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THE ABUSE OF FOOD.

llecently we gave the earlier portion of a lecture delivered at the 'annual meeting ol' the Dunedin Branch of the Society of l)iv Malcolm, Professor of Physiology, Otago University. The following is Hie continuation of the address:— Mistaken Ideas with Begard to Cooking. There' is a widespread idea that the cooking ot" food is necessary for health. As a matter of fact, cooking, as generally carried out, markedly diminishes tho digestibility of. all protein foods. This is best seeoi and exemplified in a boiled egg—a '•haxd"-boiled egg is much less digestible than 'a raw one; and the same holds good of meat. At a certain temperature each proteiu is coagulated and made solid; if the heat is continued the .protein becomes harder and leathery, and is much longer in being digested. Cooking of protein, however, serves two. useful ends:— (1) The danger of swallowing parasites and bacteria.is obviated. (2) By certain methods of cooking, such as roasting, savoury substances are produced which call forth a greater How of gastric juice than when the food is not cooked, so that although in itself less digestible, the cooked protein''may cause so much greater-activity'of the digestive glands that the other effects of cooking aro counterbalanced'. Perhaps tTio best result is got by combining the advantages —e.g.,' where the'roasting is light and quick, causing the production of tlio savoury .substances on the surface, and leaving, the interior much underdone. Then in a cut which includes both una may. have tlie advantage of the stimulating part and tho digestibility of the underdone part., , Feeding on raw meat is ' a marked feature 'of some methods of treating tuberculosis, and it Ims been shown that patients so fed, when kept in the open air, can-digest and absorb largo quantities of raw meat frequently, with.*' most beneficial results. , In regard to carbohydrates, cooking is necessary if all the starch is to be digested and utilised. The starch grains, are burst and rendered easy of digestion, and fat is also improved by being cooked.- ' There are certain methods of coosmg that: are to be avoided in providing for people' of weak digestion—e.g., frying in fat. When protein is thus cooked the individual fibres of .the meat become covered over - with. fat, and the watery juices of the stomach are'unable to penetrate and digest the protein part. The same holds good of .toast buttered while, hot. It is again the case that the savouriness of the food so treated may counterbalance the diminished digestibility by increasing tho gastric seoretion; but in (reneral these methods are to be avoided in pre. paring food for invalids.

Excess of Stimulating Matorial.; I have already mentioned that in an ordinaiy diet there are usually to be found certain stimulating substances, some of which are formed during the process of cooking, and which ate present in soups, gravies, sauces, etc. These play , a | most useful part in, digestion,' because ! they aro' appetising, ajid because they directly oxcito secretion; but in some cases tho . amount of utimulatihg material is excessive,. and irritability of the stomach and dyspepsia may result In addition to them, civilised man lias fallen into the habit of using other stimulants such as pepper,, mustard; curryv cloves, and such like. / These are a frequent source of irritation and catarrh of tho ntomaclh Salt >s partly: a necessary material, especially with. 1 vegetable diet, although, many people use it more with meat, and partly it is also 'used as a condiment. In general, much more .salt is, used ilian is .necessary. Tea, coffee,: and alcohol ultimately 'affect, digestion when taken.'in excess; but the subject of such'stimulants . hardly lies .'in -the province of this paper. . "Ballast" in Diet. A certain amount of undigested material is a distinct advantage in a diet (when it is of a kind that (loos not nourish* bacteria). The indigestible material in the diet .of mail is chiefly the cellulose, or fibrous part of fruit arid vegetables. ' This gives bulk to the food, stimulates the movements of the walls, and prevents constipation., In carnivorous animals bones,, sinews, hair, and other indigestible parts of .the animals eaten, pla.v the same part. The chief value of brown bread, bran, bread, oatmeal, and other ' coarse forms of men" lies more in this than in their supposed nutritious, properties. . . FAULTS IN RELATION TO MEALS There are some faults in the method of feeding which. will prevent'even n perfect diet from being used to the best advantage. One is the system of "bite and sup" feeding, as when a bite of solid food is immediately followed; by a sup of some liquid with'.which it is washed iKiwn. . This ,is a fruitful source of indigestion. The solids of . a meal should bo" thoroughly ohewed arid insalivated before the liquid is taken. It is still better to chew and swallow all the more solid parts of a meal before the liquids, except, of course, in the case of sonp, which may well be taken first, as soup stimulates the flow of gastric juice. "Pieces". Between Meals. Another notorious. , fault in feeding is to take food or.'.wwl# betrrwn tho ordinary' meals. .' As I. have already explained, this does not allow'the digestive organs recuperation. 'Some of these cases are really due to what'is known, as irritative dyspensia. In this condition' the irritation of the stomach,, due. to, tlie acid gastric juice, gives. rise to . sensations which tho . patient ■ inter Drets as .hunger, and more food. is .thrust in on'the .already irritated organ. ■ Stress After Meals. Excessive mental or physical' exertion immediately after'a-heavy meal, is also unphysiological. The blood of the body is not sufllciuit to supply all the organs with the full'amount" required in activity. It is'shifted .from one active organ to another, and /digestion suffers if these other organs are made active just after a meal. In addition, mental anxiety and worry, exercise a great influence over the digestive processes. This does not protend to be a complete account of the ways in which we fail to put our' food to be best usebut I have given in outline what I tliink are the main errors. In some of the cases I have also mentioned the causeß; but there aro

a frnv general causes ihat deserve special mention. Indulgence of Appetite. As already mentioned, tlio pleasurable sensations accompanying eating play a most useful part in tlie process ot digestion 111 all tuo higher animals, and in tliom it works in conjunction with an in. stiuctive knowledge of what is required ia the way of diet. Man, however, with his highly-developed psychical organisetion, is apt to allow his tastes to overcome his natural instincts, and he deliberately chooses savoury articles of diet without much regard to tho real needs of the body. Soft and sweet foods are partaken of, to the detriment of the teeth These decay; imperfect mastication and an unhygienic state of the mouth follows, and consequent dyspepsia. Ox - cooked protein is eaten in excess of what is required. This leads to increased bacterial action in the intestines, and Metschnikolf attributes premature senility to such i. conditioii. ur the lack of restraint leads to general over-eating, and the train of evils already mentioned may follow. I ■ • Value of Home . This subject of diet and cooking is so essential to the wcll-bein" of the race that no girl ought to be allowed to leave school without a clear understanding, of tht> rudiments ot the subject and their practical application. It is here that one can see where the home science movement in our university will ultimately bear fruit. In saying so I mean no disparagement to tho good work that for many years lias been done in the New Zealand f drools; but I think the difference will, lie in this: that' the home science teacher will be an expert specially trained in science first, and capable of'explaining the principles underlying her subject in a way that was not usual previously when the subject., was added to tho duties of a teacher .trained for giving instruction m other departments of knowledge.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19160617.2.26

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2799, 17 June 1916, Page 5

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,346

THE ABUSE OF FOOD. Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2799, 17 June 1916, Page 5

THE ABUSE OF FOOD. Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2799, 17 June 1916, Page 5

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