CITIZENS’ LUNCH CLUB.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 259, 30 September 1940, Page 3

CITIZENS’ LUNCH CLUB.

ADDRESS ON NUTRITION

Mr G. C. Petersen presided at a meeting of the Palmerston North Citizens’ Lunch Club. The speaker vva.s Dr. J. Alelville, who spoke on “Nutrition.”

Dr. Alelville said that everyone was interested in eating, which was one of the few undiluted pleasures left, and everyone had his or her pet ideas on what constituted a good meal. Only in the last 20 years or so had the common man realised that such a science as nutrition could exist. For the purpose of his talk, he added, ho would divide the subject of nutrition into two jiarts—theory and practice. As late as the beginning ol the present century those scientists who were interested in food looked on t'lie human or animal body just as if it were a machine sucli as a steam engine. Provided the body were given sufficient fuel in the shape of food to perform the involuntary movements, such as breathing, the beating of the heart, etc., and the voluntary movements involved in work and bodily activities generally, all would be well, lint a suspicion that this was by no means the whole story was raised in the minds of several investigators and the idea pf accessory food substances, present in the diet in extremely small quantities, was born. These accessory food substances, which it had been found were necessary to prevent certain diseases, came to be known as vitamins, and there was no more fascinating chapter in the whole of chemistry than that which dealt with vitamins. But vitamins were only one part of the Story of tile newer knowledge of nutrition. The body needed protein to make good the worn-out tissues and to build new ones. There was still much to learn about vitamins and proteins, and the sp'eaker emphasised the difficulties which beset investigators.

Turning to the practical side. Dr. Alelville said that very lew of the materials used by the housewife were pure substances, but‘practically everything was a combination of vitamins, sugars, mineral elements, etc. The moral of the tale was “In tne multitude of councillors there is wisdom; in tile multiplicity of foods there is health.” The principles of good nutrition were easy, said Dr. Alelville, who outlined them. The two main factors which determined the nutritional standard ol : any group of people were economics and education. No one whose income fell below a certain figure could afford to buy the right kind of food, and he might not be able to buy enough of any kind of food. Alany people suffered from malnutrition not because ol lack of purchasing power, but because of ignorance. _ That state of affairs was being remedied as more and more people began to realise the virtues of milk and vegetables and fruit. Dr. Alelville condemned the theory that starchy foods should not be mixed with proteins. Beans and peas both contained high quantities, of starch and protein intimately mixed, and the human digestive system was very well equipped to deal with starches and proteins either together or separately. The speaker next dealt with the white versus wholemeal bread question and white and brown sugar. The substances lost by refining flour and sugar might he important in a limited diet, but did not affect a wellbalanced one. Dr. Alelville also' dealt with the claims of certain patent foods and patent medicines. The better nutrition of the world’s population was one of the most pressing problenis of our times, said Dr. Alelville, and the fact that we were at war with an implacable and relentless enemy did not vitiate that statement.