What is the Minimum Calorie Intake for a Teenage Girl?

Calories are often painted in a very negative light. With so many food labels flaunting “low-calorie,” it can be really confusing to know what and how much to eat! Calories are SO important for a teen girl. Teenagers need calories to provide energy to their entire body. Calories help your brain, muscles and organs function properly as well as give you the energy to grow and develop!

Calorie intake for a teenage girl is different from person-to-person. It depends on many different factors like age, body composition, and physical activity level. The chart below shows an estimate for how many calories your teen might need. Notice that even at 13, with a sedentary lifestyle, a teenage girl likely still needs a minimum of 1600 calories per day.

Read on for more information about how many calories your teenager needs, a sample meal plan, and healthy eating tips!

Daily Calorie Needs for Teen Girls

Calorie needs change on a daily basis. Think about it. Some days you are playing outside or going shopping, while other days you sleep in late or spend more time doing homework on the computer. The amount of energy that is needed changes every day!

So how do you know how much to eat? The easiest answer is to listen to your body. Your body is actually really smart and will let you know what it needs. You eat intuitively when you develop a relationship with your body and listen to what it tells you.

Here’s an estimate of calorie needs for teenagers:

The chart shown above can give a general idea of calorie needs, but even that does not necessarily estimate exact calorie needs, especially as things fluctuate day-to-day.

Should Teen Girls Count Calories?

Counting calories can often do more harm than good. As teenagers are still developing a relationship with food, counting calories can draw attention away from listening to the body. Instead, they listen to what their calorie tracking app says! Additionally, counting calories can quickly become obsessive and result in an unhealthy relationship with food and disordered eating.

Having a healthy relationship with food is much more important than any potential benefits of counting calories. If you are worried about eating habits, work with a dietitian that can teach healthy patterns and principles. This will serve your teen much better than just learning how to count calories!

What is the Best Diet Plan for a 13-year old?

Should Teen Girls Count Macros?

Counting macros (or macronutrients) has become a more popular trend in the last few years. When people say that they count macros, they usually mean that they keep track of how many grams of carbohydrates, protein, and fat they are eating every day.

Counting macros is not only a tedious and time consuming thing to do, but it can lead to the same obsessions and disordered eating as counting calories can.

That is not to say that the macronutrients are not important. Teenagers should understand that carbohydrates are the body’s main energy source, protein is the building block of the body, and fat helps us absorb nutrients, decrease inflammation, and feel satiated. They are all important aspects of a healthy eating pattern.

Teenagers should be taught about food in a healthy way. They should understand how to get a balance of the macronutrients each time they eat so that their body can feel more satisfied and get all the appropriate nutrients.

Healthy Eating Habits for Teen Girls

A big part of healthy eating is choosing a variety of foods. Every food has a unique nutrient profile that can benefit the body in some way. Try new foods often and include different things regularly in your eating routine.

Teenagers should also not go too long without eating. I typically recommend eating something at least every 4-6 hours during the day, but your body might need food even more frequently than that. In fact, the hungrier you get before a meal, the more likely you are to overeat.

What Should Teenagers Eat in a Day?

The bottom line is, eat what tastes good, and what makes your body feel good! The Dietary Guidelines for Americans give general recommendations for how much of each food group teenagers should be getting in during the day. Keep in mind this is a recommendation for a teen that needs 2000 calories a day, so it may need to be adjusted for people with different needs.

2.5 cups fruit: Choose mostly whole fruits when available
2 cups vegetables: Choose a variety of types and colors
6 oz grains: Aim for half being whole grains

3 cups dairy: High in calcium (an important nutrient for bone health!)
5.5 oz protein: Choose a variety of plant and animal proteins
27g oils: Can be found in liquid form or in foods such as nuts and nut butters

If these numbers seem overwhelming, start small. Maybe that means including an extra fruit or vegetable with dinner, or some protein with breakfast. Remember that eating healthy does not mean eating perfectly.

How Many Meals and Snacks Should a Teenage Girl Eat?

Maybe you have breakfast, lunch, and dinner under control, but what about snacks? Maybe you have even been told you shouldn’t be snacking during the day.

