Daily vitamin calculator
Indian daily amounts (ICMR-NIN 2020) · tap to change — results update instantly
How much of each vitamin do you need a day?
Daily amounts for healthy adults in India, from ICMR-NIN 2020, with the everyday foods that provide them. Veg means vegetarian with milk.
These amounts come from ICMR-NIN, A brief note on Nutrient Requirements for Indians, the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) 2020, Tables 3 and 4 (adult men and women). The note does not split these vitamins by age or activity.
Possible signs of low levels and the vegetarian and vegan food lists are from the page author’s food chart below. Safe upper limits are the adult limits from the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.
Food lists are general examples. If you think you are low in a vitamin, a blood test and your doctor decide what to do; please don’t self-dose.
Check my diet against the daily amounts
Add the foods you ate and any vitamin tablets. The six tiles add them up against the daily amount.
What did you eat today?
Any supplements?
Estimates from Indian food tables (IFCT 2017) and USDA where Indian data is missing. Cooking lowers vitamin C and folate. This is not a blood test. Nothing you enter is stored.
Liver is very high in vitamin A — one serving can go over the safe limit.
Values per serving — source
This article is part of our Calculators & Tools series: simple tools that help you work out what your body needs each day.
This is Part 2: the vitamin requirements calculator.
Find your daily vitamin requirement using the Indian amounts for men and women, set by ICMR-NIN in 2020. This vitamin chart and calculator can help you understand how much of each vitamin you may need each day and which foods can provide it. Choose a vitamin, then select the age and sex group that applies to you.
The tool shows a daily amount and common food sources. Use the result as a guide for planning meals, not as a diagnosis or a reason to start supplements on your own.
How to use the vitamin requirements calculator
Start by choosing who the result is for (man or woman) and your diet (all foods, vegetarian with milk, or vegan). The calculator shows daily amounts for healthy adults only. It does not have age groups for children, teenagers or older adults.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding: the calculator does not show amounts for these stages. Vitamin needs change during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and supplements such as folic acid are usually advised for each woman separately. Ask your doctor or gynaecologist what is right for you.
Read the daily amount and unit carefully. Check the food sources listed below the result and use them to plan a varied diet. The calculator gives a general daily requirement for a group of people; it does not measure the vitamin level in your blood or tell you whether you have a deficiency.
If you are using a blood-test report or reading a supplement label, remember that a recommended daily amount is not the same as a treatment dose. If you are pregnant, have a long-term health condition, take regular medicines or have been told to limit a nutrient, ask your doctor or dietitian how to use the result.
Reading the daily amount and safe upper limit
The daily amount is the recommended intake for a healthy person in a particular age or life-stage group. It is meant to help you plan your usual food intake over time. You do not need to match the number exactly at every meal. A varied diet across the day is more useful than focusing on one food.
A safe upper limit is different: it is the highest daily intake that is unlikely to cause harm to most healthy people when taken over time. It is not a target and should not be treated as a recommended dose.
The upper limit mainly matters when using supplements or fortified products, because a tablet can contain much more than a normal serving of food. The calculator’s daily amount should not be used to self-treat a suspected deficiency. (ICMR-NIN RDA 2020; NIH Office of Dietary Supplements)
Check your supplement label
Supplement label check
Taking a vitamin tablet, capsule or drops? Type the amount printed on the label to see how it compares with the daily amount and the safe upper limit for adults.
The daily amount follows the WHO choice (man or woman) at the top of the calculator. Upper limits: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Read more: vitamin overdose symptoms and how to stay safe.
What could my symptom be linked to?
Symptom guide
Type a symptom in your own words, or pick the closest one. You will see which vitamins are sometimes linked to it, other common causes, the tests to ask your doctor about, and the signs that need a doctor soon. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. The vitamin links come from the food chart on this page; other causes and tests are common examples, not a full list.
Food first: a simple vitamin chart
Food is a good place to start. The examples below show common Indian sources, but the amount of a vitamin varies with portion size, variety, season, cooking and fortification.
