You can acquire and keep a healthy weight by consuming a set quantity of calories each day. According to other research, eating the right quantity of calories for you while maintaining a healthy diet can also help you live longer and enhance your health. Healthy Carbs For Diabetics
It is advisable to first comprehend the established suggested calorie intakes before deciding how many calories you should consume each day. In light of your body and your health-related objectives, you may next take into account additional elements to determine the ideal calorie intake for you. What you need to know about daily calorie intake is provided below.
How many calories exactly should you consume each day? Unfortunately, “As many as you want” is not the appropriate response.
But, calculating your recommended calorie intake might be nearly as challenging as saying no to a (500-calorie) piece of chocolate cake.
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Your calorie requirements depend on a variety of variables. Your age, weight, height, and degree of activity all matter. Dietary recommendations in the US state that persons 21 and older should take between 1,600 and 3,000 calories per day.
What do you therefore need to understand to achieve a good balance? We get some math help from registered dietitian Julia Zumpano, RD, LD.
Calorie requirements based on age
Calories are important whether you want to put on or lose weight or find the ideal Goldilocks scenario to stay precisely where you are. And if you enjoy keeping track of and measuring things, knowing exactly how many calories you require could be advantageous.
Online calorie counters and digital apps can be useful, according to Zumpano. Yet, because it can be confusing (are you extremely active, somewhat active, or barely active? ), Zumpano suggests consulting a dietician to acquire a professional opinion.
Others might not need to do any math to reach their calorie goals. You can achieve your objectives by just being aware of your recommended calorie levels.
How Many Calories Per Day Should You Eat?
Your body size, exercise level, and health will all alter over the course of the day, affecting how many calories you should consume. A greater understanding of your calorie range can be obtained by being aware of the suggested calorie intake guidelines. Depending on whether you are an adult, an adolescent, or a child, these change.
Adults
The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans propose an average daily calorie intake for adult women of 1,600 to 2,400 calories.
2 for Men need between 2,200 and 3,200 calories per day, which is a little bit more.
Your calorie requirements are probably on the low end of the range if you are somewhat sedentary or older. You might be nearer to the top if you are fairly physically active, pregnant, or breastfeeding.
Teens
Teenagers’ recommended daily caloric intake varies according on their age, sex, and amount of exercise. A 13-year-old male should consume between 2,000 and 2,600 calories per day, whereas a 13-year-old girl should consume between 1,600 and 2,200 calories per day.
The latter teen years saw a minor increase in these quantities. For girls 14 to 18 years old, the range is 1,800 to 2,400 calories daily. For boys in this similar age range, 2,000 to 3,200 calories per day is the recommended calorie intake.
Children
A child needs between 1,000 and 1,400 calories per day between the ages of 2 and 3. Depending on how active they are, they will fall anywhere in this spectrum.
The range begins at 1,200 calories per day for children aged 4 to 8 and rises to 1,800 calories for girls and 2,000 calories for boys. For females aged 9 to 13, the recommended daily calorie range is 1,400 to 2,200, while for boys it is 1,600 to 2,600. 2
As infants and early children typically do an excellent job of self-regulating their calorie intake, it could be more beneficial to focus on providing them with a balanced meal as opposed to counting calories.
Many elements that affect your calorie intake
A calorie is a unit of measurement for dietary energy.
Energy in must equal energy out for you to keep your weight (calories consumed vs. calories burned).
Lose weight by eating fewer calories than you burn.
But, if you eat more calories than you need, your body will store them for later use (in the form of extra padding on your hips and around your middle).
As everyone has varied daily caloric needs, determining the ideal quantity can be challenging. Men typically require more calories than women do. Those who are active need more than those who work at a desk. Also, because their metabolisms slow down with aging, younger people require more than older ones.
These factors can impact your caloric intake:
- Sex.
- Height.
- Weight.
- Age.
- Activity level.
- Hormones.
- Medications.
