FOOD NEEDED BY MAN UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS. 475 



It is evident that persons of essentially different weight of body 

 who live under unequal external conditions must need essentially 

 different food. It is also to be expected (and this is confirmed by 

 the table) that not only the absolute quantity of food consumed by 

 various persons, but also the relative proportion of the various 

 organic nutritive substances, shows considerable variation. Results 

 for the daily need of human beings in general cannot be given. For 

 certain classes of human beings, such as soldiers, laborers, etc., 

 results may be given which are valuable for the calculation of the 

 daily rations. 



Based on extensive investigations and a very wide experience, 

 VOIT has proposed the following average quantities for the daily 

 diet of adults : 



Proteids. Fat. Carbohydrates. Calories. 



For men 118 grms. 56 grms. 500 grms. 2810 



But we must here remark that these statements relate to a man 

 weighing 70 to 75 kilos and who was engaged daily for ten hours 

 with not too fatiguing labor. 



The amount of food required by a woman engaged in moderate 

 labor is about that of a laboring man, and we may consider the 

 ^ollowing as a daily diet with moderate work. 



Proteids. Fat. Carbohydrates. Calories. 



For women . . 94 grms. 45 grms. 400 grms. 2240 



The proportion of fat to carbohydrates is here as 1:8-9. Such 

 a proportion occurs often in the food of the poorer classes, while the 

 ratio in the food of wealthier persons is 1 : 3-4. The maximum 

 quantity of carbohydrates in the food must, according to VOIT, be 

 above 500 grms. ; and as the carbohydrates besides constitute the 

 chief part of the often very bulky vegetable foods, it has been sug- 

 gested and is desirable on this and other grounds to increase the 

 quantity of fat at the expense of the carbohydrates in such rations. 

 But because of the high price of fat such a modification cannot 

 always be made. 



In judging the above numbers for the daily rations it must not 

 be forgotten that the figures for the various nutritive bodies are 

 gross results. They consequently represent the quantity of the 



