Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1904-04-09
DO PEOPLE EAT TOO MUcH7
Evidence That We Give Our Bodie,
More Food Than Needed.

Evidence That We Give Our Bodie,
More Food Than Needed.
New York Tribune: The director Of thu
Sheffield scientific school, Professor Rus
sell II. Chittenden, throws a little new
light on an cd question in the Popular
Science Monthly for June. He mentions
4 discrepancy which he has observed be-
tween fact and theory regarding the
amount Of food a man should k Vol
Of Munich and Atwater Of Middletown,
Conn, for instance, nave set up certain
standards, which are fairly close together.
A person doing moderate work." says
these experts, should take from 11S to 1lt
grams of proteids and enough fats and
sugars to raise the total fuel value of
his ratiOns to between 5000 and $500
large" For heavy work" they recon-
mend a Diet yielding from 1870 to 4,5N
calories daily. Careful experiments with
a laboratory assistant at Yale showed that
forty-live grams of protcids, with fat and
sugars sufficient to develop only 1000 Gallo
ries would keep him in splendid condi-
ton. He maintained his weight perfectly,
and met physical tests In the gymnasium
i'm a surprising fashion. The comparison
suggests the possibility that the food al
lowances of Volt and Atwater are waste
full in ~pecuniary sense, and hamper the
system by involving unnecessary work In
digestion ana ellfnlf-at-On,
Probably no fact in everyday life is bet.
ter established han that the majority Of
people eat too much. Medical men are
continually declaring that far more harm
comes from dietary excuses and careless
ness than from starvation. A large va
riety and amour of sickness result from
hat cause. Moreover, ever when he is In
apparent health, a mans activity is often
sensibly impaired for two or three hours
-, - 1AA-N 800
particular are thus affected. Efficiency is
influenced by other factors. Exercise,
ventilation and sleep, or the lack Of them,
tell on ones capacity. Nutrition depends
on the way In which one eats as well as
on what he eats. Again, taste or some
social obligation, rather than a recognized
need OF nourishment, will often dictate
the character Of even an ordinary abstem-
ious mans repast. If he wants to get the
largest amount Of work and the best quail
ity Of work out of himself, however, he
is almost sure to cultivate moderation at
the table, at least until the conclusion Of
his days labor.
Whether the example cited by Professor
Chittenden should be accepted as a
standard Is another question. Possibly
the requirements Of that individual are
exceptionally small. No one mans ex-
perience can be safely taken as a rule for
others. Two persons of the same weight
n performing precisely the same duties,
and eating their food with equal delibera-
ton, may differ sufficiently In other ways
to demand dissimilarity in the amounts
they consume. One may have a good d.
gestion and the other a poor one. If, on
the other hand, there is a difference in the
character, amount and hours Of their
work, a still greater disparity in their
needs might be expected. Professor
Chittenden does not himself consider the
question settled. He wants It to be
studied further. 1t is to be wished that
a series of tests might be devised in which
the conditions would be altered SO as to
represent a variety Of types. Occupation,
sex, age, general health, leisure hour pur-
suits and other circumstances ought to
be taken into account. a sliding scale
would probably be the outcome of the re-
search. Instructive as such a result
would De, 1t might be necessary. even
then, for some people to act a little indie
~pendently. 1t would hardly be correct
to say hat every one Is capable of work.
ing this problem out for himse.f: but,
since no two persons are exactly alike, it
would occasionally be judicious to rely
largely on observation Of ones own needs.