764 



Reading Course for Farmers' Wives. 



While matters are in this unsettled state it may he well to purstie a 

 middle course and plan a dietary only moderately rich in protein and 

 well away from either danger line. Two of our American authorities 

 holding opposing views will be quoted, Atwater believing in a liberal 

 diet, containing a lil)eral amount of protein, and Chittenden believing 

 in less total food and a smaller proportion of protein. 



Atwater's standard for a man at light exercise is food to yield 

 2,816 calories; of these, 410 calories are from protein, 930 calories from 

 fat, and 1,476 calories from carbohydrate. That is, for every 100 calories 

 furnished by the food, 14 are from protein, 32 from fat, and 54 from 

 carbohydrate. In round numbers, the day's ration as advocated by 

 Atwater would contain about 100 grams or '^^.'j ounces protein, loc 

 grams or 3.7 ounces fat and 360 grams or 13 ounces carbohydrate. 

 Chittenden's standard for the same man is food to yield a total of 2,360 

 calories, of which protein furnishes 236 calories, fat 708 calories, and 

 carbohydrates 1,416 calories. For every 100 calories furnished by the 

 food 10 are from protein, 30 from fat, 60 from carbohydrate. In actual 

 amount the Chittenden diet would contain 2.16 ounces protein, 2.83 

 ounces fat, and 13 ounces carbohydrate. 



The above figures are condensed in the following table : 



In the Atwater dietary 1-7 of the calorie value of the day's food is 

 derived from protein ; in the Chittenden dietary only i-io is thus delivered. 

 We must choose our oun course in deciding which standard to follow. 

 It may be more than the Chittenden allowance and less than that of 

 Atwater, but perhaps it is better to err on the side of generosity at least 

 as far as the total calorie yield is concerned. As belief which is gaining 

 groimd among many persons at the present time is that it is not the 

 amount of protein but the source that is the more important factor, 

 and that the harmful effects of a liberal protein diet have been due in 

 part at least to excessive meat eating. 



