Calories from food give individuals the energy needed to live and function well. Eating too few calories will decrease health and performance. However, eating too many calories over prolonged periods of time will also negatively affect quality of living. Due to a variety of reasons, an increase in age can result in different calorie needs. As women turn forty, they may begin to notice these changing requirements and ask, how many calories should a 40-year old woman eat?
According to The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “Calorie needs for 40-year old adult women range from 1,600 to 2,200 per day”. The specific calorie requirements will change from person to person and even from day to day for the same individual. Factors affecting calorie recommendations include sex, body composition, weight, height, genetics, environment, health conditions/medications, and physical activity level. Due to this variability and other considerations, women may find that intuitive eating helps them meet their dietary needs better than calorie counting.
Continue reading for more information about the dietary needs of a 40-year old woman and about intuitive eating.
How Does a 40-Year Old Woman Know How Many Calories She Should Eat?
Finding a specific calorie target is difficult as life is anything but predictable for the majority of the population. Even the gold standard of measurement, indirect calorimetry, can only provide exact baseline calorie needs for a specific time and condition.
Outside of indirect calorimetry, a person can use equations and online calculators. Online calculators and calorie equations cannot take into account all necessary factors. Therefore, these tools offer estimations and should be used as guidance, not as rigid rules.
Some online calculators for calorie intake can be found at:
https://www.myplate.gov/myplate-plan
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/calorie-calculator/itt-20402304
A registered dietitian nutritionist can also help identify the dietary needs of an individual and help them tailor an eating plan that best meets their goals.
Most active 40-year old women need about 1,800 to 2,000 calories per day and should eat every 3-4 hours during the day with 3 meals and 1-2 small snacks. Meals should be around 400-600 calories and snacks should be 100-300 calories.
Here are some signs to help a 40-year old woman determine whether she consumes an appropriate amount of food or number of calories:
| Too few calories: | Too many calories: | |
| At meals: | Feeling hungry a short time later Preoccupation with food Insomnia Easily irritated Mental fog Energy crash Insomnia A desire to binge later Increased cravings for high calorie foods | Feeling uncomfortably full Heartburn Mental fog Feeling sluggish Elevated blood sugar |
| Long term (Chronic): | Fatigue Frequently sick Brittle hair and nails Dry skin Cold intolerance Constant hunger Insomnia Weight loss | Fatigue Elevated blood lipid levels Weight gain |
What Should a 40-Year Old Woman Eat?
All foods can find a place in an overall balanced eating pattern. However, choosing more nutrient dense foods frequently will provide better health benefits. These types of foods offer essential vitamins, minerals, nutrients, antioxidants, phytochemicals and fiber.
The following table provides a basic guideline of a healthy eating pattern for a forty-year old woman. Due to the variation of each individual, this suggested eating pattern should be adapted per person and per day.
| Food Group | Amount per day | Examples |
| Grains | 6 ounces | Choose nutrient-rich grain sources like 100% whole grain -bread, -rice, -pasta, -tortillas, -crackers, oats, quinoa and even popcorn. Half of your daily grains should be whole grains to take advantage of the fiber and other nutrients. |
| Fruit | 2 cups | Focus mostly on whole fruits, instead of juice. Dried, fresh, frozen, and canned all offer great nutrition. Just be aware of added sugars, saturated fat and sodium. |
| Vegetables | 2.5 cups | Aim to include different colors and types. Try using cooking methods such as steaming or sautéing that reduce nutrient loss and avoid high amounts of added fat, sugar or sodium. |
| Protein | 5.5 ounces | Include many sources of protein in your meals and snacks like lean meat, poultry, fish, beans, nuts, nut butters, seeds, dairy, and eggs. |
| Dairy | 3 cups | Dairy is a great source of calcium and vitamin D, which supports good bone health. Yogurt, milk and cheese are all included in the dairy group. However, those who need to avoid dairy can still obtain adequate levels of these nutrients through other food sources such as fortified plant milks, nuts, beans, leafy greens, broccoli and others. |
How Much Should a 40-year Old Woman Eat At Meals?
