What is the normal amount of calorie per day?

Calories are the units of energy contained in the food and drink we consume, needed for our vital body function. Calories are either burned to produce energy or, in case of excess to requirements, stored as fat. When nutrients are burned in the organism, the freed energy amount is different: from 1 g fat results 9,3 kcal, 1 g carbs and 1 g proteins are 4,1 kcal.

According to the UK Department of Health Estimated Average Requirements a daily calorie intake of 1940 calories/day for women and 2550 for men is considered normal, but the individual energy and aliment necessity vary greatly depending on lifestyle and other factors. These factors include your age, height and weight, your basic level of daily activity your body composition, climate and environment.

Growing children need more (in the first year of life at least twice more) calories as adults and as we grow old, the daily calorie need shortens. During pregnancy and breastfeeding the necessary calories are high, as at first the mother feeds the inside growing baby then later the newborn.

There are three primary components that make up your body's energy expenditure and by adding these three components together, basal metabolic rate, energy expended during physical activity and the thermic effect of food, the most accurate way of determining how many calories your body requires each day can be determined.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) - most of the body's energy (about 60-70%) goes to supporting the ongoing metabolic work of the body's cells, including activities as heart beat, respiration and maintaining body temperature.

Energy Expended during Physical Activity - the second component of the equation depends upon your level of physical activity, this having a profound effect on human energy expenditure and contributes 20-30% to the body's total energy output.

Thermic Effect of Food – it is in connection with your body's management of food. The increase in energy required to digest food is referred to as the thermic effect of food.

Those people who generally consume a few hundred extra calories will eventually gain weight and tend to be overweight. This state can be avoided if the calorie surplus is burned down due physical activity or daily exercise.

You can look up for different weight loss blogs to find more information on how to count calories.

Diet Principles