Number Of Empty Calories A Person Should Eat Each Day

"Empty" calories are those food calories that provide energy but little nutrition, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary. Sugar is an example an empty calorie food, because it provides a lot of calories but is void of vitamins and minerals. The amount of total calories you should have in your diet is dependent upon your weight, gender and activity level, say experts at Harvard School of Public Health. The amount of empty calories you can have in a day depends on your total caloric allowance and the type of food you're consuming.

Total Calories

The University of Maryland Medical Center provides a formula for calculating the daily calories you need to maintain your current weight. First, weigh yourself and record your current weight. Then decide if you're "moderately active," occasionally sitting but mainly standing; or "relatively inactive," sitting down most of the day without additional exercise. For moderately active men, multiply your weight in pounds by 15 to get your total calories per day. Moderately active women, multiply your weight by 12. If you are an inactive man, multiply your weight by 13. Inactive females, multiply your weight by 10.

Thus, if you are a moderately active woman who weighs 150 pounds, multiply 150 by 12 to get a total of 1,800 calories per day. Check with your doctor or a registered dietitian to find out how many calories you need to lose or gain weight.

Sugar

Joanne Larsen, registered dietitian on Dietitian.com, says only 10 percent of your total daily carbohydrate intake should come from sugars and approximately 50 percent of your total calories should be carbohydrates. If you are consuming 1,800 calories per day, 900 calories should come from carbohydrates or about 225 grams per day. Just 22 g should come from sugar.

Added sugars like corn syrup or white, brown or powdered sugars are typically found in candy, soda and syrups and contain very few nutrients. These should be consumed sparingly. If you do consume added sugars, Larsen recommends choosing foods that also contain vitamins or fiber.

Fat

Fat has 9 calories per gram, which adds a lot of flavor but plenty of empty calories too. Harvard School of Public Health experts say that fat should be about 20 to 35 percent of daily calories, which is 40 to 70 g of fat for an 1,800-calorie diet. The majority should come from healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Saturated fat should be limited to no more than 10 percent of total fat, just 4 to 7 g, and trans fat should be eliminated completely.

Drinks

Sugar-based drinks account for 21 percent of American's daily calorie intake, according to a 2009 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, by Liwei Chen and associates. The researchers indicate that Americans consume 300 calories more per day than they did 30 years ago. Sugary drinks account for half of those calories. Chen also found that by cutting out one daily serving of liquid calories, participants lost over one pound in six months with no other changes. Thus liquid calories should be limited.

Alternatives

HSPH created a Healthy Eating Pyramid to help you know what you to eat instead of empty calories. It recommends getting carbohydrates from whole grains like oatmeal, whole wheat bread and brown rice. Choose olive or canola oil for healthy fats. Fruits, vegetables and lean proteins like fish and poultry are also encouraged. HSPH says specific amounts depend on your body size and activity level but suggests a balanced diet with limited empty calories.