Why shouldn't we exceed 2,500 calories per day

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as the American Heart Association have verified the importance of the number of calories consumed by a person in one day, which comes to around two thousand calories per day. These restrictions are made so as to prevent obesity and the resulting risk of cardiovascular diseases due to high content of cholesterol (Lichtenstein et al., 2006). The increasingly sedentary lifestyle, contributing to greater calorie consumption is primarily the reason why almost all the food packaging comes with labels of ‘ Nutrition Facts’ behind them. These labels describe the total calorie count of the food or beverage product along with descriptions of nutrients in them (Stanfield &Hui, 2010). The figure below displays the result of increased calorie consumption. The figure above shows that none of the states show a prevalence of obesity that is below twenty percent. This crucial information depicts the rising levels of a sedentary lifestyle and increasing consumptions of calorie-rich foods. It is important to note here that the numbers of states which have the highest prevalence of obesity are located in the southern region of the United States of America. These were followed by the Midwestern states and Northeastern states. Around twenty three states show a prevalence of twenty five to thirty percent of obesity. It is the prevalent rate of obesity due to excess calorie consumption that leads to not only increasing risks of cardiovascular diseases but also certain other health problems. It is therefore true that with the usage of calories than daily requirement will lead a person to be prone to more diseases. Due to the increased calorie intake than the daily requirement, not only the American but other Western as well as Asian people has excess deposition of adipose tissue in their body. This increases their body weight and thus the diseases in the form of diabetes, cancer and long term kidney disease. Obesity is also the leading cause for osteoarthritis – a very painful disease. In the recent times, this is prevented by keeping a strong check on the body-mass index (BMI) which depicts the ratio of an individual’s weight and height. The mortality rates, as Ezzati’s article explores have risen up to 3. 4 million deaths annually in the world due to increased weight gain alone (Ezzati&Riboli, 2013). This astounding figure perhaps has resulted in such a concern worldwide. The figure above can be augmented by the fact that the dietary guidelines for the United States recommend a diet of 2000 calories per day. This is because the total fat consumption in a day for an average American is between twenty to thirty five percent of daily energy. In 2005, the added fats and oil consumption led to an estimation of huge amounts of extra fats and oils being added to the diet, and did not include the daily milk, meat and other dairy products that were consumed by them. The report therefore suggested reducing the added fat consumption. According to this suggestion therefore, an average person of adult age should consume about 400 to 700 calories from fats per day (Wells et al., 2008). Although the amount of calorie required by the elderly, children or hard working sportsmen may differ, it is necessary for people to realize the importance of healthy eating habits in order to prevent obesity. The calorie intake regulation is suggested so that people take a healthy diet which comprises of the entire nutrient, not merely fat or excess carbohydrate intake (Wells et al., 2008). There is a need for a research to be done concerning the average calories per day that is to be used by sports people during their sports season. This is because most of them exceed 2500 Calories per day at the expense of their health (Harm, 2009). They believe that more energy will be generated by exceeding the limit which is not scientifically proven. Thus, it is evident from the aforementioned analysis that calorie intake monitoring is paramount to the average adult, healthy individual. Increasing or decreasing the average recommended calorie intake may result in dietary as well as health problems. Therefore it is necessary to consume less than 2500 calories per day.