The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1940-03-07
Homemakers' Column
Edited by Miss Mildred Barton, Home
Demonstration Agent, Oakland.
Food As A Source OF Energy

Food AS A Source Of Energy
From the Bureau of Home Econom-
les comes the following:
The day that the phrase "Count
Your Galleries" caught the public fan
CIV, the science of nutrition was
launched on its practical career. Since
then, the interest in calories and en-
ergy foods has been overshadowed BY
the more recent discoveries about vita
Minis and minerals.
But the vast army of Americans,
who faithfully watch the bathroom
scales for daily losses or gains in
weight, are still counting their calo-
ries. They know that the "calorie" is
used to determine the amount of en-
ergy a given food may yield and they
know that when they get more energy
from food than they can use, the excess
will be stored as fat.
But they often overestimate the
calories as a unit of measure for the
total value of a food-and forget that
the number of calories gives no clue
to the amount of building materials
and regulators in the food. The func-
ton of food in supplying energy is an
important part of nutrition, but ii
should be clearly understood that it is
only part of the story of how the body
makes use of food.
So, the mother who discovers that
her Bobby is thinner than his play
mates of the same height and age, had
better consult doctor to find out how
to help the child gain weight. And
if she, herself, feels that she is put
ting on too many pounds, it will be
best for her to consult the doctor about
reducing. But for those who want to
keep their weight as it is, and are
merely curious about how foods are
changed into energy by the human
body-here is the story.
In trying to understand how we get
energy from food, it is easiest to think
of the body as machine. Anybody
who has seen freight train chugging
along the tracks has some idea of how
the engine works. He knows that d
fire is kept burning inside the engine
to heat water and make steam. AS
this steam expands, it is able to push
with a powerful force-force that
drives the pistons and makes the
wheels turn so the engine can pull its
load of cars.
And, strangely enough, the human
body can do much the same thing. It's
fuel is food-not coal. But this food
is actually burned inside the body
Although there is no flame or smoke
the fire produces heat. Part of this
heat is used to keep the body warm
and part of it is created into work
energy.
1t is this work energy that gives the
lumberman the energy to chop down
a tree. And even young Bobby needs
this energy so his muscles can pull his
toy wagon along the street. In other
words, the energy from the food is
used to perform work
But it's little harder to understand
that the same energy is also needle
for the work of the muscles that we
seldom think about inside the body
such as the heart and stomach muscles
Even the lungs, the liver, and the kid
neys, as we'll as the tiny glands and
very small organs need food energy tc
function properly.
One surprising thing about the
human body is the fact that it thrifty
stores up lots of the surplus energy
as fat. AS long as children are grow.
ing, it is desirable health insurance
for them to be a few pounds over
weight. At this critical and formative
period they are especially likely tc
undermine their health by starving
their bodies. But for grown folk, sur.
plus fat may accumulate as extra
pounds that are bothersome and may
even be dangerous to health
1t is also interesting to note that
children need more energy foods, in
proportion to their size, than grown.
ups. Boys and girls need the energy
to grow, as well as for the other func.
tons. The children are often fal
more active and use more work anC
play energy than their parents.
The foods that yield the energy are
the carbohydrates (sugar anC
starches), proteins, and fats. For {
given weight, carbohydrates and pro
TENS yield the same amount of heat OF
energy in the body. But fats yielc
more than twice as much. 1t also
takes longer to digest fats. This
gives fats sort of Staying power"
which keeps US from feeling hungry
too soon after meal.