Section 2: Methods Used to Establish Recommendations for Nutrient Intake

The second step in evaluating an individual's intake is comparing the intake to what is recommended.

Recommendations for specific nutrient intake levels are typically based on the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) published by the Institutes of Medicine.

DRIs are based on data from healthy persons over time. Special health care needs can change an individual's needs for specific nutrients.

Recommended nutrient intake levels for children with special health care needs can be made by incorporating what is known about the effects of a specific condition into what is known about the nutrient needs of healthy children (and then monitoring the individual's growth and nutritional status…and adjusting recommendations as needed).

Before we look at the influence of specific conditions on nutrient needs, let's review how the DRIs—the recommendations for healthy groups and individuals—were developed.