DIET IN THE ARMY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15521, 31 January 1914, Page 5 (Supplement)

DIET IN THE ARMY.

A RF.roET on Army dietetics was published in a recent Blue Book. It has reference to the experimental marches in 1909 and 1910. In the,following April the Army Council appointed a committee, which reported unfavourably upon the emergency ration of 1909, and the council's reasons for believing in the field service ration subsequently supplied are set forth in the Blue Book just published. In 1909 officers and men all lost weight, the former half as fast again as the latter. In the last five days of tho experiment the average daily loss of weight was just over *lb in the case of the men, and about |lb in the case of the officers.

Estimating the relative value of the food supplied, and the work in the light of the ultimate effect of the work on the men's bodies, the report notes that the ration was deficient in energy value. It consisted of corn beef, biscuit, jam, and grocery ration, and potatoes or cauliflower or mixed vegetables in the first week. In the second week fresh meat was substituted for the corned beef.

The committee found that it was imposible to increase the energy supply inside the limit of a ration weighing only Mb without over-concentration. They suggested that as the potato ration possessed the least energy value of any of the constituents of the field-service ration, it should be cut out. That would reduce the ration to 2ilb weight, and in its place bacon, cheese, additional jam, peas or oatmeal, and coffee, milk and sugar should be added. The second experimental march in August 1910, was carried out on the altered rations thus suggested. The experience of all the three medical officers who took part in both marches, was that the ration issued on the latter occasion, was infinitely better both as regards quantity and composition than that supplied in the previous year. The /improvement* as regards quantity was chiefly noted in the fat supplied in the bacon and cheese and ' the bulk furnished by the porridge..