculate DRI?
In order to calculate your daily nutrition, we need to know a few things:
- Your daily caloric needs. The amount of calories you should consume daily is calculated using the BMR Mifflin-St Jeor Equation, multiplied by your activity level.
Male: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age − 161 + 166
Female: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age − 161
The caloric needs, multiplied by your activity level, allow us to calculate:
- Protein intake: 10–30% of total calories (for adults)
- Fat intake: 20–35% of total calories (for adults)
- Carbohydrate intake: 45–65% of total calories
- Water intake: 1 kcal = 1 mL
- Fiber: Fiber (g) = (kcal / 1000) × 14
How Do I Calculate My Protein Intake?
To calculate your protein needs, follow these simple steps:
- Compute your total caloric needs using the Mifflin-St Jeor formula.
- Find your age group and recommended percentage:
- 0–3 years: 5–20%
- 3+ years: 10–30%
- Calculate calories from protein:
Protein (calories) = (Total calories × Percentage) / 100
- Convert to grams:
Protein (grams) = Protein (calories) / 4
How to Calculate the Adequate Intake of Fats?
- Compute your total caloric needs.
- Find recommended percentage by age:
- 0–3 years: 30–40%
- 4–18 years: 25–35%
- 18+ years: 20–35%
- Calculate:
Fat (calories) = (Total calories × Percentage) / 100
Fat (grams) = Fat (calories) / 9
How Do I Calculate the Adequate Intake of Carbs?
The recommended amount of carbohydrates is 45–65% of total daily calories for all ages.
Carbs (grams) = Carbs (calories) / 4
Iron Intake — RDA Table
To find the daily recommended intake of iron, use the table below based on the NIH Recommended Dietary Allowances:
| Age | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Birth to 6 months | 0.27 mg | 0.27 mg |
| 7–12 months | 11 mg | 11 mg |
| 1–3 years | 7 mg | 7 mg |
| 4–8 years | 10 mg | 10 mg |
| 9–13 years | 8 mg | 8 mg |
| 14–18 years | 11 mg | 15 mg |
| 19–50 years | 8 mg | 18 mg |
| 51+ years | 8 mg | 8 mg |
🤰 For pregnant women: 27 mg; for lactating women aged 14–18: 10 mg; aged 19–50: 9 mg.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the recommended daily intake for carbohydrates?
The recommended daily intake of carbs is usually 45–65% of total calories. Calculate yours by computing total caloric needs with a BMR equation, then using: Carbs (g) = (Total cal × %) / 100 / 4.
What is the carbs intake for an active woman weighing 120 pounds?
270–389 grams of carbs intake. Considering this woman is 20 years old, 5'4" tall, and exercises five times/week, her total daily calorie requirement is about 2396 kcal, giving a recommended carbs intake of 270–389 grams.
What is the protein intake for a man weighing 150 pounds?
52–155 grams of protein intake. Assuming a 30-year-old man, 5'7" tall, with no exercise, his total daily calorie requirement is about 2063 kcal, and his protein intake should be between 52 and 155g.
How do I increase my protein intake?
Use different protein sources from animals and plants (beans, peanuts, soybeans, nuts, spinach, broccoli). Plan your meals in advance, bet on practical protein snacks, and consider supplements.