A calorie is a unit of energy, and you need a specific amount of calories to perform certain activities in your daily routine. You cannot take any action without taking a handsome amount of calories.
As per the opinion of doctors, every human needs a particular sum of calories according to their physical structure.
On the other hand, if you want to reduce or increase your weight, you should increase or decrease the number of calories in your food items.
The human body depends on how we do something and how efficient we are in our daily routine.
People must calculate the number of calories so that they should avoid excessive use of calories because they will become the cause of multiple health issues.
The average number of calories you should eat
An empty stomach cannot stand upright in life. A hungry man has to fill his stomach with some kind of food. Man has made tremendous progress in different material fields but has lagged miserably in catering to the needs of good health.
Progress and good health move hand in hand. There are different opinions of nutritionists to set the number of calories for people to stay healthy.
According to nutritionists’ guidelines, the calories per day should be set according to their age, health, weight, sex, etc.
There is not a single answer to this, how to measure the need for calories in human bodies. But the US Department of Agriculture puts out a tentative calorie limit as part of its dietary guidelines, published every five years.
This department answers the question of how many calories we should eat daily. It’s good to have a sense of our daily calorie requirements and to be aware of how many calories are in our favorite foods.
Those numbers can help and guide our choices about what to eat and what to leave.
Calories intake for females
As per the suggestions of doctors, men and women have required different amounts of calories. Research studies show that females need fewer calories as compared to males.
Because they have different physical and biological structures. Most women who are between 19-30 ages need 2000-2400 calories per day.
In addition, females between the ages of 31-59, required less amount of energy per day compared to those 19-30 ages. Lastly, those females who are 60+ generally require a minimum amount of calories.
Most importantly, the amount of calories varies if females are pregnant. In such cases, they should follow the instructions of the doctors.
Calories intake for Males
The calories requirement of males is slightly different from females. According to researchers, males who are between the ages of 19-30, require 2400-3000 calories per day.
Moreover, males who are between the ages of 31-59, need 2200-2600 calories per day. Lastly, males who are in the 60 + age bracket, need 2000-2600 calories per day.
In addition, males who are very active and involved in different physical activities, athletes, consume more calories than others. Therefore, they can increase the number of calories.
Calories intake for Children
The third group belongs to children’s daily calorie status as per their ages, weight, and height. There is no denying the fact that cutting the number of calories in children may increase the deficiency of nutrition.
It is very essential not to estimate the calories requirements of the children. Because they need more calories for their physical and mental growth.
According to nutritionists’, children have widely varying calorie requirements because of their age, size, weight, and activity level. The above chart targeted the calorie amount of the children according to their ages.
Daily need of calories according to Mifflin-St. Jeor equation:
Doctors and nutritionists describe plenty of methods to balance the number of calories.
And the first method is to estimate one’s calorie requirements by calculating the metabolic rate of the human body by applying the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation. According to the equation:
- Males: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) + 5
- Females: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) – 161
If you want to calculate the BM then you should adopt the Mifflin St. Jeor equation. Which will guide you to count the requirements of calories in your body.
Factors that predict the calories amount
Calorie consumption is indeed based on physical activities. Those athletes or professionals need more calories compared to those who do not engage in such activities.
The more your intake is, the more energy you need. Therefore, after conducting BMR, you should multiply the result of your activities. The application process is mentioned below:
Sedentary lifestyle
If you do little work in your daily routine, then the calorie requirement is BMR x 1.2. It means that you need less energy. You just multiply your BMR by 1.2, it will estimate your body requirements.
Slightly active lifestyle
If you do some exercise three times a week, then the calorie requirement is BMR x 1.375. It means that you need more energy as compared to a sedentary lifestyle.
Moderately active lifestyle
If you do exercises five times a week, then the calorie requirement is BMR x 1.55. In this lifestyle, your body requires more energy therefore you need more intake of calories.
Active lifestyle
The last group is the highest calorie intake group, if you do exercises six to seven times a week, then the calorie requirement is BMR x 1.725. This method will give you an idea of the daily calorie intake. The more you engage yourself in physical activities the more you require calorie intake.
Conclusion
The total of the above discussion leads you to the conclusion that a balanced amount of calories is mandatory for everyone.
Men and women have different requirements for energy because they have different biological and physical structures.
For this purpose, there are multiple calorie count calculators and digital apps available in the market which calculate the human calorie requirements by getting specific information about a person’s weight, age, sex, and daily activities.
These calculators are based on the Mifflin-St Jeor equation model. One may have a short span of life, but that should be punctuated with good health activities to leave a good name for the next generation.
Therefore, you should intake a balanced diet as per your body’s requirements.
Sandra is a health blogger based in San Diego, California. She is passionate about living a healthy lifestyle. She loves being outdoors and exploring new places with her husband. She is a mom of two awesome kids and a dog named Luna!