Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-07-24
HOW MUCH TO EAT.
What = Days supply Of Food Should
Contain.

What . Days supply Of Food Should
| Contain.
| REEF, POTATOES AND BREAD AND DuTTER-AS
| OBJECT LESSON AT THE NATIONAL NusRuM-
| THE DAILY IHcoME AND Kx1xND1ruRE OF
/ THE BODY.
eff people would consider" said the scientist
II mean poor people. or people Of moderate
| means who have to make every dollar count
that the cost q food ought to be measured by
the amount OF nutritious matter obtained fol
| the money, there would be considerable differ
ence in the character OF the food generally
| found on our tables. The food OF which the
| greatest quantity can be had for given amount
OF money is not necessarily the cheapest Nor
| is Is true that the most expensive Gu ts Of meat
| and the highest priced vegetables and other
garden products are the best, when one takes
only practical view Of food, and considers
| only how to repair most economically the
| daily waste OF the body"
porter as he stood before a case just placed in
The hall devoted to the section OF foods at the
Natonai museum: On 1a shelf; about on level
cut of beetsteak. Beside it was half of Il large
loaf OF bread, piece Of butter, plate, upon
with water. The water was the genuine article
The beefsteak, potatoes, bread and butter Were
made Of materials that WIN Withstand the cor
This collection Is intended to illustrate
A DAYS RATION
or what should constitute q days ration. The
exhibit is part OF . series prepared by Mr..
Romyn Hitchcock curator of the section of
stituents OF the human body and the daily in.
crease and expenditure OF the body. A de-
scriptive label says: A days ration is intended
to indicate the quantities of different foods
used together required daily 10 maintain the
body without loss or gain of desh or fat while
performing a moderate amount of work. The
nv, Mt hn ,feln 4
are--Protein com pounds known as flesh FORM
ers, SUCH as the lean part OF meat and gluten of
wheat, ~ ounces. Fats, such as butter. meat
hydrates such AS starch and sugar. 49,
These quantities may be supplied by different
variety in diet" Then the constituents of the
ration are given. There ounces of beef
steak. 20 ounces OF wheat bread, 80 ounces Of
ounces Of steak con tain nutritive ingredients
as follows: 1.9 ounces protein and OF ounces
fat. The twenty ounces OF bread contain 1.S
ounces protein, "a ounces fats aud IL. ounces
carbohy drates. The thirty ounces OF potatoes
contain O.6 ounces protein and 65 ounces car
the day is 50 ounces, which yields 43 ounces
protein, 20 ounces lat and 17.6 ounces carbo-
MORE DIVERSIFIED DIET.
The constituents of another ration, for one
who loves a more diversified diet, is also given.
This comprises ounces OF beefsteak, 16 ounces
of wheat bread, 80 ounces OF potatoes, 6 ounces
OF cabbage, ounces OF milk, ounce of butter
and ounce OF sugar. Tue ounces OF cabbage
yields / ounce of protein and "a ounce OF car
bohy drates. The ounces OF milk yield OIL
ounce OF protein, the same quantity ot fats and
or ounce OF carbohydrates. Tue ounce OF sugar
yields an ounce OF carbohydra The gross
weight oi this ration is IS ounces and 1t yields
ID ounces prOteiu 20 ounces fats and 10
ounces ,s, OF caroohydratesi %Chemleai analyses
nutritive value TO be calculated, and from this
We estimate the cost OF the nutritive elements in
each one. BY then combining various foods,
as In the table, so us to obtain the necessary
nutrimeuts in their proper proportions, the most
economical combinations can De ascertai ued.'
The visitor at the museum Is cautioned
against forming IN unfair estimate of potatoes
in comparison with bread. In Justice to tue po-
tatoes it is stated that the quantity Of water III
potatoes is more than double that In bread.
Thirty ounces OF potatoes 10 more than would
ordinarily be eaten ~ day, since ordinary diet
would include II greater variety OF food than
the ration represented in the case provides.
WHAT BREAD CONTAINS.
