Register
Sign in17 October 2009
Guideline daily amounts (GDA)
Bookmark this page:
Guideline Daily Amounts
As we have already established, everyone has a different and individual daily calorie requirement dependent on age, weight and activity levels. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, your daily calorie requirement will typically be less than that of someone who adopts a more active lifestyle.
Note: Why not make use of the Purple Weight Loss calculators to determine your own calorie requirement. In order to lose weight, you need to reduce your calorie intake to a level below your daily calorie requirement, increase your calorie expenditure, or a combination of both.
Our weight loss tools and calculators, including our daily food and exercise diary, will help you to keep a track of your calorie intake and expenditure which will, in turn, help you to achieve your weight loss goal.
The UK Department of Health estimates a recommended a daily calorie intake of 2,550 calories for men and 1,940 for women. This is not dissimilar to the amounts recommended by the Institute of Grocery Distribution ("IGD"), which offers more rounded Guideline Daily Allowance for men and women of 2,500 and 2,000 respectively.
The guideline daily amounts of calories, protein, carbohydrate, fat, fibre and salt recommended by the IGD are increasingly being printed on food products to make consumers aware of the importance of choosing foods which provide the goodness that is required to be as healthy as possible.
The following table is a summary of the IGD's recommendations:
| Women | Men | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy (Calories) | 2,000 | 2,500 |
| Protein | 45g | 55g |
| Carbohydrate | 230g | 300g |
| of which sugars | 90g | 120g |
| Fat | 70g | 95g |
| of which saturates | 20g | 30g |
| Fibre | 24g | 24g |
| Sodium | 2.4g | 2.4g |
| Equivalent as salt | 6g | 6g |
Source: Institute of Grocery Distribution
How to choose your food: Traffic Light Labelling vs GDA Labelling
Traffic Light Labelling
A number of major food manufacturers operate the traffic light labelling scheme which is similar in principle to the GDA system described above. These food manufacturers, which include Sainsbury, Asda, Waitrose, the Co-Op and Marks and Spencer, believe that it is easily understood at a glance, hence the reason for their early adoption.
The traffic light system, approved by the Food Standard Agency, uses colours to transmit to shoppers the key information needed to make an informed purchasing decision - green means good whilst red warns shoppers not to consume too much. Boots (the chemist) goes a bit further and defines the traffic lights as follows:
Red - Indulge now and again
Amber - Enjoy most of the time
Green - Go for it!
| Low per 100g |
Medium per 100g |
High per 100g |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Fat | 0-3g | Between 3g and 20g | 20g and over |
| Saturated fat | 0-1.5g | Between 1.5g and 5g | 5g and over |
| Total sugars | 0-5g | Between 5g and 15g | 15g and over |
| Salt | 0-0.3g | Between 0.3g and 1.5g | 1.5g and over |
Source: Food Standards Agency
GDA Labelling
GDA labelling is supported by some of the UK's biggest food and drink manufacturers as well as supermarkets Tesco, Somerfield and Morrison.
The labels show percentages of the GDA of sugar, salt, fat and calories in each serving. The food manufacturers and supermarkets concerned argue that a percentage of GDA labelling system is more informative and more easily understood by consumers than the Food Standard Agency's traffic light system.
Conclusion
Whichever system you prefer, both are trying to achieve the same goal - to make all of us aware of exactly how good for us the food that we are choosing to consume is. If you are looking to lose weight and control your calorie consumption, this information makes choosing your food and completing your food diary much, much easier!