Daily Intake Percentage Calculator
How a day's eating measures against daily targets for the nutrients most labels track — sodium, fibre, added sugar, saturated fat, potassium and calcium — with each as a percentage of its target, which are over or under, and the gaps.
Add up what the day's food contained and divide each by the reference figure for that nutrient.
How the daily intake percentage calculator works
Add up what the day's food contained and divide each by the reference figure for that nutrient. The targets are inputs because they differ by country, age and sex: the defaults are the common adult guidance — sodium under 2,300 mg, fibre about 30 g, added sugar under 50 g, saturated fat under 20 g, potassium around 3,500 mg, calcium 1,000 mg. Nutrients with an upper limit read as "over" past 100%; nutrients with a minimum read as "short" below it.
Formula: share = intake / target; over-limit nutrients flag above 100%, minimum nutrients flag below 100%
Worked examples
| Inputs | Targets met | Note |
|---|---|---|
| A typical Western day | 0 of 6 | high sodium and sugar, low fibre |
| A good day | 6 of 6 | six of six |
| Only sodium over | 5 of 6 | five of six |
FAQFrequently asked questions
Where do the targets come from?
National dietary guidelines: sodium under about 2,300 mg, fibre 25 to 30 g, added sugar under 10% of energy (about 50 g), saturated fat under 10% of energy (about 20 g), potassium 3,500 mg or more, calcium 1,000 mg. They differ by country, age and sex, so they are inputs.
Why are some limits and some targets?
Sodium, added sugar and saturated fat are things most people eat too much of, so the figure is a ceiling. Fibre, potassium and calcium are things most people eat too little of, so it is a floor.
How do I find what I ate?
From nutrition labels and a food database — most tracking apps total these six for the day. Restaurant meals are the hardest to estimate and usually push sodium over.
What matters most?
For most adults: sodium down and fibre up. Both are consistently linked to blood pressure, heart disease and gut health, and both are far from target in typical diets.
Is this medical advice?
No — it compares a day's intake with general population guidance. Anyone with a kidney, heart or metabolic condition should use the targets their clinician has set.
Where these figures come from
- US FDA — Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures — the internal temperatures the roasting calculator targets
- NIST SP 811 — Guide for the Use of the International System of Units — the exact weight and volume conversions used throughout
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand — food safety and labelling standards
Last checked: September 2026. Baking ratios follow standard baker's percentage practice; roasting guidance follows published safe internal temperatures.