How much food do you need a day?

How much food/energy do you need a day?

The minimum number of calories needed to sustain life varies greatly depending on several factors, including a person's age, gender, weight, height, and activity level. However, a general estimate of the minimum number of calories required to maintain basic bodily functions is around 1,200-1,500 calories per day.

It's important to note that consuming this minimum amount of calories would only sustain basic bodily functions and would not provide enough energy for physical activity, growth, or to support a healthy immune system.

As a general rule of thumb the average basal metabolic rate for a human is 22 kcal per day per KG of body weight, or 10 kcal per pound.

So, as an example, an individual who weighs 140 lb will require a minimum of 1,400 kcal per day, or someone who weighs 200 lb will require a minimum 2,000 kcal per day.

In addition to this calorific minimum value, additional physical work, activities and exercise will burn additional calories, resulting in a typical overall daily energy requirement as indicated below:

Daily Guidelines - typical energy intake

Age (years) Man Woman
15 to 19 3,100 kcal 2,500 kcal
19 to 25 3,000 kcal 2,400 kcal
25 to 51 2,900 kcal 2,300 kcal
51 to 65 2,500 kcal 2,000 kcal
over 65 2,300 kcal 1,800 kcal

This data can help inform your decisions regarding the potential requirements for your food storage in order to understand the duration of cover that you’ll be able to derive from your emergency stocks.

As a rule, for our selection packs we will always provide the total calorific value of every food package we supply, and include an indicative number of days the food will sustain one average adult on rations calculated at 2,000 calories per day.

Your food requirements

In order to ensure your precise energy requirements are met for your household, you might consider assessing your own and your family’s needs with a greater level of granularity, especially for families with young children.

And finally, remember that calories are not everything, and that ensuring a healthy, nutritionally balanced food supply is essential, with an appreciation of any specific dietary requirements, allergies and food intolerances.