It may seem strange that, in writing menus for Weight Increase, so much more food should be recommended than for the Maintenance Diet. They are, however, based upon experience. Attention has already been called to the fact that, for a short person, even 2300 calories may be a Weight Increase Diet. The following menus are written for difficult cases. As a general rule, persons keeping their weight easily are not interested in this chapter. Consequently those who will apply these Weight Increase Menus to themselves are almost limited to such as need dietaries of high caloric value for the purpose. On the other hand to Reduce Weight extremely low diets have been given. To maintain a reduction after weight is once down, diets slightly below average have been recommended. For Weight Increase extremely high caloric values are essential.
It will be noticed that bread is used more freely in the following menus than in those for Weight Reduction or the Maintenance of Weight. The muffins may be made larger and the bread sliced thicker (in addition to increasing the number of slices). Butter and cream are used much more freely. More kinds of heavy starches are used at a meal. Desserts are added.
All menus have been written for individual portions. This has been more tedious in the preparation, but it will be easier for those following them. They can be readily multiplied by the number using them if it is necessary to calculate for more than one. The author has gone to considerable trouble to make them really definite, so that no one need be in doubt about the size of helpings. It has not been thought desirable to endeavor to change the habits of the reader regarding the use of tea or coffee. How-ever, the amounts of these beverages written into the menus have been average or less. The same may be said of water drinking with meals. It has not been interdicted, because these menus are written for the sole purpose of weight control.
The expression “40% cream” refers to the heavy cream which is purchased in bottles in the cities; “20% cream” is diluted with a trifle more than an equal part of milk.
Raw milk is preferable to pasteurized when the source of supply is such as to guarantee against infection. Vitamine C, which is present in such small amount as to be negligible in pasteurized milk, has not been credited to milk in these menus since most city people do not use raw milk.