BASAL METABOLISM 



341 



Atwater, Chittenden, and Voit have worked out tables in 

 which they have given the proportion of the various nutrients 





Calories from 

 Protein 



Calories from Fat 



Calories from 

 Carbohydrates 



Atwater .... 

 Chittenden . . . 

 Voit 



14 

 10 

 25 



32 

 30 

 20 



54 

 60 

 55 



that should be present in every 100 Calories of food. Any of the 

 three standards might be used. 



Knowing the proportion of the different nutrients required 

 as well as the foods containing vitamins and minerals, it will be 

 easy for you to determine from tables (such as on pages 336-337) 

 the best combinations of foods for a well-balanced diet. 



Workbook Exercises. Foods taken into the body having the pro- 

 portions of the nutrients given above constitute a balanced ration 

 or diet because they provide the body with the right proportion 

 for tissue building as well as for fuel food. 



Compare the life you lead with that of a day laborer. Would your 

 needs be the same? 



Compare your life with the life of an Eskimo in the Arctic regions. 

 Would the proportion of the nutrients needed by him be the same 

 as you need? Explain. 



Would the same proportion of nutrients be needed for all occupa- 

 tions and in all localities? 



Are there any other factors that might cause different proportions 

 of the nutrients needed by individuals? 



Would a vegetarian diet contain the protein necessary for the body? 

 How would it compare with a diet containing only meat? Are there 

 any reasons why a wholly vegetable diet is unwise? 



Basal metabolism. 1 The activities of a living plant or animal, 

 which include all the processes that are involved in the building 

 up and breaking down of protoplasm in the body, are known col- 

 lectively as the metabolic processes (Gr. metabolos, changeable). 

 These changes release heat as a by-product and this heat can be 

 measured in calories. The heat-producing activity of the body 

 during sleep or rest represents the energy which is essential for 



1 Metabolism : me-tab'6-liz'm. 



