This section is from the book "Food In Health And Disease", by Nathan S. Davis. See also: Food Is Your Best Medicine.
The United States Army ration is as follows:
Ounces | |
Fresh beef............................. | . 20 |
or mutton at same price... | 20 |
or pork............................. | . 12 |
or bacon............................ | . 12 |
orsalt pork... | 22 |
or dried fish.. | • 14 |
or pickled fish... | . 18 |
or fresh fish.... | . 18 |
Flour................................. | . 18 |
or soft bread... | . 18 |
or hard bread... | . 16 |
or corn meal... | 20 |
Baking powder when troops are in the field | |
Beans.... | . 2 2/5 |
or peas... | • 2 2/5 |
or rice.... | • 1 3/5 |
or hominy.... | • 1 3/5 |
Potatoes... | . 16 |
or potatoes 12 4/5 and onions 3 1 / 5 . ... | . 16 |
or potatoes 11 1/5 and canned tomatoes 4 4/5............................. | . 16 |
or other fresh vegetables when they be obtained near the post........... | 16 |
Coffee... | 1 3/5 |
or roasted... | 1 7/25 |
or tea................................ | 8/25 |
Sugar... | 2 2/5 |
or molasses.......................... | 16/25 |
or can syrup... | 16/25 |
Vinegar................................ | 8/25 |
Salt................................... | 16/25 |
Pepper................................. | l/25 |
When traveling a much simpler ration is temporarily furnished United States soldiers consisting of soft or hard bread, canned beef, baked beans, coffee, sugar and canned tomatoes.
An emergency ration is also provided consisting of bacon, hard bread, pea meal, coffee or tea, saccharin, salt, pepper and tobacco.
Desiccated fruits have been found almost a necessity, and whenever practicable are added to the ration, to obviate constipation and scurvy. When in garrison, a much more generous diet is had, for the regular ration is supplemented by food purchased by the soldiers. Woodruff carefully estimated all that was eaten during ten days by the men in one of our western garrisons, and found that in addition to the regular rations, such articles as oatmeal, apples, canned and dried, tapioca, butter, lard, canned corn, canned tomatoes, macaroni, milk, cheese, prunes, cabbage, apricots, barley, raisins, and chocolate were eaten.
The United States Government is the only one which furnishes its soldiers a complete ration. Others provide soldiers with part of their food but expect them to purchase the rest out of their pay or an especial money allowance.
For instance, English soldiers, when stationed in England, receive one pound of bread, three-quarters of a pound of meat, and about five pence to purchase vegetables, milk, sugar, and other articles. When in the field, a complete ration is furnished them that varies somewhat with the climate in which they serve and with the work they have to perform.
In the United States Navy a larger variety of food is constantly used. The following is the legal ration for each person daily.
One pound and a quarter salt or smoked meat, with three ounces of dried or six ounces of canned fruit, and three gills of beans or peas, or twelve ounces of flour; or one pound of preserved meat with the same amounts of dried or canned fruit, and twelve ounces of rice or eight of canned vegetables or four of desiccated vegetables; together with one pound of biscuit, two ounces of butter, four ounces of sugar, two of coffee or cocoa or one-half of tea and one of condensed milk or evaporated cream; and an allowance weekly of one-half pound of macaroni; four ounces of cheese, four ounces of tomatoes, one-half pint of vinegar, one-half pint of pickles, one-half pint of molasses, four ounces of salt, one-fourth ounce pepper and one-half ounce dried mustard. Five pounds of lard or a suitable substitute for every hundred pounds of flour and yeast to make bread.
The following substitute for the above ration may be made when deemed necessary by the officers in command: For the salt or smoked meat or preserved meat one and three-quarters pounds of fresh meat; instead of the articles usually issued with salt or preserved meat, fresh vegetables of equal value; for biscuits one and one-fourth pounds of soft bread or eighteen ounces of flour; for three gills of beans or peas twelve ounces of flour or rice or eight ounces of canned vegetables or for twelve ounces of flour or rice or eight ounces of canned vegetables, three gills of beans or peas.
An extra allowance is also made when men are worked overtime or more than usual.
Prison menus are simple, but supply enough in quantity and variety of food to maintain good health. Calculated in terms of protein and calories they correspond well with the standards of At water, Playfair, and Voit. Usually, breakfast consists of a vegetable soup or cereal with bread and butter or milk; dinner of meat or baked beans, vegetables, and bread or fruit; supper of bread and butter or cereal and milk. They should take into consideration the kind and quantity of labor performed by the prisoners and the opportunities or necessities for exercise or work in the open air. Unfortunately, individualization is impracticable, however necessary it may seem from a medical viewpoint.
