With all the fad diets and misinformed health information available, it can be very confusing to decipher what is a healthy diet. One of the more accurate health sources is the Dietary Guidelines for Americans published by the Department of Health and Human Services. Within the Dietary Guidelines is information that focuses on daily caloric requirements for men and women. These requirements are divided by gender and activity level.
Sedentary Women
The lower calorie requirement is for individuals leading a sedentary lifestyle, those whose only physical activity is in everyday activities such as casual walking or light household tasks. According to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, women 19 to 30 years old are advised to consume about 2,000 calories a day. After age 30, the calorie requirements begin to gradually decrease with individuals between the ages of 31 and 50 requiring 1,800 calories a day. Women over 50 are advised to consume even less, 1,600 calories.
Moderately Active Women
The next step up from sedentary is moderately active. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans defines "moderately active" as exercising every day at a level equivalent to walking about 1.5 to 3 miles at 3 to 4 mph, in addition to everyday activities such as casual walking or light household tasks.
Women aged 19 to 30 who are moderately active have a daily calorie recommendation of 2,000 to 2,200 calories a day. Women aged 31 to 50 require about 2,000 calories a day while women over 50 have a recommendation of 1,800 calories.
Active Women
If you lead a lifestyle that includes exercise such as walking more than 3 miles a day in addition to the light physical activity of day-to-day tasks, you fall under the "active" category. Women in this category between the ages of 19 and 30 should consume around 2,400 calories. Women aged 31 to 50 should consume 2,200, while women over 50 should consume 2,000 to 2,200 calories a day.
Considerations
These calorie requirements are designed to estimate daily energy requirements needed to maintain an energy balance. Energy balance refers to your calorie consumption equaling the amount of calories you burn in a day. If you want to lose or gain weight, adjust these numbers to create an energy deficiency or an energy surplus.
Member Comments