GDAs for children

GDAs are guidelines for healthy children about the approximate amount of Calories, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, total sugars, protein, fibre, salt and sodium required for a healthy diet.

Guideline Daily Amounts for children of different ages were developed in 2005. GDA values used for children are based on Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom, published by COMA in 1991 (HMSO, London)¹.

The age bandings used by COMA were also adopted for children’s GDAs:

An additional age band was included for the purposes of labelling:

Children’s GDAs are calculated using the following values:

• GDAs for energy are based on estimated average requirements for the four age groups. The value for the combined age group uses an average of the values of the four groups, adjusted to account for the increased energy requirements of older boys
  
  
• GDAs for macronutrients for children use percentage food energy rather than total energy since alcohol should not be included in a child’s diet. These are:
  • 35% of food energy from total fat
  •  11% of food energy from saturated fat
  •  50% of food energy from carbohydrate
  •  20% energy from total sugars calculated as described by Rayner et al (2003)²
    
    
• GDAs for protein are based on the Reference Nutrient Intakes for protein from COMA (1991)¹
  
  
• Fibre: values are based on the mid-point (age 7.5 years) of the 1994 American Health Foundation recommendations. Single values are given for boys and girls for each age group based on both non-starch polysaccharide and AOAC analysed fibre
  
  
• Salt: Recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (2003)³ are used

¹ COMA (1991) Dietary reference values for food energy and nutrients for the United Kingdom: report of the Panel on Dietary Reference Values of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy. Reports of Health and Social Subjects 41. TSO, London

² Rayner et al (2003) Public Health Nutrition 7 549-556

³ Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (2003) Salt and health. TSO, London