Just Say No
With all of the super-sized fast food choices and processed grocery store fare, it is often hard to figure out exactly what you should be eating. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Americans are consuming more calories than ever, but are still not close to meeting their nutritional needs. Knowing how many calories you should be consuming, and what foods they should come from are crucial aspects of maintaining optimal weight and overall wellness.
Activity Levels
Calorie recommendations are based on activity levels. A sedentary lifestyle includes very little if no physical activity other than day-to-day living. You might call yourself a couch potato. Moderately active, according to health.gov, is exercise that is equivalent to walking anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 miles daily at 3 to 4 mph as well as everyday physical activity. An active lifestyle consists of 3 miles per more or day of walking and everyday regular activities.
Types of Calories
Calorie consumption alone is not a sufficient gauge of whether you are meeting your nutritional needs. You can take in 2,000 calories by drinking two chocolate milkshakes, and although that may be your allotted daily calories, you will not have consumed vitamins and minerals necessary to maintain health. Acccording to the Centers for Disease Control, the majority of your calories should come from nutrient dense foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and only 10 percent or less from fat sources such as butter, whole milk, cheese and fatty meats.
Women
Women from the ages of 19 to 30 who are sedentary to moderately active should be consuming 2,000 to 2,400 calories per day. If you are 31 to 50, intake drops to 1,800 to 2,200 and over 50, recommendations are 1,600 to 2,200. These calorie recommendations may vary if you are completely non-active or highly physically active. Women should be consuming iron and folic acid in particular (especially if they are of childbearing age) . Eat plenty of foods that are dark green such as broccoli and spinach.
Men
Men from the ages of 19 to 30 who are sedentary should consume no more than 2,400 calories daily and moderately active men can increase their intake to 2,600 to 2,800 calories. Men who are physically active in this age group can consume 3,000 calories. Men who are 31 to 50 should reduce this recommended calorie intake by 200 whether sedentary or active. Men over 50 reduce their calorie intake by another 200 from sedentary to active. Calorie recommendations may vary based on activity levels. As we age the metabolism slows, so excessive calorie intake can lead to weight gain.
Children
Children ages 2 to 3 from sedentary to active should consume 1,000 to 1,400 calories respectively. From the ages of 4 to 8 this increases by 200 at each level and from ages 9 to 13 calorie intake recommendations go up another 400. From ages 14 to 18 they jump an additional 200 calories. Children should be eating a wide range of foods to help meet their nutritional needs.
Recommendations
Adults have been found to be deficient in calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium and vitamins A, C and E, whereas children are lacking vitamin E, D, potassium, magnesium, fiber and calcium. All age groups should be eating more green and orange vegetables, whole grains, low fat milk, nuts and beans and less sugar, and fat. Keep calorie intake within recommended levels to maintain weight and eat a wide variety of nutritional foods.
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