How many calories should women and men eat per day and how many are there in a banana, a poached egg and bacon?
The amount of calories you require each day can depend on height, weight, age and lifestyle factors
WITH winter packing up its rain clouds and making way for spring, plenty of us are starting to think ahead to our summer beach bods.
But how many calories should we be aiming for each day, and how do our staple food and favourite drink options weigh up?
How many calories should men and women eat in a day?
According to the NHS website, the average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) to maintain his weight, within a healthy, balanced diet.
For women the amount is slightly less at 2,000kcal (8,400kJ).
Calories measure how much energy your food or drink contains, and they exact amount you need will depend on the following:
- Your age (growing teenagers may require more energy)
- Your size (height and weight can affect how much you require)
- Your lifestyle (some jobs are more active than others, and your hormones or any medication you are on can also affect the amount)
What is the calorie count for chicken, eggs, milk and other staples?
If you are calculating your daily allowance, here are some of the staple food and their approximate calorie counts:
- Poached egg, large 50g – 105 kcal
- Chicken breast, 100g – 157kcal
- Bacon, 100g of back bacon – 287kcal (72kcal in one 25g rasher)
- Cheese, 100g of Cheddar – 409.7kcal
- Eggs, one medium size 58g egg – 143kcal
- Greek yoghurt, one 170g pot – 163.2kcal
- Milk, one 200ml semi-skimmed glass – 97.2kcal
- Bread, white loaf of 100g – 265kcal
- Bananas, medium 118g – 105 kcal
- Apples, medium 182g – 95 kcal
- Potatoes, one 300g potato – 225kcal
- Rice, for 75g of white basmati – 262kcal
- Wine, red 125ml - 85kcal, white wine 125ml – 85kcal
- Pasta, 50g of spaghetti – 181kcal
- Beer, one pint of draught beer – 182kcal
All figures are approximate and you should check packaging for the exact brand figure.
More on nutrition and weight loss
How many calories should kids and teenagers eat?
Kids aged seven to 10 need lots of nutrients to aid their growth.
Boys can require 1,649kcal to 2,032kcal each day, depending on their age.
Girls require slightly less, with their range starting at 1,530kcal at the age of seven, and increasing year-on-year until it reaches around 1,936kcal when they are 10.
To see the exact age recommendations, .
Based on a , the amount teenagers require is larger.
For boys this ranges from 2,414kcal, at the age of 13, rising each year to 3,155kcal, at 18 years old.
Girls require around 2,223kcal at 13, which increases to 2,462kcal at 18.