Before we address the question of calorie intake, let’s first look at what the World Health Organization (WHO) regards as a healthy, balanced diet (1).
According to the WHO, in order to satisfy the body’s nutritional requirements without promoting the development of modern Western diseases (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, etc), this is what a healthy diet should look like:
For information:
That being said, we must remember that the body is a machine which runs on energy. This energy is provided by food. A calorie is a unit that measures the amount of energy provided by food to the body.
Even when lying down doing nothing, our bodies need energy to perform various functions: to breathe, renew cells, keep the heart beating and the brain working, etc. This is referred to as the basal metabolic rate (2).
For any activity beyond this (moving, carrying, exercising, etc.), the body requires additional calories.
So according to the WHO (3):
On this basis, recommended calorie intakes are as follows:
According to the WHO, it’s very difficult to determine exact requirements for protein, vitamins and minerals as they vary from one individual to another. It has, however, established guidelines for ensuring an adequate intake.
These guidelines have been set bearing in mind that:
In other words, it’s always better to consume too many vitamins, minerals and trace-elements than too few – without overdoing it, of course (4)!
To achieve these levels, you need to eat a healthy, balanced diet. You also have the option of taking specific dietary supplements such as:
The health benefits of fibre-rich foods, especially for lowering blood glucose and cholesterol levels, have been recognised by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for some time (5).
But recent studies have also demonstrated benefits for the body’s immune defences: by influencing the gut microbiota, it seems fibre boosts the immune system.
That’s why the recommended intake of fibre is 25-30g a day for an adult. Some people choose to boost their intake by taking a dietary supplement such as Fructo-Oligosaccharides (6).
References
72 Days
Great company to deal with. I receive their products quicker than my orders from Sydney Australia. Well done.
HARDY Chris
79 Days
Fast and easy once again.
Niels Groving
83 Days
The shipping & delivery is quite efficient to me !
LEUNG Wing Chau
85 Days
Easy to deal with, good website and excellent product
STONEHOUSE Kim
85 Days
Well from my placing order to delivery !!!
DILLON Patrick M
86 Days
Site easy to handle, Information clear and simple, price affordable, quick delivery
Paulo Teixeira
88 Days
Bon service
Keith Ross
90 Days
Excellent product and delivered at a good price
Jim
91 Days
I bought super ashwagandha, super Maca, and adrenal support. Very good products. It helps with thyroid and adrenal gland problems. Fast delivery, happy customer!
LIEBENS Kim
92 Days
Speedy and efficient service (via FedEx).
Barry Humphries
93 Days
The ordered item quite efficiently delivers to me !
LEUNG Wing Chau
94 Days
Just perfect
Leny bermondsey
94 Days
Very good, and very efficient.
Mo
95 Days
Excellent and thrustworthy!
KLAVENES Bjorn
102 Days
I am very happy with the products, they are clean and strong. You get real improvment in health. But your resent change with the desing of packets is stylish but not attractive. Also I wish back the fast delivery.
MU