The Dietary Composition and Adequacy of the Food Consumed by Young Men on an Ad Libitum Regimen

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Abstract
A food intake study of 98 soldiers was conducted under an ad libitum regimen during 28 days. Daily nutrient intakes were determined for each individual. The mean daily intakes of calories, protein, fat and carbohydrate from all sources were 3669 Cal., 150.7 gm, 162.3 gm, and 296.6 gm, respectively. Ninety-five of the 98 men gained in body weight for an average gain of 2.03 kg over the 4-week period. A parallel relationship was observed between calorie intake and energy expenditure for the same day. The intake was highest on Wednesday and lowest on Sunday, coincident with the highest and lowest activity levels, during the respective days. By employing individual body weights and calorie intakes (adjusted for weight change) an equation was derived to estimate the calorie requirement for individuals of comparable age, sex and size as follows: E = 452.88 W0.458 where E is the estimated calorie requirement and W the body weight in kilograms. One of the most significant observations was the high intake of milk which averaged 1537 gm (one and one-half quarts) daily for each man. The mean calorie and protein intakes were above the dietary allowances recommended by the National Research Council and above the minimum allowances specified by the Armed Forces for individuals under comparable activity levels.

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