Daily Vitamin Intake Calculator
Calculate your recommended daily vitamin intake based on age, sex, and lifestyle.
What the daily vitamin intake calculator does
The daily vitamin intake calculator lists recommended daily amounts for eleven vitamins based on your sex and life stage, with a small adjustment for activity level. Enter your age, choose male, female, pregnant or lactating, select an activity level, and press Calculate. The table that appears shows the target for vitamins A, C, D, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12 and folate.
Where the numbers come from
The baseline values are the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) and Adequate Intakes published by the U.S. National Academies for adults aged 19 to 50. Pregnancy and lactation have their own columns because needs rise for several vitamins, folate and vitamin A in particular. The calculator then multiplies every value by 1.05 for moderate activity or 1.10 for high activity, a modest uplift reflecting slightly higher turnover of some water-soluble vitamins in people who train hard. Official RDAs do not vary with activity, so treat the adjusted figures as a rounding-up rather than a separate standard.
Baseline daily values used
| Vitamin | Men | Women | Pregnancy | Lactation | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 900 | 700 | 770 | 1,300 | µg RAE |
| C | 90 | 75 | 85 | 120 | mg |
| D | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | µg (600 IU) |
| E | 15 | 15 | 15 | 19 | mg |
| K | 120 | 90 | 90 | 90 | µg |
| B1 (thiamin) | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.4 | mg |
| B2 (riboflavin) | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.6 | mg |
| B3 (niacin) | 16 | 14 | 18 | 17 | mg NE |
| B6 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 2.0 | mg |
| B12 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.8 | µg |
| Folate | 400 | 400 | 600 | 500 | µg DFE |
Age groups the calculator does not separate
The values above apply to adults 19 to 50. Official recommendations change at other ages: vitamin D rises to 20 µg (800 IU) after 70, vitamin B6 rises to 1.7 mg for men and 1.5 mg for women after 50, and children and teenagers have lower targets for most vitamins. Smokers need an extra 35 mg of vitamin C. If you are outside the 19 to 50 range, use the table as a rough guide and check the age-specific figures in the references below.
Meeting the targets from food
| Vitamin | Good sources | Example serving |
|---|---|---|
| A | Liver, sweet potato, carrots, spinach | 100 g cooked sweet potato ≈ 960 µg |
| C | Peppers, citrus, kiwi, broccoli | One orange ≈ 70 mg |
| D | Oily fish, fortified milk, sunlight | 100 g salmon ≈ 10 to 15 µg |
| E | Nuts, seeds, vegetable oils | 30 g almonds ≈ 7 mg |
| K | Kale, spinach, broccoli | 100 g cooked spinach ≈ 490 µg |
| B12 | Meat, fish, eggs, dairy, fortified foods | 100 g beef ≈ 2.5 µg |
| Folate | Lentils, leafy greens, fortified grains | 100 g cooked lentils ≈ 180 µg |
Upper limits
More is not better for the fat-soluble vitamins. The tolerable upper intake levels for adults are 3,000 µg for preformed vitamin A, 100 µg (4,000 IU) for vitamin D, 1,000 mg for supplemental vitamin E, 100 mg for vitamin B6, 1,000 µg for folic acid from supplements and 2,000 mg for vitamin C. Exceeding them over months can cause liver damage, hypercalcaemia or nerve damage. A multivitamin at 100% of the RDA is safe; stacking several supplements is where problems start.
Common mistakes
- Reading the result as a supplement dose. It is a total from all sources, and a normal diet already covers most of it.
- Confusing units. Vitamin D labels may show IU: 1 µg = 40 IU. Vitamin A may show IU too: 1 µg RAE ≈ 3.3 IU from retinol.
- Applying adult values to children. Children’s RDAs are much lower for most vitamins.
- Ignoring absorption. Fat-soluble vitamins need dietary fat; B12 needs adequate stomach acid, which declines with age and with acid-reducing drugs.
Related tools
The calorie calculator and daily water intake calculator cover the other daily targets. The carbohydrate calculator, BMR calculator and body fat calculator help with overall diet planning, and the corrected calcium calculator is useful when vitamin D and calcium status are being checked together.
External references
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: nutrient recommendations and DRI tables
- EFSA: dietary reference values
Frequently asked questions
Do athletes really need more vitamins?
Only slightly, and mainly the B vitamins involved in energy metabolism. Eating more food to cover training usually supplies the extra. The calculator’s 5 to 10% uplift reflects that.
Should I take a multivitamin?
Most people eating a varied diet do not need one. Those who benefit include pregnant women (folic acid), vegans (B12), people with little sun exposure (vitamin D) and older adults.
Why is folate higher in pregnancy?
Folate is needed for neural tube development in the first weeks. Guidelines recommend 400 µg of folic acid daily before conception and 600 µg DFE during pregnancy.
What does RAE mean for vitamin A?
Retinol activity equivalents. It combines preformed retinol with provitamin carotenoids, which convert less efficiently: 12 µg of beta-carotene from food counts as 1 µg RAE.
Can I get enough vitamin D from food alone?
It is difficult in winter or at high latitudes. Oily fish and fortified foods help; many health authorities suggest a 10 µg (400 IU) supplement from October to March.