Grams Proteins. | Gms. Fats. | |||||||||||
AMERICAN (MASSACHUSETTS AND CONNECTICUT). | 20 | 40 | 60 | 80 | 100 | 120 | 140 | 160 | 180 | 200 | ||
Family ofcarpenter in Middletown, Conn. | 114 | 127 | ||||||||||
Family of glass-blowers in East Cambridge, Mass. | 105 | 132 | ||||||||||
Boarding house, Lowell, Mass.; boarders, operatives in cotton mills__________________ | ||||||||||||
132 | 200 | |||||||||||
Boarding' house, Middletown, Conn.; well-paid machinists, etc., at mod-erate work | ||||||||||||
Food purchased | 127 | 186 | ||||||||||
Blacksmiths,Lowell,at hard work | 105 | 155 | ||||||||||
Brickmakers, Massachusetts; 237 persons at very severe work .................................................................. | ||||||||||||
182 | 368 | |||||||||||
Mechanics, etc., in Massachusetts and Connecticut; average of 4 dietaries of mechanics at severe work ............. | ||||||||||||
21S | 295 | |||||||||||
Average of 20 dietaries of wage-workers in Massachusetts and Connecticut ........... | ||||||||||||
155 | 227 | |||||||||||
Average of 5 dietaries of professional men and college students in Middletown, Conn...................... | Food purchased | 136 | 164 | |||||||||
Food eaten | 123 | 155 | ||||||||||
EUROPEAN (ENGLISH, GERMAN, DANISH, AND SWEDISH). | ||||||||||||
Well-fed tailors, England, Playfair................... | 132 | 41 | ||||||||||
Hard-worked weavers, England, Playfair..................... | 155 | 41 | ||||||||||
Blacksmiths at active labor, England, Playfair....................... | 177 | 73 | ||||||||||
Mechanic, Munich, 60 years old, in comfortable circum-fitances, light work, Forster ............. | ||||||||||||
118 | 68 | |||||||||||
Well-paid mechanics, Munich, Voit.................... | 155 | 55 | ||||||||||
Carpenters, coopers, locksmiths, Bavaria; average of 11 dietaries, Voit................................... | ||||||||||||
123 | 36 | |||||||||||
Miners at severe work, Prussia, Steinheil............. | 136 | 114 | ||||||||||
Brickmakers (Italians), Munich, diet mainly maize meal and cheese,severe work, Ranke........................................ | ||||||||||||
168 | 118 | |||||||||||
German army ration, peace footing................ | 114 | 41 | ||||||||||
German army ordinary ration,war footing.................. | 136 | 59 | ||||||||||
German army extraordinary ration, in war...................... | 191 | 45 | ||||||||||
University professor, Munich; very little exercise, Kanke. | 100 | 100 | ||||||||||
Lawyer, Munich, Forster........................... | 82 | 127 | ||||||||||
Physician, Munich, Forster...................... | 127 | 91 | ||||||||||
Physician, Copenhagen, Jurgensen.................... | 136 | 141 | ||||||||||
Average of 7 dietaries of professional men and students, German, Denmark, and Sweden.................... | ||||||||||||
114 | 100 | |||||||||||
DIETARY STANDARDS. | ||||||||||||
Adults in full health, Playfair.. | 118 | 50 | ||||||||||
Active laborers, Playfair.............. | 155 | 73 | ||||||||||
Man at moderate work, Moleschott................... | 132 | 41 | ||||||||||
Man at moderate work, Voit...................... | 118 | 55 | ||||||||||
Man at hard work, Voit ...................... | 145 | 100 | ||||||||||
Man with little physicial exercise, Atwater ................ | 91 | 91 | ||||||||||
Man with light muscular work, Atwater .... | 100 | 100 | ||||||||||
Man with moderate miiKrnla.r work, Atwator....... | 127 | 127 | ||||||||||
Man with active muscular work, Atwater.................................. | 150 | 150 | ||||||||||
Man with hard muscular work, Atwater......................... | 177 | 250 | ||||||||||
Grams Carbohydrates. | Calories. | Nutri-tive ratio | |||||||||||||||||||
450 | 900 | 1350 | 1800 | 2250 | 2700 | 3150 | 3600 | 4050 | 4500 | 4950 | 5400 | 5850 | 6300 | 6750 | 7200 | 7650 | 8100 | 8550 | 9000 | ||
345 | 3055 | 5.5 | |||||||||||||||||||
432 | 3590 | 8.2 | |||||||||||||||||||
550 | 4650 | 7.6 | |||||||||||||||||||
427 | 1010 | 6.8 | |||||||||||||||||||
382 | 6905 | 7.4 | |||||||||||||||||||
1154 | 8850 | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||
750 | 6705 | 6.6 | |||||||||||||||||||
627 | 5275 | 7.5 | |||||||||||||||||||
509 | 4140 | 6.6 | |||||||||||||||||||
491 | 3925 | 6.6 | |||||||||||||||||||
527 | 3055 | 4.7 | |||||||||||||||||||
623 | 3570 | 4.8 | |||||||||||||||||||
668 | 4115 | 4.7 | |||||||||||||||||||
345 | 2525 | 4.3 | |||||||||||||||||||
482 | 3085 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||
582 | 3150 | 5.3 | |||||||||||||||||||
636 | 4195 | 6.7 | |||||||||||||||||||
677 | 4540 | 5.6 | |||||||||||||||||||
482 | 2800 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||
491 | 3095 | 4.6 | |||||||||||||||||||
677 | 3985 | 4.1 | |||||||||||||||||||
241 | 2325 | 4.7 | |||||||||||||||||||
223 | 2400 | 6.3 | |||||||||||||||||||
364 | 2830 | 4.4 | |||||||||||||||||||
241 | 2835 | 4.1 | |||||||||||||||||||
286 | 2670 | 4.7 | |||||||||||||||||||
528 | 3140 | 5.5 | |||||||||||||||||||
568 | 3630 | 4.7 | |||||||||||||||||||
550 | 3160 | 4.9 | |||||||||||||||||||
500 | 3055 | 5.3 | |||||||||||||||||||
450 | 3370 | 4.7 | |||||||||||||||||||
300 | 2450 | 5.5 | |||||||||||||||||||
350 | 2300 | 5.7 | |||||||||||||||||||
500 | 3520 | 5.8 | |||||||||||||||||||
500 | 4060 | 5.6 | |||||||||||||||||||
650 | 5700 | 6.9 | |||||||||||||||||||
 
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