Understanding Nutrients - Help

Congrats on reaching your goal.

I have found the best way for me to understand nutrition was by browsing government and education websites and following the links. I made a web browser folder called Fitness and Nutrition and bookmarked sites that I reference regularly, such as:

http://www.fda.gov/Food/default.htm
http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search
http://health.gov/
http://nutritiondata.self.com/
https://sites.google.com/site/compendiumofphysicalactivities/

To answer your question about nutrients, the MFP Food Database is based on the US FDA Nutrition Facts label. Since the Nutrition Facts label provides information for a caloric intake of 2000 Calories per day, start with this chart, then compare those values with your specific daily nutrient requirements, some of which do not change based on caloric intake, and some of which do change.

Guidance for Industry: A Food Labeling Guide (14. Appendix F: Calculate the Percent Daily Value for the Appropriate Nutrients)


Reference:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm064928.htm​