One reasonable set of guidelines for good nutrition is the list of Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) established by the National Research Council’s Food and Nutrition Board. The RDAs present safe and effective doses for healthy people. You can find the chart of RDAs for adults (ages 19 and up) in earlier article.

It’s very, very long, with RDAs for 10 different groups of people (men, women, old, young) for 25 specific vitamins and minerals, plus choline. I couldn’t possibly ask you to read through it here. Personally, just the thought of retyping the whole thing gives me hives.

Table 1 is the easy alternative: It gives you the RDAs for adult men and women (ages 19 to 50) plus a quick, no-brainer guide to food portions that give you at least 25 percent of the recommended dietary allowances of vitamins for healthy adult men and women, ages 25 to 50.

Photocopy this chart. Pin it on your fridge. Tape it to your organizer or appointment book. Stick it in your wallet. Think of it as the truly simple way to see how easy it is to eat healthy.

Food	Serving = 25% of the RDA
VITAMIN A	RDA: Women 4,000 IU, Men 5,000 IU*
Breads, cereals, grains
Oatmeal — instant, fortified	21⁄3 cup
Cold cereal	1 ounce
Fruits
Apricots (dried, cooked)	½ cup
Cantaloupe (raw)	½ cup
Mango (raw)	½ medium
Vegetables
Carrots, kale, peas and carrots, sweet red pepper (all cooked)	½ cup
Meat, poultry, fish
Liver — chicken, turkey	½ cup (diced)
Dairy products
Milk — low-fat, skim	2 cups
VITAMIN D	RDA: Women 5 mcg/200 IU, Men 5 mcg/200
Meat, poultry, fish
Salmon (canned)	1½ ounces
Tuna (canned)	2 ounces
Dairy products
Eggs	3 medium
Milk — enriched	1 cup
VITAMIN E	RDA: Women 15 mg a-TE, Men 15 mg a-TE
Breads, cereals, grains
Cold cereal	1 ounce
Wheat germ — plain	2 tbsp.
Fruits
Apricots, peaches (canned)	1 cup
Vegetables
Greens (cooked) — dandelion, mustard, turnip	1 cup
Meat, poultry, fish
Shrimp	3 ounces
Other
Almonds, hazelnuts/filberts	2 tbsp.
Peanut butter	2 tbsp.
Sunflower seeds	2 tbsp.
VITAMIN C	RDA: Women 75 mg, Men 90 mg**
Breads, cereals, grains
Cold cereal	1 ounce
Fruits
Cantaloupe	½ cup, diced
Grapefruit	½ medium
Mango (raw)	½ medium
Orange	1 medium
Strawberries	½ cup
Grape, orange, or tomato juice	¼ cup
Vegetables
Asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, kohlrabi, sweet peppers, snow peas (cooked)	½ cup
Sweet potato	1 medium
Meat, poultry, fish
Liver — beef, pork	3 ounces
THIAMIN (VITAMIN B1)	RDA: Women 1.1 mg, Men 1.2 mg
Breads, cereals, grains
Bagel, English muffin, roll	2 whole
Bread	4 slices
Farina, grits	½ cup
Oatmeal — instant, fortified	1⁄3 cup
Fruits
Cantaloupe, honeydew	1 cup
Vegetables
Corn, peas, peas and carrots (cooked)	1 cup
Meat, poultry, fish
Ham — roast, smoked, cured, lean	3 ounces
Liver — beef, pork	3 ounces
Pork — all varieties except sausage	3 ounces
Other
Sunflower seeds (hulled, unroasted)	2 tbsp.
RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2)	RDA: Women 1.1 mg, Men 1.3 mg
Breads, cereals, grains
Bagel, English muffin, pita	2 whole
Cold cereal	1 ounce
Meat, poultry, fish
Liver — beef, calf, pork	3 ounces
Liver — chicken, turkey	½ cup, diced
Liverwurst	1 ounce
Dairy products
Milk — all varieties	2 cups
Yogurt — low-fat, nonfat	1 cup
NIACIN	RDA: Women 14 mg NE, Men 16 mg NE
Breads, cereals, grains
Bagel, bran muffin, English muffin, pita, roll	2 whole
Cold cereal — fortified	1 ounce
Lamb, pork, veal — lean	3 ounces
Liver — beef, calf, pork	3 ounces
Chicken (no skin)	3 ounces (½ breast)
Mackerel, mullet, salmon, swordfish	3 ounces
Other
Peanuts, peanut butter	4 tbsp.
VITAMIN B6	RDA: Women 1.3 mg, Men 1.3 mg
Breads, cereals, grains
Oatmeal — instant, fortified	1⁄3 cup
Cold cereal	1 ounce
Fruits
Banana (raw)	1 medium
Prunes (dried, cooked)	1 cup
Vegetables
Plantain (boiled)	1 medium
Meat, poultry, fish
Chicken (roasted, no skin)	½ breast
Lamb — lean only	1 chop
Liver — beef	3 ounces
FOLATE	RDA: Women 400 mcg, Men 400 mcg
Breads, cereals, grains
Whole wheat English muffin, pita	2 whole
Cold cereal	1 ounce
Vegetables
Asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, creamed corn, spinach (cooked)	1 cup
Beans (dry, cooked) — black-eyed peas, lentils, red kidney	½ cup
Greens (cooked) — mustard, turnip	1 cup
Meat, poultry, fish
Liver — beef, calf, pork	3 ounces
VITAMIN B12	RDA: Women 2.4 mcg, Men 2.4 mcg
Meat, poultry, fish
Beef, pork, lamb, veal	3 ounces
Liver — beef, calf, pork	3 ounces
Liver — chicken, turkey	½ cup, diced
Catfish, crabmeat, croaker, lob- ster, mackerel, mussels, oysters, scallops, swordfish, trout, tuna	3 ounces
Dairy products
Eggs	2 large
Milk — whole, low-fat, skim	2 cups
Yogurt	2 cups
CHOLINE	Adequate Intake: Women 425 mg, Men 550 mg
Fruits
Grape juice (canned)	8 ounces (13 mg)
Vegetables
Cauliflower (cooked)	1 cup (55 mg)
Potato (baked)	1 medium (18 mg)
Meat, poultry, fish
Beef (cooked)	3 ounces (59 mg)
Liver (cooked) — beef	3 ounces (453 mg)
Dairy
Eggs	1 large (200–300 mg)
Milk — whole	8 ounces (10 mg)
Other
Peanut butter	2 tbsp. (26 mg)

* Although these remain the “official” RDAs, newer recommendations are 900 mcg RE/3,000 IU per day for men and 700 mcg RE/2,300 IU per day for women (the IU amounts are rounded off).

** The Food and Nutrition Board is debating whether to raise the RDA for vitamin C to 200 mg for both men and women. “Good Sources of Nutrients” (Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Agriculture/Human Nutrition Service, 1990); “Nutritive Value of Food” (Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1991)