How Many Calories Should I Eat a Day to Stay Healthy?

One of the most asked questions about people’s lifestyle is ‘how many calories should I eat a day’. An idea of you daily calorie requirement is essential for your health.

The energy produced from calorie intake regulates the proper functioning of your organs and bodily functions. In fact, our daily activities depend on this energy produced in our body. This energy is produced from the burning of the calories we consume. By having a balanced diet with the right amount of calories helps one in making healthier choices in daily life.

How many calories to eat in a day?

Knowledge of daily calorie requirement of an individual is integral to your good health. As per the suggestions of healthcare professionals and scientific researchers:

• 2,500 kcal for a man on an average
• 2,000 kcal for a woman on an average

How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

If you are planning to lose weight, you must reduce your daily calorie consumption by about 600 kcal. This suggests reduced calorie intake should be:

• 1,900kcal for men
• 1,400kcal for women

Calorie Recommendations per Meal to Lose Weight

How many calories should I eat for breakfast – Once you have a rough idea of how many calories you are having, follow the given amounts below as a guide to achieve the desired weight.

Men

For an average of 1,900 kcal per day:

• Breakfast: 380 kcal
• Lunch: 570 kcal
• Dinner: 570 kcal
• Snacks and drinks: 380 kcal

Women

For an average of 1,400 kcal per day:

• Breakfast: 280 kcal
• Lunch: 420 kcal
• Dinner: 420 kcal
• Snacks and drinks: 280 kcal

During each meal you must try and include:

• At least 5 portions of vegetables and fruits a day (a portion means 80 grams)
• At least 2 portions of fish every week, one of which is oily (a portion means 140 grams)

Factors Affecting Your Calorie Needs

However, your daily physical activities and other factors determine the calories you eat in a day. Your lifestyle impacts your calorie needs by:

• Age

The daily calorie need varies from one person to another as per their age group. While a child requires a considerable amount of calories for proper growth and development, young adults and teenagers need huge amount of calories to perform the maximum levels of activity at this point of their life. People again require fewer calories at old age as their metabolic functions undergo different changes during this time.

• Gender

Gender again plays a major role in determining the calorie requirements. For example, male births demand more calorie intake than female births. A probable reason for this is the larger body size of males compared to newborn females. The male physiology requires more calories than females in their teenage years and adulthood as well. This is what makes men generally more physically strong and active.  

• Height

Height is also a key determinant of your daily calorie need. In fact, extreme low consumption of calories can negatively impact your height. A low calorie intake might lead to your stunted growth. Moreover, over intake of calories can again stimulate hormone secretion essential for achieving optimal height.

• Body weight

If your calorie intake is more than your regular calorie burn, becoming overweight may become a serious concern. This is due to the deposition of excess energy as fat in your body for future use. You will need to reduce your calorie to ensure to body starts the breakdown of these deposited fats.

On the other hand, if your calorie usage is more than your daily calorie intake, you will lose weight. This will require you consuming greater calories to balance your daily calorie burns. 

• Exercising habits

If you are engaged in regular physical exercise, higher calorie consumption daily is essential. This is crucial for balancing the excess calorie usage you have burnt during exercise.

• Food habits

Your food habit is a crucial determinant of your body’s calorie requirement. For instance, people consuming processed and oily foods experience degradation of calorie intake in their diet.

• Conditions like menopause, breastfeeding, or pregnancy lead to different calorie requirements in women.

The following physiological aspects also influence calorie needs:

• Your body mass index (BMI) plays a key role in determining your body’s calorie requirement. This is to examine if you have a healthy body weight as per your height.
• Healthy food swaps can effectively meet your calorie needs. For example, you can cut down on excessive fat, salt, or sugar in your regular diet. This helps you take a step forward to a healthy life with adequate calorie consumption.
• A comprehensive idea of the food label allows you make healthier food choices daily. For example, you can look into the content percentage on packaged food items or the colour coding system to evaluate your calorie intake.

