HEALTH HINTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 154, 29 June 1907, Page 11

HEALTH HINTS.

yHAT TO EAT. THE BEST DIETS FOR ALL AGES. (By Hugh H. Riddle, M.8.) A question that comes up in everyone's minq at intervals is, Am I taking the correct quantity and quality of food daily to pifeserve health, or am I making mistakes jhich, unrecognised now, will bring on digestive troubles and other unhealthy coiditions later? In going jinto the question of diet it is as well toj divide life into three ages: the period pf youth, the period of adult life, and the period of advanced age. This first division of time we will further sub-didde into the periods of (1) infancy an< childhood, and (2) adolescence. Leaving entirely the many vexed problems as to she -proper methods of feeding very ycmg infants, let us choose a diet suitabl: for a child of three years who, with denty of milk-teeth, has a good appetie and takes a profound interest in it: food. The meals should be three, beginnin" with an eary breakfast at 7.30 a.m. DIET FOR THE SCHOOLDAYS. As the chid gets older he will "demand larger' quantities, and the mother by carefully wAching the child's weight and general condition will be able to regulate this amount. The child should be taught ai this time to eat leisurely and to cheT his food thoroughly for without thes two habits a good di"es,tion _5iU jie*fer, be- acquired,

■ Going on to the adolescent stage, when the child is at school, and, presumably,using brain and body vigorously, the question of diet again is of the utmost importance, for in these years, from ten to nineteen, the body is growing fast and must be well fed and nourished.

Dr. Burney, speaking of this, says: "At no period of life is it so necessary to be provided with a complete and ■liberal dietary." Besides needing much and good food, the growing youth requires it often. At this time of active and rapid growth the diet must contain plenty of proteid food to assist in the growth of the tissues as well as fats an* carbohydrates for the developing of heat and muscular energy. ■ The proper growth of the bones and teeth demands also a certain amount of mineral substance. Health authorities are divided on the subject, but it seems almost only common sense to believe that a growing boy, after a fast of perhaps twelve hours, is in no condition to do any brain work before breakfast. Supper should either be entirely dispensed with (which would make a very .long fast until the next morning), or else should be merely bread and butter and milk. In no case should a heavy supper of meat, potatoes, beer, etc., be provided within an hour or two of the boys' bedtime. Whatever may be the opinion as to adults taking too much animal food, writers on dietetics generally agree that growing boys and girls should eat meat twice a day. A celebrated French j authority says that plenty of plainly cooked meat is necessary, as it contains all the principles of the blood, fibrin, haemoglobin, and iron itself in sufficient. amount to render ferruginous drugs unnecessary. Coming to adult life, the food requirements are naturally altered. The period of active growth and development is over. The duty of food now is to store up energy to take the place of that used up in our daily work, and to keep the various intricate mechanisms of the body in good repair. THE HABIT OF ©VER-EATING. Therefore, in attempting to draw up a suitable diet sheet for adult life consideration must be taken of such questions as sex, habits, and physical development. Male adults almost invariably (circumstances permitting) eat more, than their bodies require, and though they may feel no ill-eflects during their youth, the habit tells on them in advancing age, frequently in the form of gout, rheumatism, and Bright's disease.

The habit of eating too much is formed in youth when the digestive functions are most active and tne ability and inclination for the physical exercise necessary for health, are unimpaired. Lately, since so many medical men have been preaching the evils of overeating (and especially flesh foods), there has sprung up a new cult who might be called semi-vegetarians. These people, without any strong ideas on the moral side of flesh-eating, slaughter-houses, etc., have decided that meat once a day is sufficient for thejr physical wants. So they are vegetarians at noon; and cat meat only with their evening meal. And for a man getting little exercise and sitting still in his office all day, using his brain and not his body, it seems very sound doctrine. MEAT-EATERS VERSUS VEGETARIANS. Iv America interesting experiments have been made in late years in the question of the relative endurance of meat eaters and vegetarians. Professor Fisher, of Yale University, arranged three tests of endurance. Choosing a certain number of meat eaters and meat abstainers, he found that the vegetarians showed a greater power of endurance in performance of physical exercises. Professor Chittenden, also of Yale University, who conducted a similar series of experiments with volunteers from the United States Army some few years ago, came to practically the same conclusion, finding superior powers of physical endurance in those who ate little or no meat, while the meat eaters were superior in energy and enterprise. For the ordinary healthy adult, those whose only regular exercise is a walk home from the office when the weather permits, a sensible diet would be: Breakfast.—A large cup of not too strong tea, a couple of soft-boiled eggs, bread and butter and marmalade. Fruit in season.

Luncheon.—A vegetable soup of one of the many attractive forms of cereal, with milk and cream, cheese (Cheddar, etc.), and a glass of milk. No meat and "no alcohol.

Unless a person is a ravenous eater he would soon become accustomed to this light diet, and the getting rid of the drowsy lethargy that too often follows a heavy meat luncheon with beer or wine would alone, make the change worth while, even if the staving off of gouty and nephritic conditions in middle age was left out of consideration. Tea, 4.30 to s.—Never more than two cups of tea, and only a small amount of toast or cake. Otherwise, dinner, the most important meal of the day, will not receive due consideration. Dinner, 7 to S. —Should be varied according to the sex and the habits of the individual. A little meat, with fish, fresh vegetables, good bread, and fruit as the chief articles of diet, should be sufficient for the brain-worker who gets little physical exercise. For the muscular, hard-working man, who uses his muscles more than his brain, more meat is allowed. LESS FOOD REQUIRED WHEN GROWING OLDER. At this meal alone should alcohol be taken, if it be considered necessary at all. Brandy or whisky is perhaps the best form of alcohol to be taken with dinner. They aid salivary digestion by promoting an increased flow of saliva, whereas sherry, port, and claret, through their acidity, have an inhibitory effect on salivary digestion.

In advanced life the force and activity of all the organs of the body, as well as the mental powers, diminish. As these activities are less, and therefore require less food to keep them going, so at the same time the digestive and assimilative powers decrease. Less nutriment is required than was necessary in the days when every organ was in active work. Unless the diet be gradually cut down, as old age approaches, signs of disease depending on defective elimination will appear.

In Sir George Humphry's report on centenarians it was shown that out of thirty-eight carefully studied the great majority were small or moderate consumers of both food and drink.

In old people the dietary should be made up of one part or less of flesh food to three parts vegetable food. Meals should be small, but should not be at too great intervals. Old people frequently wake up hungry about four o'clock in the morning. Some easily digested fluid food at the bedside will often satisfy this craving- and induce sleep,