Micronutriants

[Simon Rest]

Hi Jordan,

I recently swapped my food tracking app to MFP, which I believe you use or have used as well. This gives me a lot more information than I was used to, and tracks things like cholesterol, vit A, vit C etc. Should I be worried that my diet is way out of whack on the micronutrients based on what MFP recommends? I'm talking exceeding Vit A, cholesterol, sodium etc by a long way. Or is the app designed for sedentary population and sets it's targets accordingly?

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

I wouldn't worry at all. The micronutrient profile is the RDI (recommended daily intake), which is sufficient for adequate micronutrient status in the average person plus 2 standard deviations (IIRC). It's not the the upper limit or anything, though some would offer conjecture on cholesterol even in the face of the current evidence showing dietary cholesterol intake in and of itself to not be implicated in the development of a pro-atherogenic blood panel.

[Simon Rest]

Thanks Jordan