One sweet dish (custards, cereal puddings, junkets) once or twice a day, but little if any clear sugar should be given (cereals should be served with very little if any sugar).
7. Fats:
| For each person over five | 2-3 oz. of fat (purchased as such) a day, depending upon the age and ability of the individual to digest fats. |
Suggestions for Serving Meals.—After reckoning the number of calories needed for the day, it is well to remember that the protein must be adequate in type and amount; that there should be an abundant supply of vitamines and iron in each day’s ration; that milk should always be included in order to make sure of having a sufficient amount of calcium in the diet; that there should be only one heavy protein dish at any one meal, and that it is unwise to serve a meal in which the fluids predominate on account of their deficiency in energy and proteins.
If a meal is made up of the right kind of foods, in the proper proportion, and each individual eats sufficient to assure the maintenance of the normal weight, is free from gastro-intestinal disturbances, and shows a normal resistance to disease, it is more than probable that a sufficient quantity is being consumed each day.
All foods should be carefully selected, and properly prepared in order to derive the maximum benefit therefrom, and the regularity and attractiveness with which the meals are served have almost as much to do with the health and happiness of the individual, as the character of the foods included in the day’s dietary.
PROBLEMS
(a) Calculate the dietary requirements of a nurse weighing 125 pounds, who spends 8 hours sleeping, 8 hours on duty, 2 hours at meals, 2 hours brisk walking, 2 hours in the class room, and 2 hours reading or studying.
(b) Calculate the diet for a child of ten years of age, weighing 65 pounds, showing the number of calories, the amount of protein, calcium, phosphorus and iron necessary to make this diet cover the requirements of the child.