| Vitamin | Why it matters | Food sources | Possible signs of low levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin D | Helps the body absorb calcium and supports bones and muscles. | Egg yolks, UV-exposed mushrooms, Indian salmon (rawas), mackerel (bangda), pomfret, hilsa and sardines provide natural vitamin D. Cod liver oil, fortified dairy and fortified plant products. | Bone pain or muscle weakness; some people have no clear symptoms. |
| Vitamin B12 | Supports nerves and helps make healthy red blood cells. | Milk, curd, paneer, cheese, whole eggs, fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, trout), shellfish, chicken, turkey, lean beef, lamb, liver and kidneys. Some fortified foods with B12, such as fortified nutritional yeast (check the label). | Tiredness, pale skin, tingling or numbness, and sometimes memory or balance problems. |
| Vitamin A | Supports eyesight, immunity and healthy skin and tissues. | Mutton liver, egg yolk, whole milk and its products, carrot, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, spinach, fenugreek leaves, amaranth leaves, drumstick leaves, mango, papaya, muskmelon; fish such as salmon, mackerel, ilish, tuna, katla and sardines. | Poor vision in dim light and dry eyes. Severe deficiency can harm eyesight. |
| Vitamin C | Helps wound healing and improves absorption of iron from plant foods. | Amla, guava, orange, lemon, capsicum, spinach and tomatoes. Include fruits or vegetables rich in vitamin C regularly. | Bleeding gums, easy bruising and slow wound healing when deficiency is severe. |
| Folate (vitamin B9) | Helps make DNA and new cells, including red blood cells. | Toor dal, rajma, masoor dal, chana dal, spinach, fenugreek, mustard leaves, amaranth, beet, okra and cauliflower. | A type of anaemia, tiredness and weakness. Low folate in early pregnancy can affect a baby’s development. |
A vitamin D foods chart can help you compare sources, but food alone may not provide enough vitamin D for everyone. Sun exposure, skin tone, clothing, season and time spent outdoors affect how much vitamin D the body makes. If a deficiency has been diagnosed, follow your clinician’s advice rather than relying only on food.
Who may have low vitamin levels?
People who eat little or no animal food may be at risk of low vitamin B12 unless they regularly use foods fortified with B12 or a suitable supplement. Ordinary plant foods are not reliable natural sources of B12. Vegetarians who eat dairy and eggs may get some B12, but intake can still be low.
People who spend most of the day indoors or have other risk factors may have low vitamin D. Older adults may eat less or have difficulty absorbing some nutrients. Folate is especially important before conception and in early pregnancy. Anyone who may become pregnant should ask a healthcare professional about folic acid.
Normal B12 levels by age and normal vitamin D levels by age
Blood-test ranges are not the same as daily vitamin requirements. Laboratories may use different reference ranges, and you should interpret results with symptoms, diet, and medical history. Age alone does not tell you whether a person has a deficiency. Ask a doctor to explain your result instead of comparing it with a number found online.
Too much is harmful
More vitamins do not always mean better health. High doses of vitamin A can harm the liver and may cause birth defects during pregnancy. Too much vitamin D can raise calcium levels and damage the kidneys or cause other serious problems.
High doses of other vitamins can also cause side effects or interact with medicines. Check labels before combining supplements, as the same vitamin may be present in more than one product. Do not take high-dose supplements unless advised by a qualified healthcare professional. (NIH Office of Dietary Supplements)
When should you get tested?
Ask a doctor whether testing is needed if you have persistent tiredness, unusual weakness, tingling or numbness, bone pain, poor night vision or signs of anaemia. These symptoms can have many causes and do not prove a vitamin deficiency.
A doctor may suggest tests based on your symptoms, food habits, medicines and health history. Avoid starting high-dose supplements just because you feel tired or recognise a symptom from a chart.
Common questions
What are normal B12 levels by age?
There is no single age-based number that suits everyone. Laboratories may use different reference ranges, and borderline results need to be considered with symptoms and medical history. Ask your doctor to interpret your report.
What are normal vitamin D levels by age?
Vitamin D is usually checked with a blood test called 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Medical guidance and laboratories may use different cut-offs, so discuss your result with your doctor.
What is the vitamin C requirement per day?
It depends on the reference guideline and life stage. Include foods such as amla, guava, citrus fruits and capsicum regularly. Ask a healthcare professional before using a supplement for a medical concern.
Which vegetarian foods have B12?
Milk, curd, paneer and some fortified foods can provide B12. Check the label on fortified products. If you avoid dairy and eggs, ask a healthcare professional about a reliable B12 source.
Can a vitamin chart and deficiency diseases tell me what I have?
A vitamin chart and deficiency diseases guide can explain possible links, but symptoms overlap and may have other causes. It cannot diagnose you. Seek medical advice if symptoms persist.
Related reading
- When vitamins go wrong: vitamin overdose symptoms
- Essential minerals your multivitamin may be missing
- Senior nutrition: protein and vitamins after 60
- Can we thrive without meat and fish? Vegetarian nutrition
- Anaemia in older adults: the ferritin test
- Blood tests worth knowing about (Part 2)
- Planning a baby: folic acid and other first steps
- Spirulina and algae: what they can and cannot do
The Calculators & Tools series
- Part 1: Protein Calculator
- Part 2: Vitamin Requirements Calculator (you are here)
Read more
- Essential minerals that protected our ancestors
- Vitamin overdose symptoms and how to stay safe
- Ferritin test and anaemia in older adults
References
- ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. A Brief Note on Nutrient Requirements for Indians: the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) and Estimated Average Requirements (EAR), 2020. Available at: ICMR-NIN – RDA 2020 brief note. Accessed October 28, 2026.
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplement Fact Sheets. Available at: NIH ODS – Fact sheets. Accessed October 28, 2026.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central. Available at: USDA FoodData Central. Accessed October 28, 2026.
All reference links checked on October 28, 2026.
Disclaimer
This calculator gives a general guide for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice and should not be used to diagnose or treat a deficiency. Talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before starting or changing a supplement.
