How many calories do we need?

Your activity levels, age, height and weight play a role in the amount of energy (calories) we need from food and drinks to be a healthy weight. The number of calories in the food and drinks you consume are part of the traffic light labelling system.

When trying to lose weight it is recommended that you should aim to reduce your daily calorie intake by about 600kcal, but again this depends on your activity levels, age, height and weight. You can use a TDEE Calculator – Total Daily Energy Expenditure – to calculate the number of daily calories needed to maintain weight, lose weight or gain weight.

If you have a health condition, are on long-term medications, pregnant or breastfeeding and are considering losing or gaining weight, consult with your Pharmacist, Midwife, Health Visitor or other health professional before making any changes to your estimated number of daily calories.

Free NHS Apps

There are a range of free NHS apps that can help you to introduce small changes to support you with your journey to eating well;

NHS Food Scanner App; you can scan the barcodes on the food and drinks packaging to see the healthier options available, the traffic light ratings and whether your item earns a ‘Good Choice’ badge on the app

NHS Weight Loss Plan; as 12-week plan where you can plan meals, make healthier food choices and record your activity and progress. If you are looking to lose weight, you can set weight loss goals and track your calorie intake.

Easy Meals; discover healthier versions of the foods you love by providing you with easy meal ideas, tips and advice on how to cook healthy, as well as create shopping lists. All the recipes are calorie counted and can be saved to access later.

These apps can be downloaded via the Google Play App and the App Store.