Calorie Basics

What Is a Calorie?

• Calories come from the food we eat.
• Our body uses calories as energy.
• The more active you are, the more calories you burn.
• Games such as tag played for 30 minutes will burn around 100 calories.
• When we don’t use up all the calories we take in, they are stored in the body as fat.

Using Calories

• When you take in more calories than you use up, you gain weight.
• When you take in fewer calories than you use up, you lose weight.
• The goal is balance, using up all the calories you take in, but not more.
• In general, fewer than 30 percent of daily calories should come from fat for children 2 years of age.
• Calorie intake varies based on a child’s age, sex, and activity level.

From Little Bites, Big Steps: A Guide to Nutrition and Fitness for Young Children, KERA, 2007

Did You Know?

• After 8, girls need fewer calories than boys!
• After 30, you need fewer calories than you did before 30!
• After 30, you need more exercise if you continue to eat the same amount of food!

How many calories do you need?

A moderately active boy or man needs the following amount of calories:

* Adapted from the American Academy of Pediatrics

How much of each food type should our children eat?