Understanding Food Labels

Dieters often give calories a bad rap, but calories serve a big purpose: giving us energy to move and live! Using the serving sizes makes it easier to track your daily calorie intake. While conventional knowledge tells us that a daily diet should include 2,000 calories, that number is an average of the needs from many different body types. Age, gender and activity level all play a role in our daily caloric needs, so ask a doctor if you are looking for a specific number. Generally, women between ages 31 and 50 who exercise less than half an hour on most days should be eating around 1,800 calories a day. It’s 2,200 for males, and those older than 51 should reduce their intake by 200 calories, according to the US Department of Agriculture.