Boston Cooking-School Cook Book/Chapter 42

'''Chapter XLII. FOOD VALUES'''.

A STUDY of food values is essential for the making of properly balanced menus. A minimum of time devoted to this subject will give one a working knowledge which will prove of inestimable value.

The energy value of foods and the energy requirements of the body are estimated in calories. Requirements of:  When sleeping .4 calorie per pound of body weight per hour. At slight exercise .6 calorie per pound of body weight per hour. Examples: At meals, sewing, reading, writing, etc. At light exercise 1 calorie per pound of body weight per hour. Examples: Standing and walking. At active muscular exercise 2 calories per pound of body weight per hour. Examples: General housework, carpentering, tennis, etc. At severe muscular exercise 3 calories per pound of body weight per hour. Examples: Digging, horseshoeing, football, etc. 

How to Determine the Number of Calories Required Daily by an Individual Using the Above Table
Other calculations show that the needs of a person estimated in calories vary from twenty-two to thirty-five hundred for one day. Of this amount from ten to fifteen per cent (220 to 425 calories) should come from protein foods and .015 iron gram should be furnished.

It is not necessary to consider the amount of calcium (of which .7 gram is the daily requirement) if one pint of milk is supplied for each person. An adequate milk supply will furnish also one-third the amount of phosphorus required, making this calculation practically unnecessary.

Foods rich in fats have the highest caloric value, while foods rich in protein, sugar, and starch have greater caloric value than those containing much water.

The following table will enable one to calculate quickly the number of calories, protein calories, and grams of iron supplied by the more common foods. The figures for the most part are given in hundreds and even numbers to facilitate this calculation. They therefore vary slightly from those found in Bulletin 28, Department of Agriculture, but seem, nevertheless, especially well adapted for everyday use, for investigation shows that even the best authorities differ.

"The Laboratory Manual of Dietetics" by Professor Mary Swartz Rose and ";Science and Nutrition" by Graham Lusk are valuable books to consult for the further consideration of this important subject.

TABLE OF FOOD VALUES OF THE MORE COMMON FOODS
Cards may be used keep records of the food values of recipes or meals, ruled and made out as follows:

Illustration. Baking Powder Biscuits
First enter the list of ingredients with the amount of each required. Consult Table of Food Values for the protein, iron grams, and total calories, and enter in their respective columns.

Illustration. Breakfast for Four
First enter the list of food to be served with the amount of each required. Consult Table of Food Values for the protein, iron grams, and total calories and enter in their respective columns.

HOW TO ESTIMATE THE FOOD VALUE OF A DAYS RATIONS
Calculate lunch and dinner same as breakfast, entering on cards as follows:

Enter meals as follows: