ents of any normal individual. It is
necessary to know the weight of the person in question, and the manner
in which the twenty-four hours are spent, and, in the case of elderly
individuals, make the reductions believed to be necessary for health.
~Method of Using the Tables.~--Let us take a nurse in training for
this purpose. Suppose the nurse weighs 110 pounds, and spends the
twenty-four hours as follows,
Sleeping 8 hours
Sitting at meals 2 hours
Studying 2 hours
In class 1 hour
On duty 9 hours
Off duty (walking briskly) 2 hours
Her daily food requirements would probably be approximately 2,235
calories. This estimate would be increased, if she were obliged to do
much heavy lifting, scrubbing of beds, or other duties requiring the
expenditure of much effort. It would be decreased if the hours spent
in study and class room work were increased and the hours on the ward
shortened. The estimation may be made as follows,
Sleeping 8 hrs. 110 x 0.42 x 8 = 370 calories
Sitting at meals 2 hrs. 110 x 0.65 x 2 = 143 calories
Sitting in class 1 hr. 110 x 0.65 x 1 = 71.5 calories
Studying, 2 hrs. 110 x 0.65 x 2 = 143 calories
On duty 9 hrs. 110 x 1.10 x 9 = 1089 calories
Off duty (walking briskly) 2 hrs. 110 x 1.90 x 2 = 418 calories
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Total for day 2234.5 calories
This estimate may be made to suit any individual, the man in the
office or the one working on the streets, the woman living at home or
the one spending eight or ten hours scrubbing the floors of a great
office building; it is simply a matter of adjusting the calories in
the dietary to meet the requirements of body weight and muscular
activity.
~Energy Requirements for Children.~--In estimating the energy needs of
children, the above method is not satisfactory, since the storage of
material for growth must be considered, as well as the activities of
the body. The growth period includes the years from birth to the
eighteenth year, after which time the food requirements of the body
are made on a basis of weight and muscular activity, as in all adults.
The table on the following page shows the food allowances ma
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