Your daily intake for saturated fats should not exceed 7 percent of your total caloric intake for the day. For example, a forty year old, a moderately active female burns an estimated 2000 calories per day.   No more than 140 of those calories should come from saturated fat, which is about 16 grams.

What Is a Calorie?

Technically a calorie is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of a liter of water at sea level by one degree centigrade.  In terms of nutritional calories the term is used to express the potential energy output of a food source and is a unit of energy producing potential equal to this amount of heat that is contained in food and released upon oxidation by the body.

How Do Calories Work?

The body requires a particular number of calories for energy to function properly.  Calorie need is based on individual age, height, activity level, and desired weight.  The recommended number of total calories per day is based on the average that your body type will burn during the day therefore maintaining your original weight.  Excessive calorie intake will cause weight gain, while calorie reduction will cause weight loss.

Why Men Require More Calories than Women

If you review any calorie intake estimator, you will note that the figures for men are higher than those allotted for women.  For example, a 19 year-old sedentary female requires 2000 calories while a 19 year-old sedentary male requires 2400. The reason that most men require a higher caloric intake is that the average man typically has greater muscle mass and a lower body fat percentage than the average woman.  Since muscle burns calories men have up to 10-15% higher metabolism rates than women, therefore require a higher caloric intake to maintain weight.