Remember that your body needs fuel regularly throughout the day. We usually get the majority of that energy from meals, but snacks can be an excellent tool for when you get hungry between meals.

Many teenagers have long breaks between meals or between dinner and bedtime. Using snacks to bridge those gaps can be very beneficial to the body! They can keep energy levels and blood sugars stable.

Most teenagers need 1-3 snacks a day in order to not go too long without eating between meals. There is no perfect number of meals and snacks that teenage girls should be eating. What works out well for many teens is having breakfast, a morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack (or after-school snack), dinner, and an evening snack. If you only have a few hours between meals you may not necessarily need a snack, and for longer gaps you might need multiple snacks. Teens that are active may need more snacks including a pre-workout or post-workout snack depending on meal times.

As you eat regularly and balanced throughout the day, trust that your body will tell you how often and how much you should be eating.

What should you be eating for snacks? Components of a healthy and satisfying snack are listed next. d

See More Snack Posts:

What Are Healthy Snacks For Teenagers?

What Makes up a Healthy Meal or Snack?

A healthy meal or snack is made up of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. It should also provide vitamins and minerals that your body needs. A meal typically consists of 3-4 food groups, while a snack is usually 1-2 food groups. This usually ensures that you have a good balance of the macronutrients.

Here are some examples of carbohydrates, protein, and fat that you can mix and match to create healthy meals and snacks!

Carbohydrates

Bread
Rice

Fruit
Milk and yogurt
Pretzels

Crackers
Muffins
Pasta

Potatoes
Bagel

Protein

Milk

Greek Yogurt
Meat, poultry, fish
Eggs

Edamame
Nuts
Nut Butters

Cottage Cheese
Tofu
Seeds

Fats

Avocado
Oil
Butter

Many foods that contain protein also contain fat

Sample Meal Plan for Teen Girls

This is a sample meal plan that provides some ideas for yummy meals and snacks that can be incorporated into a healthy routine. Portion sizes will fluctuate person-to-person and day-to-day based on energy needs. This is only meant to be one example of what a healthy eating pattern might look like.

Breakfast: Pancakes, eggs, milk

Morning Snack: Smoothie with fruit and greek yogurt

Lunch: Ham and cheese sandwich, apple, carrot sticks and hummus, cookie

Afternoon Snack: Pretzels dipped in peanut butter

Dinner: Burrito bowl with shredded chicken, tomatoes, corn, onions, rice, beans, avocado

Evening Snack: Chocolate milk

How Can Parents Encourage Teenagers to Make Healthy Choices?

Parents naturally want the best for their kids. It can be stressful to see your child not making the healthiest choices. Here are a few tips for parents that want to encourage their teens to make healthy choices.

Do not force your kids to eat certain things, even if you know they are healthy.

Do not shame your kids for what they eat or do not eat.

Keep healthy foods available and in plain sight. Maybe that means cutting up vegetables and having them portioned out to grab on-the-go.

Serve “sweets,” “treats,” and “junk food” regularly and always have them available. This might seem backwards, but it actually helps to normalize less nutrient dense foods. If there are restrictions on certain foods, children may actually be drawn to those more.

The best thing you can do is to be an example to your children. Demonstrate healthy eating and exercise habits. Show them that eating healthy and exercising can be fun and satisfying!

Talk positively about your own body. Refrain from making self-deprecating comments, especially about weight and size. Your teen will hear that and develop their own thoughts based on what you say.

Refrain from making comments (negative or positive) about your child’s weight. Even if it is meant as a compliment, comments about weight can lead to unhealthy thoughts. For example, telling your child they look good after losing some weight could lead them to think that they are somehow better and more valued at a lower weight.

Summary

Teenage girls should never be eating less than 1600 calories. However, energy needs could be significantly higher than this! The best way to know if you are eating an appropriate amount of food is to develop a relationship with your body. As you give your body what it needs, when it needs it, it will be better able to tell you how much it needs!

Resources

Ellis E. How Many Calories Does My Teen Need? Eatright.org. Published October 4, 2019.

United States Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. Dietaryguidelines.gov. Published December 29, 2020.

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