Manganese Intake Calculator
Score daily manganese percent and gap from foods by life stage.
What it does
Manganese supports bone and metabolism in small daily amounts. Whole grains, nuts, and greens carry it past most targets without effort.
The tool above scores the day. An adult woman target is 1.8 mg, so 1.5 mg reads 83.3 % with 0.3 mg more to find. Men target 2.3 mg, breastfeeding 2.6 mg.
Grains lead most scores. Oatmeal, brown rice, and whole wheat stack manganese all day, while nuts and pineapple add tasty shares.
Tea counts too. Black and green teas carry meaningful manganese per cup, though milk and timing shift uptake.
Iron competes at the gut. High dose iron pills taken with meals can trim manganese uptake, so spacing helps both minerals.
How to use
- Pick life stage.
- Enter food manganese in mg.
- Read target first.
- Read percent next.
- Read gap and add grains or nuts.
- Score a week, not one meal.
Formula
- stage
- Life stage setting the target.
- food
- Manganese from foods, in mg.
Targets follow NIH ODS recommended intakes. Food mg comes from labels or USDA FoodData entries summed for the day.
Worked example
Example: adult woman, 1.5 mg from food
Defaults: adult woman eating 1.5 mg. These are also the default values, so the page opens on this answer.
- Stage: adult woman, target 1.8 mg.
- Food: 1.5 mg from grains and nuts.
- Share: 1.5 / 1.8 x 100 = 83.3 %.
- Gap: 1.8 - 1.5 = 0.3 mg more.
- Tool shows 1.8 mg, 83.3 %, 0.3 mg more.
Reference table
| Stage | Target | Example score |
|---|---|---|
| Child | 1.5 mg | 1.2 mg is 80 % |
| Adult woman | 1.8 mg | 1.5 mg is 83.3 % |
| Adult man | 2.3 mg | 2.0 mg is 87 % |
| Pregnancy | 2.0 mg | 1.6 mg is 80 % |
Limits
- Intake scoring only, not medical advice.
- Labels vary by brand.
- Iron supplements shift uptake.
- Symptoms need clinicians, not math.
Common mistakes
- Scoring one snack instead of the day.
- Refined grains with no whole backup.
- Iron pills with manganese meals.
- Megadosing supplements past food.
- Treating percent as a diagnosis.
Try it yourself
Quick checks. Answers sit tucked under each question.
Adult man eating 2.0 mg?
Target is 2.3 mg. Share is 2.0 / 2.3 x 100 = 87 %. Gap is 0.3 mg more.
Child eating 1.2 mg?
Target is 1.5 mg. Share is 1.2 / 1.5 x 100 = 80 %. Gap is 0.3 mg more.
Questions
How do I score my day?
Divide food mg by the stage target. Here 1.5 / 1.8 x 100 = 83.3 %.
What are the targets?
Kids 1.5 mg, teen girls 1.6 mg, teen boys 2.2 mg, men 2.3 mg, women 1.8 mg, pregnancy 2.0 mg, breastfeeding 2.6 mg.
Which foods carry manganese?
Whole grains, nuts, leafy greens, and tea. A grain bowl with nuts covers half the day.
How do I close the gap?
Add whole grains, nuts, or greens. Here 0.3 mg more closes the day.
Does iron interfere?
Yes. Iron supplements compete for uptake, so spaced dosing helps both.
Does this diagnose deficiency?
No. Intake scoring only; bone and nerve signs need clinicians.