Enhance Your Calorie Awareness

You can follow these tips below to develop a brief idea on calorie awareness:

• Check the calorie labels and nutrient content on food packaging. This calorie content display is usually present under the ‘energy’ heading. With this information, you can satisfy your calorie requirements by choosing the right food item in the right amount.
• Go for healthier food choices! You can start with intaking green vegetables, fresh fruits, legumes, cereals, and consume other naturally occurring foods. This helps you avoid the synthetic chemicals and unsaturated fats of packaged foods. By following this, you can get necessary nutrition with necessary calories.
• You must consider your calorie requirements while planning your regular meals. This helps you intake only the calories necessary to meet your physiological needs.
• You can also look at the calorie content information in restaurants or in takeaway menus as well. This helps you pick food items with balanced calorie content.
  
• Remember that spending more energy on regular activities needs higher calorie intake. Make sure to consume higher calories at times when you are performing extra activities.

Calorie Intake Needs as per Age and Gender

It is often a common question that ‘how many calories should I eat a day by age’. Your calorie needs largely depend on your gender, age, or levels of activity. Refer to the following to get an idea of your daily calorie requirements.

Children:

• Children age between 2 to 3 years need about 1000 calories on an average for sedentary activities.
• Again, children of the same age performing moderate or heavy activities require around 1000 to 1400 calories.

Females between 4 to 8 years:

• Female child within 4 to 8 years again requires about 1200 to 1400 calories for performing sedentary activities.
• This score rises to around 1400 to 1600 calories for female kids of this age to perform moderately active tasks.
• Female children going through maximum active works again need around 1400 to 1800 calories regularly.

Females between 9 to 13 years:

• Girls belonging to the age group of 9 to 13 years and having a sedentary lifestyle need to consume around 1400 to 1600 calories each day.
• This range again increases to 1600 and 2000 calories for girls of this age group and performing moderate activities.
• High activity levels of females within 9 to 13 years again require around 1800 to 2200 calories approximately.

Females between 14 to 18 years:

• Sedentary females between 14 and 18 years require approximately 1800 calories.
• This score rises to about 2000 calories for females of this age and performing moderate level activities.
• Again, females of the same age group require up to 2400 calories for heavy activities.

Females between 19 to 30 years:

• Females between 19 and 30 years and having a sedentary lifestyle should intake around 1800 to 2000 calories.
• Women of the same age and undergoing moderate levels of activity require about 2000 to 2200 calories a day.
• If you are engaged in heavy activities, 2400 calories a day should be your optimal intake.

Females between 31 to 50 years:

• Women aged between 31 and 50 years and involved in sedentary activities need nearly 1800 calories per day.
• Again women of this age and performing moderate activities require about 2000 calories.
• The same women will require about 2200 calories a day if they perform heavy physical activities daily.

Females above 51 years:

• The calorie levels, however, decrease to around 1600 calories for females over 51 years and having a sedentary lifestyle.
• Women of this same age group require approximately 1800 calories for performing moderate activities.
• Women over 51 years again require about 2200 calories for too heavy tasks.

Males between 4 to 8 years:

• Boys between 4 to 8 years need about 1200 to 1400 calories for performing sedentary tasks.
• Again boys of same age group require 1400 to 1600 calories approximately for moderately active tasks.
• When it comes to heavy activities, these same boys will need around 1600 to 2000 calories.

Males between 9 to 13 years:

• Sedentary males between age group of 9 and 13 years should regularly intake 1600 to 2000 calories approximately.
• This value again increases to 1800 to 2200 calories for males of the same age, performing moderate level activities.
• Males of this age again intake about 2000 to 2600 calories a day for performing heavy tasks.

Males between 14 to 18 years:

• Male teenagers of 14 to 18 years should consume around 2000 to 2400 calories if they have a sedentary lifestyle.
• These same male teenagers should intake about 2400 to 2800 calories for performing moderately active tasks.
• This score increases to about 2800 to 3200 calories a day in case of performing heavy tasks.

Males between 19 to 30 years:

• For males aged between 19 and 30 years, around 2400 to 2600 calories is necessary for a sedentary lifestyle.
• These same males require about 2600 to 2800 calories for moderate activities.
• However, males between 19 to 30 years require at least 3000 calories per day in case of heavy activities.

