PROBLEM I . Honjo to Choosc Foods Wisely 



171 



Fig. 192 A basal metabolisDi 

 test. The apparatus measures 

 the amomit of oxygen used 

 by the girl while at rest. 

 How does the physician use 

 such data? (sanborn com- 

 pany) 



A man of average size needs: 



16 waking hours 1200 C (basal metabolism) 

 8 sleeping hours 500 C 



Add to this the Calories required per 

 day according to occupation: Profes- 

 sional or business 600-1200; Mechanics 

 1 200-1 500; Athletes or laborers 1500- 

 4000. 



The average businessman will need 

 about 1200 plus 500 plus 800 or 1000 (de- 

 pending on his activity). This adds up to 

 about 2500-2700 Calories per dav. Chil- 

 dren need more Calories in proportion 

 to their size because they are growing 

 and are usually more active than adults. 

 A 16-year-old boy may need more Cal- 

 ories than a much larger man engaged 

 in light work. You can roughly calculate 



the number of Calories yoji need per day 

 by turning to Exercise 3. 



Calculating the Calories in a meal. Some 

 years ago the enthusiasm of dietitians 

 (people who study diets) led some to 

 urge the housewife to study food tables 

 so that she might plan her meals scien- 

 tifically. But it was soon discovered that 

 this was a difficult task and not at all 

 necessary for the ordinary person. Nor- 

 mally, a person gets the right amount of 

 Calories by following his appetite, al- 

 though some young people get too few 

 Calories in their desire to keep their 

 weight down. Some older people ac- 

 quire the habit of overeating. It is well 

 to remember that it takes only 4000 extra 

 Calories to produce a pound of fat. 



