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| Dr. Anscel Keys |
All army cooks followed a simple menu of items prepared by nutritionists in Washington. Vegetables and fruit, milk and eggs, were all purchased in mass by army officers and civilian experts to feed the soldiers. The pick of the country's fresh meat is sold, nearly a pound of meat per person. Meat is devolved and is dehydrated in order to be able to ship it to the soldiers overseas. Vegetables such as beets go through a new process that protects taste, color, and vitamins. Dehydration was absolutely crucial for the war effort. Studies show that the dehydrated product has little to no vitamin loss. This totals up to be three and a half pounds for three meals a day.
The K Ration was developed to be emergency food rationing. Its compact size yet high caloric value was practical for tank busters, commandos, as well as all isolated units. Each package contained a vitamin rich meal, a day's ration, and weighs about two pounds. K was developed under Colonel Roland, "The object of the K ration is to provide the soldier with food for emergency circumstances"
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| The K Ration |
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| Colonel Ronald |
Overall, American soldiers were well fed and cared for nutritionally, as it has been proved before that food is the key to a good and hearty soldier.
It's really interesting how food and nutrition were used to improve the performance of soldiers during the war. In Britain, this interest in nutrition was also extended to the public, who had their food rationed and were limited in what they could eat. The Ministry of food informed the public as to how they could get the most out of their food, and the idea that a healthy diet led to a healthy life became widely accepted. This method of communication was very effective, and by the end of the war, British housewives became very well-versed in nutritional vocabulary. The government's efforts indeed made the population a lot healthier, and children during this time period were taller and heavier than they had ever been before. Although the rationing lasted until 1954, the nutritional education that people received allowed them to live longer and healthier lives.
ReplyDeleteSource:
http://www.cooksinfo.com/british-wartime-food
I think it is extremely interesting to compare such a specific difference between the First World War and the Second World War. The discovery of the importance of feeding the soldiers properly and how this impacted people outside of the military service as well is very intriguing. How this changed the typical American's diet today would be very interesting to look into. I found an article that discusses just that. Comparing pre-World War II eating habits to World War II and then World War II to modern day may provide patterns and information as to what the future for American nutrition has in store.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/03/wwii-food-america_n_1398132.html
Not only did army nutrition benefit soldiers, it also hugely benefited the companies supplying the food. For example, SPAM was a relatively small phenomenon before the war, but once the US military started buying it, 100 million pounds of the SPAM were sent all over the world to feed the US military. SPAM also became popular with the local people around where the military was stationed, including Britain and Southeast Asia. Were it not for the government's concern that soldier were being fed, SPAM would not be the brand we know today.
ReplyDeleteSources: http://www.spam.com/
https://www.eater.com/2014/7/9/6191681/a-brief-history-of-spam-an-american-meat-icon