Males between 31 and 50 years:

• Around 2200 to 2400 calories is the right intake for men between 31 and 50 years with a sedentary lifestyle.
• However, males belonging to this age group require nearly 2400 to 2600 calories for moderate activities.
• In case of heavily active tasks, this amount increases to 2800 to 3000 calories approximately.

Males above 51 years:

• Males of this age group require at least within 2000 to 2200 calories intake a day for a sedentary lifestyle.
• Moderate active males, on the other hand, need consume about 2200 to 2400 calories daily.
• Heavily active males over 51 years should, however, intake around 2400 to 2800 calories regularly.

However, difference in metabolic rates is often a major factor responsible for varying calorie needs in different individuals.

What is the right amount of calorie intake during pregnancy?

Nearly 300 excess calories are essential for a woman to consume per day during her pregnancy. However, make sure that healthy food items should be the source of these extra calories. It is best to avoid excessive sweet intake and junk foods in pregnancy. Plenty of green vegetables and fresh fruits offer the necessary vitamins and minerals for the growing baby. Moreover, protein rich foods with unsaturated fats, iron, calcium, and folic acid are essential for the development of the baby.

The optimal calorie intake for a pregnant woman should be:

• 1800 calories per day in the first trimester
• 2200 calories per day in the second trimester
• 2400 calories per day in the third trimester

A pregnancy diet must include adequate calorie content along with consumption of items like fresh fruits, green vegetables, cereals, rice, bread, yoghurt, cheese, and milk. Besides, pregnant women must consume plenty of protein rich foods including beans, nuts, pulses, fish, eggs, eat, and poultry. 

Role of Calorie Intake in Maintaining Body Weight

If you want to maintain your current body weight, the best way is to balance the amount of your calorie intake to the amount of your calorie usage per day. For an optimal body weight, you should intake between 2000 to 2500 calories in a day. If you are looking for ‘how many calories should I eat to lose weight calculator’, evaluating the BMR and AMR can help:

Calculations for Calorie Burn

To evaluate the calorie usage in the body, you need to calculate the BMR:

• For women, BMR can be measured by

655.1 + (9.563 x weight in kg) + (1.850 x height in cm) - (4.676 x age in years)

• For men, BMR can be measured by

66.47 + (13.75 x weight in kg) + (5.003 x height in cm) - (6.755 x age in years)

This indicates the calorie usage rate in your body.

Calculations for Calorie Intake

Calculating the AMR, on the other hand, helps assess your calorie requirement:

• For sedentary workers

AMR = BMR x 1.2

• For moderately active workers

AMR = BMR x 1.55

• For heavily active workers

AMR = BMR x 1.9

This suggests the calorie need of your body per day.

Top 10 Foods Rich in Calorie Content

The following foods provide the maximum calories in human body.

Name of Food Item	Calorie Content per 100 grams
1.    Homemade granola	489 calories
2.    Meat (Chicken leg)	184 calories
3.    Firm tofu	144 calories
4.    Fish (Salmon)	206 calories
5.    Avocados	160 calories
6.    Dairy foods	61 calories
7.    Chickpeas	164 calories
8.    Sweet potatoes	101 calories
9.    Whole grains (Brown rice)	123 calories
10. Nuts	718 calories

 

Tips for Right Calorie Intake

Food habits and lifestyle designs are crucial factors affecting the calorie requirements of individuals. You can follow these tips below to find out how many calories you should eat in a day:

1. Intake starchy carbohydrates and meals rich in fibres

Starchy carbohydrates must comprise about one third of your meal. Adequate amounts of cereals, breads, rice, or potatoes or wholegrain rich in fibre content are necessary for your regular diet. You can also have whole wheat pasta and brown rice. These items offer you the right amount of calories along with filling your stomach as well.

2. Have plenty of fruits and vegetables

Most healthcare professionals recommend having at least 5 portions of vegetables and fruits per day. You can have them in all states – fresh, dried, frozen, juiced, or canned. Consuming adequate amounts of vegetables and fruits provide necessary minerals and vitamins to your body.

