What are recommended dietary allowances (RDAs)?
Recommended dietary allowances are the level of nutrients deemed to be adequate to meet the needs of practically all healthy people, and are devised based on scientific knowledge. They are also known as recommended daily allowances, recommended daily amounts and recommended nutrient intakes. RDAs are prepared by nutrition experts in individual countries and are used to evaluate if food meets national nutrition needs, for designing nutrition education programmes and for developing new products. The Irish RDAs were published in 1999 by the Food Safety Authority. Why is breastfeeding so good for my baby? For the first few months of life, infants only need milk as a source of energy. Breast milk is a complete food as it contains exactly the right blend of nutrients and it changes to suit the baby’s changing needs. It is always sterile, at the correct temperature and available, regardless of where the mother and baby are. Because it contains antibodies, it helps to protect the baby from dis
