Has how many calories

Low-fat, reduced-fat, light or lite , and fat-free are common terms you may see on food packages. The U. Low-fat foods may contain 3 grams of fat or less per serving. Foods marked reduced fat and light lite are a little trickier, and you may need to do some investigating.

Light lite and reduced-fat foods may still be high in fat. But if the regular version of a particular food was high in fat to begin with, the reduced-fat version may still be high in fat and may have more added sugar. That's why one food with the same serving size as another may have far more calories.

A higher-fat food has many more calories than a food that's low in fat and higher in protein or carbohydrates. So, the amount of fat in foods can make quite a difference when it comes to total calories in a food.

All types of fat have the same amount of calories, but some fats are better than others. They are liquid at room temperature and mostly come from plants. Saturated fat and trans fat raise blood cholesterol levels and increase a person's chance of heart disease. Saturated and trans fats are solid at room temperature — like butter, lard, and fat on meat.

Saturated fats and trans fats are listed on food labels. It's a bad idea to try to avoid fat completely. Fats are an important source of energy and they can help you feel full. Below is a simple scientific calorie calculator, along with five evidence-based tips on how to sustainably reduce your calorie intake. Enter your details in the calculator below to figure out how many calories you should be eating per day to either maintain or lose weight.

The calculator is based on the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and can provide an estimate of your calorie needs. The number of calories you should eat per day depends on numerous factors, including your age, sex, height, current weight, activity level, and metabolic health, among several others.

When trying to lose weight , a general rule of thumb is to reduce your calorie intake to fewer calories than your body needs to maintain your current weight. Doing so can help you lose about 1 pound 0.

For example, many fad diets recommend restricting your calorie intake to around 1,—1, calories per day, which is not enough for most healthy adults.

Cutting your calorie intake too drastically can not only cause several serious side effects but also increase your risk of nutritional deficiencies and result in metabolic changes that make long-term weight maintenance difficult 5 , 6. Most women between the ages of 19—30 require 2,—2, calories per day to maintain their weight. Women between the ages of 31—59 have slightly lower energy needs. Generally, women in this age group should aim to consume 1,—2, calories per day to maintain their body weight.

Women over age 60 generally require even fewer calories and typically need to consume around 1,—2, calories per day to maintain their weight 7. Keep in mind that the exact number of calories that you need may fall on the high or low end of this range, depending on how active you are, along with your height, weight, and health status. Additionally, note that these estimates do not apply to those who are pregnant or breastfeeding , as these individuals have significantly higher calorie needs.

The most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans estimates that men between the ages of 19—30 should consume approximately 2,—3, calories per day to maintain their weight.

Energy needs decrease as you get older. In fact, men between the ages of 31—59 need about 2,—3, calories per day to maintain their weight 7. Meanwhile, men who are over 60 generally require 2,—2, calories per day to maintain their weight. Men who are very active or have certain health conditions may require a higher number of calories.

The number of calories that you need can also vary within this range based on your height and weight. Energy needs for children and teens vary based on their sex and age. A 3-year-old child might need only 1, calories, but a teenager can require closer to 3, calories 7. People have different metabolisms that burn energy at different rates, and some people have more active lifestyles than others. The human body needs calories to survive. Without energy, the cells in the body would die, the heart and lungs would stop, and the organs would not be able to carry out the basic processes needed for living.

People absorb this energy from food and drink. If people consumed only the number of calories needed every day, they would probably have healthy lives.

Calorie consumption that is too low or too high will eventually lead to health problems. The number of calories in food tells us how much potential energy they contain. It is not only calories that are important, but also the substance from which the calories are taken. As an example, here is the breakdown of how a person would get calories from one cup of large eggs , weighing g:. As people get older, they tend to get fewer of their daily calories from fast foods.

Fast foods make up only 6 percent of the daily calorie intake of older adults. However, with the number of highly calorific meals served in restaurants or aimed at younger individuals, it is important that people pay close attention to where they get their calories. Researchers at Tel Aviv University wrote in the journal Obesity that a large breakfast containing approximately kcal is ideal for losing weight and lowering the risk of diabetes , heart disease , and high cholesterol.

A large breakfast may help to control body weight. When people eat matters as much as what they eat. Empty calories are those that provide energy but very little nutritional value. Most kids don't need to do this, but all kids can benefit from eating a healthy, balanced diet that includes the right number of calories — not too many, not too few. But how do you know how many calories you need? Kids come in all sizes and each person's body burns energy calories at different rates, so there isn't one perfect number of calories that every kid should eat.

But there is a recommended range for most kids between 6 and 12 years old: 1, to 2, per day, depending on how active they are. When they reach puberty, girls need more calories than before, but they tend to need fewer calories than boys. As boys enter puberty, they may need as many as 2, to 3, calories per day, especially if they are very active. But whether they are girls or boys, kids who are active and move around a lot need more calories than kids who don't. If you eat more calories than you need, the body changes extra calories to fat.

Too much fat can lead to being overweight and other health problems.