The suburban citizen., 1900-07-14
DIET OF A BOATS CREW
HOW MEN IN TRAINING FOR A
RACE ARE FED.

Are Drawn From II.
Dietary Studies Of the University |
Boat Crews" is the title Of pamphlet |
which has been issued by the United
States Department Of Agriculture, at
Washington. 1t is Il report upon the
studies of Harvard and Yale boat
crews, conducted By Professor w. ..
Atwater, special agent in charge of
nutrition investigation Of the Depart
ment of Agriculture, and his assistant,
A. p. Bryant.
These studies were undertaken pri-
marily to secure data regarding the
food requirements of men performing
severe muscular work. The regular
course of diet and exercise pursued by
boat crews in training, and the condi-
tions under which the men live at
such times give a favorable oppor-
tunity for obtaining relatively valuable
data. Few statistics of the dietaries
OF persons thus engaged are avail
able. With the exception of dietary
studies of football teams and dietary
study of the food consumption of San
dow, few exact observations have been
made of the actual food consumption
of young men engaged in active train
ing for q contest in which they would
be called upon to exert their muscu-
lar powers to the utmost extent dur
ing a brief period.
Studies are MADE in the report of
the food consumption of both the
varsity and freshman crews of Har-
ward and Yale during the month pre-
ceding the annual races. Two studies
were made of each crew, one at the
university training quarters, another
after the crews had taken up their
quarters at the scene of the forth
coming race.
In the study of the Harvard Univer-
sity. crew at their training quarters
at Cambridge, the report gives the
following regimen:
The diet was simple. Roast and
boiled beef and lamb, fricasseed chick
en-, roast turkey and hroiled fish, made
up the meats. Eggs were used plen-
tifully, either raw, poached or boiled
in the shell. Large amounts of milk
and cream were also consumed. Oat-
meal, homlny and shredded wheat
were eaten largely and corn cakes
were occasionally served. Bread was
almost always taken in the form of
toast. Potatoes were served twice
day. These were sometimes baked,
sometimes boiled and mashed With a
little milk and butter added, and at
other times "creamed." Broiled rice
prepared with little cream and sugar
was served instead of potatoes at
some meals
Beets, parsnips, green peas and to-
matoes We're used to furnish variety
of vegetables. Macaroni was occa-
sionally served. For dessert, apple,
tapioca pudding, custard pudding, and
other puddings containing a large pro-
portion Of milk and eggs was used.
Milk was obtained from one of the
large creameries supplying that vicin-
ity, and was of unusual quality, con-
tanning 5.S per cent. of butter fat A
very thick heavy cream was also pur-
chased, which was diluted about one
half with milk. The mixture, or thin
cream, contained about sixteen per
cent. of butter fat. The beef used
during the studies was entirely from
the loin.
The meat was sliced, freed from
practically all Of the clear fat and
sent to the table in a large platter,
from which the individual men were
served. The beef was cooked rare,
though not unusually so. Some of
the other club tables in the same
house had much rarer meat. The beef
steak was freed from bone and from
nearly all the visible fat before being
served.
Lamb chops were served with the
bone. Lamb and mutton rOasts, which
were all from the leg, were also clear
meat, trimmed so as to be practically
free from visible fat. The turkey used
was shipped from a distance and had
been kept in cold storage. 1t was
baked with force meat, 1. e., "stufing"
or dressing" although but little of
this latter was served to the crew.
Chicken vas always frIcasseed and
served free from bone with the ex-
ceptiOn of those of the leg and wing.
BrOiled fish, usually blueAsh or
Spanish mackarel. was very common
ly served for breakfast, as were also
eggs, either raw or pOached. No pas
try was allowed, and the puddings
were, as above stated, composed large
ly Of eggs and milk. A small amount
Of coffee jelly was served, and at one
meal during the study ice cream. No
fresh fruit was served with the excep-
tiOn Of oranges for breakfast. Stewed
p.unes, rhubarb, or apples were also
eaten, prunes most abundantly. Break
fast was served at s, lunch at / and
dinner at O'clock.
About half an hour before meals the
chemists who were conducting the
dietary studies were on hand to weigh
the food materials, which were sent
to the table before the meal began.
In concluding the report on the di-
etary studies the authors make this
interesting observations: