Evening star., 1932-10-30
BY Volta TORREY.

} BY Volta TORREY.
Al. REUBEN NOEL PERLEY,
IA =; ::: :: e: 4
tables and other foods that he
has recommended a new set of rations for
Uncle Sans Army. And to prove prove his
theories are sound, he recently tried them on
himself.
In two months he gained 80 pounds on the
diet he recommends for scrawney folks Then,
finding he could not get into his uniforms, he
changed it to that for the overweights and lost
10 pounds in two months which brought his
weight to 1865 the average for his feet 1O12
inches of height.
If the dinner budget isn't balanced the
scales don't balance rightly. And Maj. Perley
assistant inspector general of the 7th United
States Army Corps Area is trying now to get
the Army's dinner budget properly balanced.
His proposals have been approved by Maj
Cen johnson Hagood 7th Corps commander
and submitted to the War Department.
DY means of tables showing the various
= nutrients and the foods containing them
Maj. Perley worked out the balanced Army
ration. Then after making this study of food
for soldiers. and in the light of his findings he
went on and worked out system for bal
anced. dinners for housewives. This system of
household menus will be set forth in book
to be published soon.
Ever since he entered the Army Is years ago.
after being graduated from the Naval Academy,
Maj. Perley has been studying nutrition. (He
quit the Navy because ships don't have apart
ments with kitchenettes) In Chicago he sup
plemented his studies by cooking for month
for nf
To work out his balanced Army ration, the
major analyzed the official or theoretical ration
Tor nutrient content and cost by comparing it
with the food actually purchased for and con-
sumed by the 60 men Of Company B, 18th In
fantry at Fort Crook, Nebr., during the year
1881
The official ration, consisting of 81 stipulated
food items, is not issued in terms OF so many
ounces of beef or pork or other foodstuffs the
major explains. 1t is used merely as dietary
guide in feeding soldiers to indicate the dlstrl-
button of the different kinds Of food in the
ration and to determine the money allowance
for the various items.
This official ration is not followed closely
except as to money allowance in the better ad-
pninistered Army units, such as the one which
formed the basis of the majors actual study of
foods Ir fact substitutive foods are the rule
where Army feelings is handled most efficiently.
THE great shortcoming of the official ration
Is that it places too much emphasis on meat
and not enough on eggs, milk and butter.
Maj Perley found the ration not bulky
enough. too high in calories, too high in protein
content-that is containing too much meat-and
too low in calcium and phosphorous- is,
lacking in milk 1t is lacking too, in the vita
Minis found in fruit and vegetables. 1t is too
heavily acid and not alkaline enough, which
means too much bread and meat and not
enough milk fruits and vegetables.
"My analysis of the ration showed it could
be improved materially dietary formula and
as an indication of the costs of foodstuffs ac-
tually purchased" explains the major. Il ar
ranged the items according to their relative cost
50 as to show where the bulk of the money is
spent.
'I found that milk is the item on which most
money is spent. Nine per cent of the whole
cost is for milk. Butter is second in cost and
eggs third. Some of the other more costly items
are potatoes, bread coffee.
ST next took that list of foodstuffs and re-
arranged them into groups so that all the foods
In group were of similar nutrient character"
In developing his proposed ration, Maj. Per-
ley selected from each nutrient group or
more items to represent each group. In general
the items he selected were at the top of the
group-that is, the ones for which the most
money had been spent.
"The items selected were thus an accurate
Index to the cost of all the items of the
group" ne points out For the expensive
classes of food selected several items from each
group. like meats, vegetables and fruits. Thus