EER stands for Estimated Energy Requirement, which is a method to estimate the average daily energy intake that is sufficient to maintain energy balance in healthy individuals. It is a measure of the amount of energy (measured in calories) that a person needs to consume in order to maintain their current weight, based on their age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity level.
EER is used as a reference for planning and assessing nutrient intake for individuals and is set by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences. It’s different from the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) and the Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) which refer to the average daily nutrient intake that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%–98%) healthy individuals in a specific life stage and gender group.
EER is calculated by multiplying a person’s Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) by a physical activity level (PAL) factor. BMR is an estimate of the number of calories a person burns at rest and PAL factor is a number that represents a person’s level of physical activity, ranging from 1.2 for sedentary individuals to 2.5 for highly active individuals.
It’s important to note that the EER is an average and may not be appropriate
