762 Reading-Course for Farmers' Wives. 



calories at light muscular exercise with the expenditure of 600 calories 

 ciuring severe work. 



It is very simple to use such a table in calculating the number of 

 calories which are spent in twenty-four hours under different bodily 

 conditions. For example, suppose the case of a clerk or school teacher 

 leading a relatively inactive life, who 



sleeps for 9 hours x 65 calories == 585 



works at desk 9 hours x 1 00 " = 900 



reads, writes, or studies 4 hours x 100 " = 400 



walks or does light exercise 2 hours x 1 70 " = 340 



2,225 



The food of the above man should yield, therefore, appxoximately 

 2225 calories per day. Many influences might be at work to make this 

 amount too much or too little. If the man were of nervous temperament 

 he might require more; if he were short and stout and phlegmatic he 

 might require less. While this method of calculating food requirements 

 is a good one and may be of great help, it has many weak points. Who 

 is able exactly to define the light, hard and severe muscular exercise 

 here considered? No allowance has been made for such modifying 

 circumstances as differences in age, weight, build, season, climate, sex, 

 and temperament. Yet it may be used to advantage if allowance is 

 made for such shortcomings. 



Another way of calculating the daily food requirement of the grown 

 person is by body weight. For the average man at light work such as 

 the clerk or school teacher cited in the above illustration, the expenditure 

 of energy has been found to be about 16. i calories for each pound of 

 weight. Measured thus, a man weighing 145 pounds would require food 

 yielding 145 time 16. i calories or 2335 calories, and a man weighing 

 150 pounds would require 2415 calories. 



Here also weak points may be found, for the tall thin man and the 

 short fat man may weigh the same and yet not need identical amounts 

 of food. This method provides for light work but it requires a guess 

 to add the calories which may be demanded for severe work. It is 

 useful as a means of comparison and makes a simple, quick way to find 

 out about how much food may be needed. 



Tables have been compiled which are useful in solving this problem. 

 Tigerstedt gives the following which indicates the food requirement for 

 \arious kinds of toil. 



