So what is a calorie anyway? A calorie is actually a measurement of energy. It is defined as the energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C.On the other hand, caloric intake is basically the amount of calories consumed. The caloric intake for an average teen varies since it is based on the individual and their personal lifestyle. Teenagers in general need to intake more calories than any other age group (adolescence and adults). This is because this is the time of their life where teens are growing and maturing, causing their metabolism to rise.
But we're not talking about the average teen right now. These are teens that play sports, run, and are engaged in some kind of activity. See, teenagers who are active and get a lot of exercise, need to intake more calories than the "average teen". This is because they need a great amount of energy from calories in order to fuel their body and stimulate tissue growth.
Athletic teens need around 2,000-5,000 calories a day. You're probably thinking, "Why such a big range?" Well, most teens will actually have different calorie requirements. There are important key factors that affect caloric intake: it all depends on the athlete's height, weight, how active he/she is, and even gender.
Is there such thing as athletes not eating enough calories? Yes. If athletes don't eat enough food, their performance will drop in sports or any other physical activity. Rather than building muscle, they might even break down muscle. Without the correct amount of calories, athletes can't reach their highest potential. They wouldn't be able to run as fast as they could. They also wouldn't be as strong. Extreme cases of caloric restriction can actually cause teens’ growths to slow and can cause other health risks.
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