A row Of little jars represent the chemical
constituents OF bread. The nutritive ingredients
OF bread are nearly the same as aour. In the
baking the flour absorbs water, the starch
grains swell, and become more pala,able aud
Series OF experiments IT found that 100
pounds flour, 20 pounds milk, SO pounds water,
y pound yeast and 4 pounds salt produced
nutrients and 3 pounds water. Wheat bread
contains 32.7 per cent vi water SO per cent pro-
TEN, gluten, etc, 1.S per cent iats or oily
matter, o5.5 per cent carbohy drdtes, such as
starch, and l per cent OF mineral salts. The
cost of the nutrients in such bread, sold ut 10
cents for LOAF vi lS.. ou.ces Is more than
twice the cost Ut the same nutrients when pur-
chased in the form OF -four. Al interesting
comparison Of breads Of different kinds is
given. heat bread Is shown ~ contain 81 )
per cent water and 67.5 nutrients. Grah;tua
bread 81. p water, 90. . nutrients; rye oreud 800
Wae 10 hos STOCK eraesers 81
92.O nutrients; Pilot bread or crackers 80
water, o2.l nutrients; Graham crackers 90
wafer, $50 nutrients; Oatmeal crackers 40
wafer, col nutrients; aud Oyster crackers 3.S
water, and 96.2 nutrients.
The chemist has added a note saying that
graham hour contains the outer coverings of he
wheat grain, separated AS bran in the ordinary
process of milling. The bran Is rich in ai,,u-
nIinoids and pAosphates, ana it was therefore
Inferred THAT graham flour would prove more
nutritious than white flour. 1t has been shown,
however, that those constituents in the bran
are not readily assmiiated by the digestive
organs, and that the nutritive value OF graham
bread Is not superior to that OF ordinary dread.
The Iran may be beneficial in mechan caiiy
slim ulating the digestive organs. When diet is
reduced TO scieice, the guest at the hotel,
having Ascertained the amount of foLd eQuired
to repair the daily waste OF hi, system, will
give Ills orders in the abstract, ana not be an
noyed by the necessity of looking over u long
bill OF fare. He Will, for instance order tor q III
ner two ounces oi protein, one ounce at>. eight
ounces OF carbohy drates and ten ounces oi wa
ter, and leave 1t 10 the skill OF the cook 10 pro-
VIDE these nutrients in an agreeable and pal
lOlm.
THE DAILY INCOME AND EXPENDITURE.
The days ration as represented in the ex-
hibitS is based upon careful calculation OF
the daily income and expenditure OF the body
This daily income and expenditure forms the
theme ofanother object lesson, the exact amount
oil the VariOusniaterialSd daily expended aud re.
ceiVed being shown III rows OF lass jars. The
story as told by the labels is rs follows: The
body receives food, drink aud oxygen, which
constitute Its income. Part OF this material is
transformed into hesh tat, bone and other It's
sues OF the body. The remainder together
with the tissue worn out by use, is transformed
into urea, carbonic acid, wafer, etc. These pro-
ducts given OH from the body and tiites
its expenditure. IL has been estimated that a
man, doing moderate work, to keep his body
we'll nouiished, requires about the equivalent
OF the following nuLrittve substances (nutrients)
and water.
TEN, AZ ounces; fats, ounces; carbohy drates
11.0 ounces; mineral matters, OS ounces:
water IN food and drink, TIA ounces. Total
So ounces, equal to = pounds.
These substances would be contained in the
food materials represented in the beeIsteak, po-
tatoes, bread butter and water On the plat
tiers III The case.
With the above nutrients about 80 ounces OF
oxygen would be needed duri. the "a hours
This Is supplied by the air inhaled through the
into the body constitute its income.
WHAT BECOMES OF THE FOOD
A small part OF the iood passes through the
body undigested. Most of it is digested, taken
into the blood and distributed through the
body, where q portion Is used to build up and
repair the muscles, fat, bones and other tissues
which are being constantly worn OUT by use.
The remainder unites with the inhaled oxygen
produces heat and strength and a tho m, a