Proper Amount of Daily Caloric Intake

The amount of calories that a person takes in affects his nutritional needs as well as his energy and weight levels. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which created the Food Pyramid, there are different daily caloric intake requirements for each sex and several age groupings. The recommended amounts are the ideal intake to maintain a healthy diet.

Official Guidelines

• According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the 2,000-calorie diet is not for everyone. In addition to sex and age, the caloric requirements per person also depend on lifestyle. For example, a 25-year-old woman falls into the 19-30 age grouping. For a sedentary lifestyle, the USDA recommends 2,000 calories. That number goes up to 2,200 calories for these women if the exercise is moderate and 2,400 for an active lifestyle. A man of the same age grouping, however, has a 2,400-calorie allowance if living a sedentary lifestyle. This intake requirement increases by 400 calories with a moderate lifestyle and another 600 calories for an active male.

Custom Guidelines

• The USDA creates guidelines for people as young as 2 years of age and as old as 51+. Its estimates are based on the average weight requirements per person. These values are only estimates. To get a more accurate number of daily calories to intake, the Mayo Clinic offers a calorie calculator. It takes an individual's age, height, weight, sex and information about daily activity levels in order give a picture of the proper amount of calories needed each day.

  To get an even more accurate guideline, consult your physician. He can estimate your optimum daily caloric intake, taking into account any health conditions in the process.