At the start of the 21st century, Americans consumed an average of 2,700 calories per day. In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that at the same time 62 percent of U.S. adults were overweight, suggesting that such a daily calorie intake may be more than what most adults need to be healthy and fit. Of course, it's important to realize that calorie needs change as people age and as they're levels of physical activity change.
Changes Over Time
The 2,700 daily calorie average in the U.S. represents a 24.5 percent increase since 1970, when Americans consumed about 2,170 calories per day. The increased daily average of 530 additional calories is due to the presence of more refined grains in the diet, as well as more added fats, oils and sugars than were present in the typical diet in 1970. Americans were also eating about 57 lb. of meat more in the early 2000s than in 1950.
Calculating Your Calorie Needs
Calorie requirements vary from person to person, based on age, sex, height, weight and level of physical activity. The U.S. Department of Agriculture can recommend a daily food plan and target calorie count based on those key factors. Simply put, a bigger person needs more calories to function than a smaller person. And someone who exercises regularly and is very physically active will need more calories to sustain that activity level than a person who is more sedentary and does not expend many calories per day.
Calories and Nutrition
Calorie consumption relates to health in two ways: the number of calories consumed and the nutritional value of the foods consumed. Many calories in the average diet of an adult in the U.S. come from nutrient-poor foods that are largely comprised of added sugars, such as soda and sweets. The average American adult consumed 30 tsp. of added sugars and sweeteners per day in 2005, more than three times the recommended allowance. Consuming a balance of healthy foods will not only provide important nutrients in your diet, but will likely reduce the overall calories consumed every day.
Calories and Women
While men and women are consuming more calories in the 21st century than they did in the later part of the 20th century, the Centers for Disease Control notes in a 2004 report that from 1971 to 2001, the increase in average daily calorie consumption was three times greater in women than in men. Researchers who compiled the report found that much of the increase was due to calories consumed in the form of carbohydrates, rather than protein.
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