nutrition

Reference intakes

RI stands for ‘reference intake’. These are set by the government and are a guide to show how much of each nutrient an average healthy person should eat over the course of a day. Although the most important thing is to consume a balanced and varied diet, RIs are a useful tool to help us understand food and make healthier choices on a day-to-day basis.

An example of the RI for the average adult.

What else do we need to know?

RIs are based on an average female who is moderately active, with no special dietary requirements, at a healthy weight.
RIs vary depending on age, gender, build, lifestyle and activity level.
The RI for calories is to be used as a guide.
The RIs for fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt are maximum recommendations.
Sometimes food labels will show nutritional information based on a percentage of the RIs, per portion. Use food labels as a guide to know what the contribution is from energy and nutrients for a day.