--------------------------------|-----------------|--------------------
| | lb. oz. gr.
Water | 81.5 | 5 8 .320
Albuminoids | 3.9 | 0 4 .178
Fat | 3.0 | 0 3 .337
Common salt | 3.7 | 0 0 .325
Phosphates, potash, salts, etc. | 0.3 | 0 0 0.170
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Quantity of Food Required.

The quantity of food required to maintain the body in a vigorous
condition depends upon the following conditions:--(1) Climate and
season, (2) clothing, (3) occupation, (4) age and sex. In civilized
countries more food is eaten, as a rule, than is necessary to maintain
health and strength. Climate and seasons influence the quantity of
food eaten. A cold, bracing atmosphere stimulates the appetite, tempts
one to exercise, while a hot climate has the contrary effect; hence
the need for more or less food. Abundant clothing in cold weather
conserves the body heat; less food is therefore required to maintain
life. Exercise and muscular work cause greater oxidation in the
tissues and greater waste of the muscles; this must be replaced by
proper food. Outdoor work requires more food than indoor, and physical
labor more than mental. It has been estimated "that a child of ten
years requires half as much food as a grown woman, and one of fourteen
an equal amount. The rapidly growing active boy often eats as much as
a man, and the middle-aged man requires more than the aged. A man of
seventy years may preserve health on a quantity which would soon
starve his grandson."