Fjölrit RALA - 22.03.1979, Qupperneq 107

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tables and sugar products whereas dairy and meat products are
animal products. It is of interest that in 1965, half of the
food energy was obtained from the plant kingdom and half from
the animal kingdom.
A good proportion of fiber and iron in the diet came from
grains whereas fruits and vegetables were the main source of
vitamin C. Much of the protein and iron was obtained from meat,
fish and eggs while calcium, fat, riboflavin and vitamin A came
from dairy products.
The table shows that about 3/4 of protein come from the
animal kingdom and 90% of the calories from various agricul-
tural products. Of the agricultural products about half was
from domestic sources. Less than 10% of the energy came from
sea products, mainly hvdrogenated fish oils. This shows that
a little over half of the calories in the diet were produced
within the country.
Was the diet adequate ?
In order to certify whether or not the diet was satisfactory
it is necessary to calculate the average intake of each nutrient
independently, e.g. for an adult male. This information is
given in the second lowest line in table 14.3. In the bottom
line the RDA values for men in the age group 23-50 years are
shown.
The table shows that men in Reykjavxk received sufficient
amounts of the nutrients shown in the table. The exception is
dietary fiber, the daily consumption being 20 grams in the year
1965. (If the consumption of grain fiber were increased by 10
grams a day, the average bowel weight would most likely double
on the average.)
When other nutrients are taken into account, the comparison
becomes less favorable. If consumption of liver oil and vitamin
pills is excluded, it is obvious that the diet contains insuffici-
ent amounts of vitamin D for children and folacin and vitamin Bg
for all age groups. This proves, among other things, the neces-
sity of giving children liver oil.
It is of interest that the average intake of iron is 10 mg
for men and would therefore in all likelihood be even less for
women unless they take iron or vitamin pills. The RDA value for