Again, no hard rule exists for how much a woman should eat, even at meals. Some women benefit from fewer but larger eating occasions while others prefer more frequent, smaller ones. However, eating too little, having an imbalance of macronutrients or skipping meals may result in overeating at later times.
Most 40-year olds need about 400-600 calories per meal, depending on your eating pattern preferences (number of snacks and timing of meals). Extremely active 40-year olds may need more calories than that. Listening to hunger and fullness cues may be more helpful than counting calories at meal times.
In order to feel satisfied between meals and snacks, women should consume a combination of carbohydrates, protein, fats and fiber. The carbohydrates lend energy and satisfaction while protein, fat and fiber slow digestion and help regulate the release of sugar into the blood. These outcomes result in a woman feeling fuller and energized for longer periods of time.
For example, a piece of fruit makes an easy and refreshing snack. Yet, the lack of protein and fat means a woman will likely feel hungry in a relatively short amount of time. Adding some nut butter or plain yogurt will increase satisfaction and help prevent grazing before the next eating occasion.
Nutrient dense sources of carbohydrates:
Whole grains (whole wheat, popcorn, oatmeal, quinoa, bulgur), legumes (beans, lentils, soy), unsweetened dairy products, starchy vegetables (corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash)
Nutrient dense sources of protein:
Lean meat/poultry, legumes, nuts, seeds, dairy products, eggs, seafood
Nutrient dense sources of fat:
Olive oil, plant oils, nuts, seeds, avocados, olives
Nutrient dense sources of fiber:
Whole grains, vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, seeds
The MyPlate model offers an easy way to ensure balance and adequate consumption of nutrients. This pattern of eating suggests filling half your plate with fruit and vegetables with the other half grains and protein.
Many individuals will want to include beverages with meals or snacks. The body quickly digests liquids. Therefore, sweetened drinks can cause blood sugar spikes and crashes on their own. Sweetened beverages also tend to not add much to satiety and may contribute to consumption of excess calories or sugar.
A favorite fruit punch or cold glass of soda can be enjoyed in moderation, but women should mostly choose water or other unsweetened liquids to meet hydration needs. Unsweetened beverages to choose include water, milk, unsweetened plant milk, herbal teas and some 100% fruit juice. These liquids help meet hydration needs without adding excess sugar or calories.
Alcoholic drinks are also sneaky sources of calories and contain little nutrition. Experts recommend to only drink alcohol in moderation with one drink or less per day for women.
What is Intuitive Eating?
Intuitive eating is a way of eating that encourages a healthy relationship with food. This eating style does not promise weight loss but may offer certain health advantages to women seeking improved overall well-being.
Benefits of Intuitive Eating Habits:
- Research suggests that intuitive eating may:
- Decrease stress
- Increase energy levels
- Improve cholesterol
- Allow for better mental health
- Lower eating disorder risk
- Heighten self esteem
- Lower incidence of weight fluctuations that decrease health
The Following Ten Principles Are Essential to Intuitive Eating:
- Reject the diet mentality– avoid the thought that a certain diet or food will fix all your problems.
- Honor your hunger– pay attention to and attend to hunger cues.
- Make peace with food– Allow yourself access to all foods without guilt
- Challenge the food police– say no to thoughts that place guilt or shame on eating certain foods or in a specific way with specific rules. Food should not have moral power over you.
- Discover the satisfaction factor– try to eat in a pleasant environment, without distraction and taking time to find pleasure in the eating experience.
- Feel your fullness– listen to your body and practice identifying when you are satisfied during an eating occasion.
- Cope with your emotions with kindness– while food can temporarily ease emotions, it never creates a lasting solution. Find ways to manage emotions outside of just food.
- Respect your body– the body is incredible! Learn to respect and care for your body without the need for it to fit a certain society norm.
- Movement/feel the difference– rather than forcing yourself to perform a dreaded exercise regime, find movement you enjoy. Focus on the way movement makes you feel better, not on the calories you burn.
- Honor your health with gentle nutrition– as you eat and move more mindfully, find what lifestyle choices make you feel good. You don’t need to eat perfectly clean to enjoy a healthy diet. Focus on eating more nutrient dense foods along with foods you enjoy.
Find out more about intuitive eating and it’s benefits at https://www.intuitiveeating.org/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating/