NOTHING seems to catch the attention and interest of an audience attending a health lecture more effectively than does a good demonstration. To be a truly good demonstration it must be simple to understand, easy to use, and clearly visible to the audience. Such demonstrations are priceless and are as keenly cherished by the health educator as is a favorite recipe by a chef.
The following demonstration on calories has been used in a variety of ways by different health educators, who tell me that it is one of their favorites and always receives audience interest and appreciation.
I first saw it used in Philadelphia by Dr. Herschel Lamp when I was teamed up with him there in a health-emphasis week. Ella May Stoneburner, an associate secretary of the General Conference Department of Health, used a variation of this demonstration one night in our Riverside, California, Better Living Center. It was prepared in the form presented here by Elsa Lonergan, of the School of Health.
INTRODUCTION
"Every diet, even one for weight-reduction purposes, should have variety and should be well-balanced and nutritious. The only adjustment that needs to be made in altering the body weight is a change in the amount of calories eaten. Most people find it difficult to weigh food or keep track of calories. Our demonstration tonight is designed to impress you with two things:
1. Most vegetables and fruits are in the low-calorie range. Bread, cereal foods, meat, and legumes are in the middle range. Sweets, nuts, seeds, and fats are in the high-calorie range.
2. It takes 3,500 calories to add one pound to your weight. Simply eliminating 500 calories a day (primarily in the sweet or snack category) will enable you to lose one pound per week, or 52 pounds in a year's time."
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PRESENTATION
Assemble the following foods, carefully weighed to show exact, 100-calorie portions. (The chart on the left is presented as a guide to help you in the selection of proper amounts of the foods indicated.) Present them to the audience by starting with the lowest calorie foods and show the diminishing amount of food in the diet as you present the high-calorie foods. At the end of the demonstration, pile a ridiculous amount of what you have on a slice of bread to demonstrate how quickly you can add calories—such as butter, peanut butter, mayonnaise, cheese, jam, et cetera.
