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Chapter 3 Nutrition 83
Factors That Infl uence Your Calorie Needs. The
number of calories you need to take in each day depends
on a number of different factors. These factors include
your age, gender, height, weight, and level of physical
activity (Figure 3.10). For example, older people typi-
cally don’t need to consume as many calories as younger
people, men have greater calorie needs than women, and
people who are physically active burn more calories than
those who are less active.
Focus on Nutrient-Dense Foods
Calorie balance is only part of the equation. A healthy diet
requires that the foods you choose are nutrient dense. The Di-
etary Guidelines defi ne nutrient-dense foods as foods that have
relatively few calories, and provide vitamins, minerals, and
other substances that may have positive health effects.
In addition to focusing on nutrient-dense foods in
your meal plan, you should also avoid or limit intake of
foods that contain solid fats, added sugars, refi ned grains,
and sodium.
Consider the following examples of ways to consume
approximately 100 calories:
• A medium-sized apple contains about 100 calo-
ries. These calories mostly come from naturally
occurring sugars in the apple. In addition to
calories, the apple supplies your body with fi ber,
vitamins, and minerals.
• An 8-ounce glass of a sugary soda (about two-
thirds of a can) also contains about 100 calories.
These calories come from the added sugars in this
drink—there are 10 teaspoons of sugar in a 12-ounce can of soda.
However, there is little to no nutrient value in this soda.
Your body benefi ts more in terms of nutrients when you eat an apple
than when you drink a soda, even though both of these choices provide 100
calories of energy.
Avoid “Empty Calories.” The added sugars and solid fats found in
some foods are called “empty calories.” These sugars and fats are called
empty calories because they supply few, if any, nutrients to a person’s diet.
Calories from added sugars and solid fats contribute up to 40% of daily
calories for children and teenagers (2 to 18 years of age). Approximately
half of those calories come from six sources: soda, fruit drinks, dairy des-
serts (such as cheesecake or ice cream), grain desserts (such as cookies or
cake), pizza (with meat), and whole milk.
The most common pizza choices and whole milk supply needed nutri-
ents such as calcium and vitamins, but they also contain many “empty cal-
ories” from solid fats. More nutrient-dense options are veggie pizza with
whole-grain crust and nonfat milk.
Figure 3.10 Recommended Daily
Calorie Intake
Male/
Moderately
Active
Female/
Moderately
Active
Age Calories
10 1,800 1,800
11 2,000 1,800
12 2,200 2,000
13 2,200 2,000
14 2,400 2,000
15 2,600 2,000
16 2,800 2,000
17 2,800 2,000
18 2,800 2,000
19-20 2,800 2,200
21-25 2,800 2,200
26-30 2,600 2,000
31-35 2,600 2,000
36-40 2,600 2,000
41-45 2,600 2,000
46-50 2,400 2,000
51-55 2,400 1,800
56-60 2,400 1,800
61-65 2,400 1,800
nutrient-dense food
a relatively low-calorie
food that provides
vitamins, minerals, and
other healthful substances