Studies using doubly labeled water have identified underreporting of food intake as a problem of dietary surveys. However, reported energy intakes may be evaluated by comparison with energy requirements expressed as multiples of the basal metabolic rate, and a formula for calculating the value below which reported intake cannot be either a valid measure of habitual intake or a true low intake obtained by chance is presented. The energy requirements of different age-sex groups needed for the comparison with energy intakes have been obtained from a meta-analysis of doubly labeled water data.