DRI Calculator: Free Personalized Nutrient Targets (NASEM)

Who Should Use This Calculator?

Most adults can use this tool to get a realistic picture of their daily nutrient needs. But it's especially useful in a few specific situations where guessing tends to go wrong. Pregnant and lactating women see the biggest shift in requirements.

How to Read Your DRI Results?

The numbers above your results give you four headlines: calories, BMI, water, and BMR. Each tells you something different. Calories is your daily target to maintain your current weight at your current activity level. Eat consistently around that number and your weight stays roughly stable. The 500 kcal deficit (for weight loss) or 350 kcal surplus (for gain) is built in if you selected one of those goals.

Which Number on Your Results Should You Follow?

Your results show several types of numbers. The one you actually act on is the RDA or AI for each nutrient — your daily target. The UL is the safety ceiling; don't cross it regularly, especially when supplementing. You'll sometimes see "% Daily Value (DV)" on food packaging. That's a different number — set by the FDA for labels using a generic 2,000 kcal diet. Don't confuse it with your personal RDA.

How to Adjust Your Results for Weight Loss?

Pick "Lose Weight" in the Health Goal dropdown and the calculator subtracts 500 kcal from your daily target. That's the standard deficit producing about one pound of fat loss per week — slow enough to keep your metabolism stable, fast enough to see results. What stays the same in the results: your vitamin and mineral targets. Iron, calcium, magnesium, B-vitamins — none of these decrease when calories do.