What Is a Eucaloric Diet?

About 64 percent of all Americans over the age of 20 are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A eucaloric diet can help people to avoid gaining more weight or to maintain an already healthy weight.

History

• A eucaloric diet helps in weight management.

  When people eat a balanced diet and the energy from the food they eat is equal to, or greater than, their measured or estimated metabolic rate, scientists call their diet eucaloric, according to University of Manchester School of Medicine researchers. A person's metabolic rate is how many calories a person uses just staying alive. Nutritionists use the word "calorie" to "characterize the energy-producing potential in food," according to WordNet.

Eucaloric Formula

• To get a rough figure of the number of calories needed to maintain weight, or the eucaloric requirements, use this handy equation from John Hopkins: Weight in pounds times 12; or weight (pounds) times 10 + 25 percent for low activity, 50 percent for moderate activity or 75 percent for high level of activity.

Significance

• NASA researchers found that crew members aboard the International Space Station could maintain their body weight by following a eucaloric diet. However, in addition to consuming the right amount of calories to maintain a certain body weight, a eucaloric diet depends on eating a balanced diet.

Considerations

• Eating a balanced diet involves consuming the recommended nutrients based on national guidelines to "promote health and prevent disease," according to MayoClinic.com.