If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day.

Different groups of people have different daily calorie needs. For example, an adult athlete will need to consume more calories than a moderately active 3 year old.

When eating store-bought foods, be sure to look at the nutrition label to see how many calories are in one serving.

When eating out, choose what you’ll eat before you go. Most restaurants offer nutritional information online.

The following charts will help you determine the appropriate calorie need for your age, gender and activity level.

Males (Calories per day)

Age in Years	Sedentary Level	Low Active Level	Active Level
2-3	1100	1350	1500
4-5	1250	1450	1650
6-7	1400	1600	1800
8-9	1500	1750	2000
10-11	1700	2000	2300
12-13	1900	2250	2600
14-16	2300	2700	3100
17-18	2450	2900	3300
19-30	2500	2700	3000
31-50	2350	2600	2900
51-70	2150	2350	2650
71+	2000	2200	2500

Females (Calories per day)

Age in years	Sedentary Level	Low Active Level	Active Level
2-3	1100	1250	1400
4-5	1200	1350	1500
6-7	1300	1500	1700
8-9	1400	1600	1850
10-11	1500	1800	2050
12-13	1700	2000	2250
14-16	1750	2100	2350
17-18	1750	2100	2400
19-30	1900	2100	2350
31-50	1800	2000	2250
51-70	1650	1850	2100
71+	1550	1750	2000

The following terms are used in the chart and are defined by Health Canada:

Sedentary – Your typical daily routine requires little physical movement (e.g., sitting for long periods, using a computer, relying primarily on motorized transportation) and you accumulate little physical activity in your leisure time.

Low active – Your typical daily routine involves some physical activity (e.g., walking to bus, mowing the lawn, shovelling snow) and you accumulate some additional physical activity in your leisure time.

Active – Your typical daily tasks involve some physical activity and you accumulate at least 2 ½ hours of moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity each week. Moderate- to vigorous- physical activity will make you breathe harder and your heart beat faster.

A healthy tip: If you’re counting calories, watch what you drink

Sugar-sweetened drinks, such as fruit juice, fruit drinks, regular soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened or flavored milk and sweetened iced tea can add lots of sugar and calories to your diet. But staying hydrated is important for good health. Substitute water, zero-calorie flavored water, non-fat or reduced-fat milk, unsweetened tea or diet soda for sweetened drinks.

Talk with your health care provider or a dietitian if you have questions about your diet, how many calories you need, or healthy eating for your family.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Health Canada
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/understanding-food-labels/calories.html