Calories and Servings
Every Body Needs Calories
Your body needs calories just to live. Your lungs pump oxygen, your heart pumps blood, your kidneys excrete waste, your liver needs to detoxify, and your brain coordinates all that your body is doing. These functions occur whether you're moving, sitting or sleeping, so it's important to give your body an adequate energy supply. When your body doesn't get enough calories, your organs don't get enough fuel to perform vital functions of the body, gradually damaging your body.
|
Organ |
% of calories needed |
Calories needed per day |
|
Heart |
12% |
168 |
|
Kidneys |
12% |
168 |
|
Liver |
23% |
322 |
|
Brain |
23% |
322 |
|
Lean muscle mass |
30% |
420 |
|
Total |
100% |
1400 |
Your resting metabolism, also called basal metabolic rate, is the average amount of calories your body needs at rest. Each person has a different resting metabolism based on factors like age, gender, height, weight, and lean muscle mass.
Knowing your calorie and serving needs can help you manage your weight and make sure you are getting the nutrients your body needs. Use the following resources to determine your needs and monitor your food intake.
Your Calorie and Serving Needs
Counting calories can be useful to raise your awareness level of how many calories you are consuming and determine whether you need to add or subtract calories from your diet. Additionally, it is also good to consider where your calories are coming from so you know if you're getting the nutrients you need from each of the food groups.
To determine your calorie and serving needs, go to MyPyramid and click on the link for MyPyramid Plan. Calculate your calorie and serving needs based on a healthy body weight. Write this information down using the MyPyramid Plan handout.
*Note: MyPyramid uses ounces and cups for each of the food groups. However, you can use servings by referring to the MyPyramid Plan handout to see what a serving is. Use the same number of recommended ounces and cups for each of the food groups but use servings instead. For example, instead of 6 ounces of grains, use 6 servings of grains.
Food Guide Pyramid
The Food Guide Pyramid (FGP) is a good reflection of a healthy diet for a number of reasons:
- Grains, fruits and vegetables are mostly made up of carbohydrates which provide us with energy. Every cell in your body needs this energy so more than half of your food intake should come from these three food groups. In addition, these three food groups are mostly low in fat and calories, packed with nutrients, filled with fiber, and water-based.
- Protein and dairy are essential but, physiologically, your body doesn't require as much. In addition, many of these foods are higher in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol because they come from animal products.
- The tip of the pyramid includes foods and beverages that are high in fat, calories, oils and sweets, like cake, ice cream, potato chips and alcohol. Other foods and beverages that go in the tip of the pyramid could be low in fat and calories, but they are also low in nutrients, like rice cakes. These foods and beverages are often referred to as "empty calories".
You can monitor your food intake using the Food Record handout and the Blank FGP handout. A food record can help you identify typical dietary patterns, determine whether you are meeting all of your nutrient needs, and help you make appropriate dietary changes.
Select a day from your food record that is "typical" and write each of the foods, snacks and beverages into the different food groups using the blank FGP. Use the MyPyramid Plan handout to count how many servings you've had from each food group and compare that with your recommended serving needs. Refer to the FGP Example handout for how to monitor your food intake using the blank Food Guide Pyramid.
*Note: Servings are used as a measuring tool to determine how many servings you have at one time, not based on the amount of food you should eat. For example, if you know 1/2 cup of oatmeal is one serving and you have 1 cup of oatmeal, you've had 2 servings of oatmeal at one time. If you need 6 servings of grains each day, then you've had 2 out of 6 servings for the day.
Drinking Your Calories
It can be very easy to drink your calories, whether it's coming from fruit juice, flavored coffee, sweetened tea, lemonade, regular soda, energy drinks, vitamin water, sports drinks, or alcohol. For tips on how to reduce your calorie intake from alcohol, refer to the Drinking Your Calories With Alcohol handout. For information about how much caffeine is in various foods and beverages, refer to the Caffeine handout.
Calorie Trackers
OSU Dining Services provides the nutrition content of food on campus.
To view the next section, go to Meal Planning.