Proper Nutrition 151 



It has been estimated that for every 100 calories, 

 about 10 per cent, should be produced from pro- 

 teins, 30 per cent, from fats, and 60 per cent, 

 from carbohydrates. ^Tiile foods yielding 

 about 2500 calories a day are required by aver- 

 age adults in sedentary pursuits, growing chil- 

 dren may require 3000 to 4000 calories, or even 

 more, during adolescence. 



It is not wise, however, to put too much em- 

 phasis on calories in measuring nutritional 

 needs. Heat measurement alone is not always 

 a safe guide for the calculation of food values. 

 This is especially true at the beginning of life 

 when growth is the all important factor. The 

 foods that build rather than those that readily 

 undergo oxidation must be properly gauged if 

 we are to have healthy development. This 

 means that the great protein suppliers, — meat, 

 eggs, fish, milk and cereals, — must have an im- 

 portant place in the dietary. An ounce of lean 

 meat, furnishing 34 calories, contains 6. 4 grams 

 of protein ; an ounce of hominy, furnishing 103 

 calories, contains only 2. 3 grams of protein. 



