| Requirement | Recommended Amount | Notes |
| Energy | 25–30 kcal/kg/day (acute phase) | Reduce to 15–20 kcal/kg/day in first 48–72h (permissive underfeeding); increase with recovery |
| Protein | 1.2–2.0 g/kg/day | Higher in burns, post-surgical, and prolonged ICU stays; difficult to meet with EN alone |
| Carbohydrate | ~60% of non-protein calories | Limit glucose infusion rate to <4 mg/kg/min to avoid lipogenesis |
| Fat | ~40% of non-protein calories | Lipid emulsions provide essential fatty acids; caution with propofol (counts as fat calories) |
| Fibre | 10–20 g/day (enteral) | Supports gut microbiome and motility; avoid in high risk of gut ischaemia |
| Vitamins and trace elements | Per standard ICU feed formulation | Selenium, zinc, and vitamin C have specific immunological roles; vitamin B1 (thiamine) essential before glucose in malnourished patients |