Discretionary Calories

You need a certain number of calories to keep your body functioning and provide energy for physical activities. Think of the calories you need for energy like money you have to spend. Everyone has a total calorie budget. This budget can be divided into essentials and extras. With a financial budget, the essentials are items like rent and food. The extras are things like movies and vacations.

In a calorie budget, the essentials are the fewest calories you need to meet your nutrient needs. By selecting the lowest fat and no-sugar-added forms of foods in each food group, you make the best nutrient buys. Depending on the foods you choose, you may be able to spend more calories than the amount required to meet your nutrient needs. These calories are the extras you can use on luxuries like solid fats, added sugars, and alcohol, or on more food from any food group. They are your discretionary calories.”

Everyone has an allowance for some discretionary calories. But many people use up this allowance before lunch time! Most discretionary calorie allowances are very small, between 100 and 300 calories, especially for people who are not physically active.

Here is an example: assume your calorie budget is 2,000 calories per day. Of these calories, you need to spend at least 1,735 calories for essential nutrients, if you choose foods without added fat and sugar. Then you have 265 discretionary calories left. You may use these on luxury versions of the foods in each group, such as higher fat meat or sweetened cereal. Or, you can spend them on sweets, sauces, or beverages. Many people overspend their discretionary calorie allowance, choosing more added fats, sugars, and alcohol than their budget allows.

Browse related Articles by tag: families food fitness