Fitness entrepreneur Jitendra Chouksey recently explained why 3000 calories a day are not suitable for an average urban Indian’s body. When asked whether urban Indians are eating more than they actually need, Chouksey told Faye D’Souza on her podcast, “100% …3000 calories on average. This is the National Family and Health Survey from last year… this is data from NHFS-5… women are consuming around 2800, and men are consuming around 3063-something calories.”
He added, “Men shouldn’t be more than 2,000…since Indians are generally smaller in stature, we should consume somewhere between 1800-2000. Women shouldn’t consume more than 1500-1600 calories, unless they are athletic. Of course, individualised, it might be different… but the country’s average shouldn’t be 3000 and 2800.”
While calorie requirements vary from person to person, health experts believe the larger concern is the growing mismatch between how much urban Indians eat and how little they move. According to Dr Sundar Krishnan, Senior Consultant – Internal Medicine, KIMS Hospitals, Thane, reduced physical activity has quietly become one of the biggest drivers of poor metabolic health in cities.
DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine.
Are urban Indians overeating?
“It’s a combination of both, but reduced activity is the bigger shift,” said Dr Krishnan. “Earlier generations naturally burned calories through daily movement — walking more, manual work, household chores, and less screen time.”
“At the same time, calorie intake has quietly increased,” he explained. “Portion sizes are larger, snacking is more frequent, and highly processed foods are easily available. A single café meal, sugary beverage and late-night snack can push someone far beyond their daily energy requirement without them realising it.”
Dr Krishnan emphasised that the issue is not just about eating more food, but consuming calorie-dense meals while leading low-movement lifestyles. “Even people who appear slim may develop excess visceral fat and metabolic issues because of inactivity,” he warned.
Is the ‘3000 calories a day’ lifestyle increasing health risks?
According to Dr Krishnan, for most office-going urban Indians, regularly consuming 3000 calories can become problematic over time. “For most urban Indians, yes, a 3000-calorie intake is usually excessive unless someone is highly active, involved in intense physical labour or training regularly,” he said. “The average office-going adult simply does not burn that much energy in a day.”
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He also pointed out that Indians are particularly vulnerable to metabolic disorders because of body composition differences. “Indians have a higher tendency to store abdominal fat and develop insulin resistance at a lower BMI compared to Western populations,” he explained. “This means conditions like type 2 diabetes, fatty liver and high cholesterol can appear even when someone doesn’t look visibly obese.”
The source of calories also matters significantly. “If excess calories are coming from refined carbs, fried foods, sugary drinks, alcohol and ultra-processed snacks, the metabolic damage becomes much worse,” Dr Krishnan added.
So how many calories do urban Indians actually need?
Dr Krishnan noted that there is no universal calorie number that fits everyone. Age, muscle mass, physical activity and medical conditions all influence energy requirements.
However, broadly speaking, “urban women with sedentary lifestyles may require roughly 1600–2000 calories daily, while urban men with sedentary to moderately active lifestyles may require around 1800–2400 calories daily,” he said.
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People who exercise intensely or have physically demanding routines may need significantly more calories. But instead of obsessing over calorie counting alone, Dr Krishnan believes dietary quality matters more.
“What matters more than chasing a calorie number is balancing meals with adequate protein, fibre, healthy fats and controlled portions of refined carbohydrates,” he said.
DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine.