Home Front Nutrition from WWII

I have this vintage cookbook for nutrition and recipes during wartime. I found the nutrition section rather interesting and thought it would be neat to share with my readers:

MILK: 1 quart aily for each child, 1 pint for each adult
VEGETABLES AND FRUITS: 41/2 to 5 or more servings per person daily, 1 serving daily of potatoes, 1 serving daily of tomatoes or citrus fruits, 1 serving daily of leavy green or yellow vegetables, 3 to 5 servings per week of other vegetables, 1 serving daily of fruit
EGGS: 2 to 3 a wek for adults, 4 to 5 for young children, a few for cookings
MEAT, FISH OR POULTRY: About 5 times a week or daily if prepared in combination with cereals or vegetables
CEREALS: Daily, preferably at least half made from whole grains
BREAD AND BUTTER OR ALTERNATIVE: At every meal

CALORIES:
Daily Requirements:
Man, moderately active 3000 cal.
Woman, moderately active 2500 cal.
Child 1-6 years 1200-1600
6 to 12 years 1600-2500
Girl 12-15 years 2800
Girl 15-20 years 2400
Boy 12-15 years 3200
Boy 15-20 years 3800

I think today, they recommend an adult woman take in fewer than 2000 calories a day. I've heard some say 1500-1800. Yet, in the 1940's there was very little obesity despite that higher calorite tally.

Comments

Mimi said…
Wow! What an amazing amount of calories. They worked a lot harder, clearly.

My caloric intake goal is 1650.
Anonymous said…
Hey, in some ways, that's not too far from how we already eat around here. I give my chlidren 8 ounces a milk a day and a liquid calcium suppliment. However, my 1yr old gets 24 ounces of milk a day, along with the liquid calcium suppliment.

As for meat, we generally do gound beef on Mondays, legumes cooked in animal fat on Tuesdays, chicken on Wednesdays, something made from homemade chicken stock and veggies on Thursdays, a casserole or beef/lamb on Fridays, Fish on Saturdays or Sundays, and Legumes on Saturdays or Sundays...

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