See your recommended daily intake of key nutrients, based on the ICMR-NIN 2020 guidelines — India's own official reference, not a generic international figure.
Protein is calculated from the ICMR-NIN 2020 rate of 0.83g per kg of reference body weight.
Iron, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate and zinc are read directly from the published RDA tables for a reference Indian adult (19-39 years).
Iron and zinc RDAs differ meaningfully between men and women; the others are currently the same for both in this reference age group.
Protein: 0.83 g × reference body weight (65kg men, 55kg women)
Other nutrients: Looked up directly from the ICMR-NIN 2020 RDA tables
The nutrient RDA calculator shows the Recommended Dietary Allowance of protein and several key vitamins and minerals for a healthy Indian adult, based on the ICMR-NIN 2020 report on nutrient requirements for Indians. You choose male or female and it shows daily figures for protein, iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin C and folate.
An RDA is the daily intake that meets the needs of nearly all healthy people in a group. It is used by dietitians planning menus, by schools and hostels designing mess food, by food companies labelling products and by anyone checking whether their diet is roughly adequate.
The figures are for the ICMR-NIN 'reference adult', aged 19 to 39 and moderately or sedentarily active. Children, older adults, and pregnant or breastfeeding women have different requirements not shown here.
1. Identify the population group: sex, age band and physiological state such as pregnancy.
2. Look up the reference body weight for that group in the ICMR-NIN report; this calculator uses 65 kg for men and 55 kg for women.
3. Find the protein allowance per kilogram; ICMR-NIN 2020 gives 0.83 g per kg per day for adults.
4. Multiply: protein RDA = 0.83 × reference body weight.
5. Read the vitamin and mineral RDAs for the group directly from the tables.
6. Compare your usual daily intake of each nutrient, from a food composition table, with the RDA.
Requirement studies first estimate the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR), the intake that meets the needs of half the healthy people in a group. Individual needs vary around that average. The RDA is set higher, usually at EAR plus two standard deviations, so that about 97 to 98% of people are covered. This means most people need less than the RDA, and falling a little short on one day is not a deficiency. ICMR-NIN 2020 moved to this EAR and RDA framework, which also allows the EAR to be used to assess groups.
Protein requirement is expressed per kilogram of body weight, because larger bodies turn over more protein. ICMR-NIN 2020 sets it at 0.83 g per kg per day for adults, based on nitrogen balance studies that include a safety margin. Multiplying by the reference weight gives a daily figure in grams. If your own weight is close to a healthy weight for your height, multiplying 0.83 by your weight gives a personal estimate. Using a very high current weight overstates needs, so dietitians often use a healthy reference weight instead.
Iron requirements depend on losses. Adult women of reproductive age lose iron through menstruation, and absorption from typical Indian vegetarian diets is low, so the iron requirement is set with these losses and poor absorption in mind. Zinc requirements scale partly with body size and are higher for men. Vitamins such as C and folate are needed for tissue functions common to both sexes. RDAs assume a mixed diet; iron from cereals and pulses is absorbed less well than from meat, and vitamin C in the same meal improves it.
Farah, a 26-year-old hostel warden in Lucknow, is checking whether the mess menu meets the daily needs of the adult women students living there.
Answer: Protein 45.7 g/day; Iron 17 mg/day; Calcium 600 mg/day
Treating the RDA as a minimum that every person must hit every day; it is a target for average intake over time.
Applying adult figures to children, adolescents, older adults or pregnant women.
Taking supplements to reach several times the RDA; more is not better, and some nutrients have safe upper limits.
Mixing ICMR-NIN figures with Western RDAs from other sources, which use different reference bodies and assumptions.
Ignoring absorption; iron from plant foods is less available than the raw number suggests.
Planning hostel, canteen or mid-day meal menus against Indian reference values.
Checking whether a vegetarian diet provides enough protein and iron.
Nutrition and home science coursework on Indian dietary guidelines.
Reading nutrition labels that express content as a share of daily requirement.
Why does this use different numbers than most protein calculators?
Most calculators use generic Western sports-nutrition figures, often 0.8-1.2 g/kg. ICMR-NIN 2020 — India's own official nutrient guidelines — sets the RDA for a sedentary Indian adult at 0.83 g/kg, based on Indian body composition and dietary research, not international averages.
Why is the iron RDA different for men and women?
Women of reproductive age lose iron through menstruation, so their dietary iron requirement is calculated differently from men's in the official guidelines.
Does this apply to children, pregnant women, or older adults?
No — these figures are for the ICMR-NIN reference adult, aged 19-39. Pregnancy, lactation, childhood and older age all have their own separate, higher or different RDA figures not covered by this calculator.
Is meeting the RDA the same as eating a healthy diet?
RDA figures cover specific nutrients in isolation. A genuinely balanced diet also depends on food variety, fibre, fats and overall calorie balance — treat this as one useful reference point, not a complete nutrition plan.