Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)

Nutrition has been a subject debated for many years and will be for more to come, but it seems only recently is the average gym goer gradually beginning to comprehend the importance of it. Let me explain...

We need to take a step back and look at this from an evolutionary stand-point. The Industrial Revolution was a clear catalyst for this, as before this era we survived mainly as farmers and hunters sourcing natural and organically reared sources of nutrition.

During the Industrial Revolution labourers were supplied with fat, sugars and refined flour in order to sustain simplicity via energy driven foods. However, this caused a decline in health and stunt in growth/human development. Protein was introduced, and therefore muscle synthesis occurred, but sickness continued due to a lack of vitamins and minerals... the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) was born.
Unfortunately, the RDA was based on an average majority for the healthy population, but if there's one point we should realise now more than ever is that everyone is different, and as quoted by Lucretius in the 1st century BC, "What is good for one man may be bitter poison to others". In short there is no generic diet and reality dictates the RDA contains very little relevance to individual requirements, especially in today's society of chemicals, illnesses and 24/7 lifestyle.
Let's take vitamin C (aids the immune system) as an example, the requirements for a smoker vs non-smoker... (continue reading)