Default Targets

Platebreaker calculates personalized nutrient targets based on your individual characteristics and evidence-based recommendations from leading nutrition authorities.

Overall Approach

Evidence-Based Recommendations

Default targets come from four major multi-regional nutrition authorities:

NASEM (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) - USA & Canada
NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council) - Australia & New Zealand
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) - European Union
NNR (Nordic Nutrition Recommendations) - Nordic Countries

Learn more about nutrition authorities

How Defaults Are Set

When recommendations differ across authorities, Platebreaker’s defaults generally use:

Maximum targets across recommendations (to ensure adequacy)
Minimum upper limits across recommendations (to ensure safety)

Important: These defaults are not a re-evaluation or reconciliation of differences between authorities—they’re pragmatic settings to provide complete coverage. Users can select which authority’s recommendations to follow instead of the defaults.

Personalization Factors

Your targets are calculated based on:

Age: Different life stages have different needs
Sex: Male vs. female requirements vary
Weight & Height: Affects energy and some nutrient needs
Physical Activity Level: Higher activity increases many nutrient needs
Pregnancy/Breastfeeding: Significantly increased requirements during these periods

Target Categories

Platebreaker allows you to set targets for up to 110 nutrients. Of these, 65 nutrients have default targets set automatically, and 45 additional nutrients support custom targets.

65 Nutrients with Default Targets

Platebreaker sets evidence-based targets for 65 essential nutrients:

Category	Count	Examples
Essential Vitamins	13	Vitamin A, D, E, K, B complex, Vitamin C
Essential Minerals	15	Calcium, iron, zinc, sodium, potassium, selenium
Macronutrients & Components	18	Protein, carbohydrates, fiber, total fat, omega-3s
Amino Acids	11	9 essential + 2 conditionally essential
Other Compounds	8	Choline, water, energy, alcohol, caffeine

See complete nutrient reference for nutrient-by-nutrient details and authority guidelines.

45 Nutrients with Custom Targets

Beyond the 65 default targets, you can set custom targets for 45 additional nutrients:

Carbohydrate and fiber components (11 nutrients)
Additional amino acids (9 nutrients)
Vitamin forms and phytonutrients (17 nutrients)
Antinutrients like oxalic acid (8 nutrients)

These are useful for:

Specific health objectives
Dietary experiments
Therapeutic protocols under healthcare guidance

147 Monitor-Only Nutrients

Platebreaker tracks 147 additional specialist nutrients without default targets:

Detailed fatty acid profiles
Individual phytosterol species
Vitamin isomers
Organic acids

Data availability note: USDA coverage for monitor-only nutrients is often incomplete, limiting their utility for general nutrition tracking. Best used for educational purposes or when specifically requested by a healthcare provider.

Target Types

Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs)

Daily intake goal that meets the needs of nearly all (97-98%) healthy individuals
Most vitamins and minerals use RDAs
If you consistently meet your RDA, you’re very likely getting enough

Adequate Intakes (AIs)

Used when there’s insufficient data to establish an RDA
Based on observed average intakes of healthy populations
Assumed to be adequate
Examples: Vitamin K, pantothenic acid, choline

Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDRs)

Range of intake (as % of total energy) associated with reduced chronic disease risk
While allowing adequate intake of essential nutrients
Used for protein, carbohydrates, and fats

Learn more about energy requirements

Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs)

Maximum daily intake unlikely to cause adverse health effects
Not a recommended level of intake
Staying below the UL reduces risk of toxicity or negative effects

Additive vs. Non-Additive Targets

Some nutrients have hierarchical relationships that affect how targets work:

Non-Additive Targets (Default)

Child nutrient targets are not added to parent nutrient targets
Example: Individual amino acid targets are part of total protein target
Prevents double-counting in search rankings
The higher target takes precedence

Additive Targets

Child nutrient targets are added to parent nutrient targets
Example: EPA+DHA target is separate from total omega-3 target (if both are set)
Explicitly marked as “additive” in nutrient reference

How This Affects You

You don’t need to worry about this distinction—Platebreaker handles it automatically:

Search rankings avoid double-counting
Tracking shows correct progress toward targets
Meal planning optimizes correctly across nutrient hierarchies

Selecting Your Authority

You can choose which authority’s recommendations to use:

Available Options

Default: Platebreaker’s pragmatic defaults (max targets, min limits across authorities)
NASEM: USA & Canada recommendations
NHMRC: Australia & New Zealand recommendations
EFSA: European Union recommendations
NNR: Nordic Countries recommendations

How to Change

Go to Settings > Nutrition Preferences
Select “Nutrition Authority”
Choose your preferred authority
Targets update immediately

Gaps in Authority Coverage

Not all authorities have recommendations for all nutrients or all life stages:

You can choose whether to fall back to defaults when your selected authority has no recommendation
Or leave those nutrients untracked (no target shown)