3. Eat oily fish and more fish

Fish gives abundant minerals, vitamins, and proteins to our body. A healthy and balanced diet needs at least 2 potions of fish in every 7 days. Oily fish are also recommended often as they contain omega-3 fat deposits which help prevent heart problems.

Herring, salmon, pilchards, trout, mackerel, and sardines are some oily fish which positively impact your health. Some non-oily fish are also beneficial; including coley, cod, hake, plaice, tuna, haddock, and skate.

4. Cutting down on saturated fats and sugar

You may suffer from obesity or tooth decay for excessive intake of sugary drinks and food items. You must avoid items like honey, syrups, or synthetic fruit juices containing free sugars. Also refrain from sugary breakfast cereals, fizzy drinks, cakes, pastries, biscuits, puddings, sweets, alcoholic drinks, and chocolates to cut down on sugar.

Every 100 grams of food should not contain more than 22.5 grams sugar. A low sugar intake suggests having less than or equal to 5 grams sugar in every 100 grams food. This refers a low sugar diet.

A little quantity of fat is essential for your regular diet. Fat can be either saturated or unsaturated. Excessive intake of saturated fats increases your blood cholesterol level which eventually leads to heart diseases. 

Healthcare specialists and dieticians suggest males to consume below 30 grams saturated fat in a day. Females should consume only up to 20 grams saturated fat in a day. However, children below 11 years should intake saturated fats as less as possible than adults.

Avoiding sources of saturated fats can help. You can cut down on items like hard cheese, sausages, lard, cakes, biscuits, pies, butter, cream, and fatty cuts of meat. Instead, opt for unsaturated fats like avocados, vegetable oils, or oily fish.

5. Reduce salt intake

Excessive salt intake might lead to a high blood pressure, resulting in risks of strokes and heart diseases. Packaged foods already contain considerable amounts of salt. Salt is present in sauces, breads, breakfast cereals, and soups. Such food items have over 1.5 grams salt in every 100 grams food. As recommended be doctors, a person must not consume more than 6 grams salt in a day. 

6. Have plenty of fluids

You must avoid dehydration at all cost. Drinking at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day is essential for this. However, focus on avoiding all sugary drinks, soft drinks, sweetened fruit juices, carbonated cold drinks, and fizzy drinks. Low sugar drinks, coffee, tea, and water are good for your calorie intake.

7. Never skip breakfast

Most people willing to lose body weight often skip breakfast. In fact, a healthy breakfast usually contains wholegrain foods rich in fibre which improve the metabolic functions in the body. 

Disadvantages of an Imbalanced Calorie Intake

• Excessive calorie intake without sufficient physical activity can lead to overweight issues and obesity. In fact, hyper consumption of calories often causes hormonal changes in the body which produce conditions like cardiovascular problems and diabetes.
• On the other hand, an excessive low calorie intake reports minor side effects like nausea, fatigue, or constipation. Hormonal functions often experience hypo secretion due to low calorie intake.

Download the free NHS Weight Loss Plan

Start losing your body weight and be more active with healthy eating habits today! Download the NHS Weight Loss Plan for free.

The entire plan is divided into 12 weeks for:

• Setting weight loss goals
• Planning your meals
• Making healthier food choices
• Burning more calories and becoming more active
• Recording your activity and progress

Do not worry as the app gives you an easy plan. Begin your journey today towards losing weight!

Free NHS Weight Loss App: https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/lose-weight/

Dietary Advice

MD.co.uk does not provide individual dietary advice. If you are willing to get special dietary recommendations, discuss your requirements, suffer from an eating disorder, or are worried about your medical needs, contact us today to consult a qualified healthcare professional at any of our partner clinics. Our healthcare professionals offer personalised dietary advice for all children and adults.  

Conclusion

While deciding on your regular diet, you must include a variety of food items to ensure the intake of different nutrients present in different food sources. Balanced calorie consumption gives you a healthy and comfortable life. Your body requires different calorie intake at different stages of life. This depends on your gender, age, food habits, exercise, physical activities, and conditions like pregnancy. It is best to consult a qualified and experienced dietician to have a comprehensive knowledge of your calorie needs.