FOOD IN WARTIME Strengthening The Nerves

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20907, 12 September 1939, Page 3

FOOD IN WARTIME Strengthening The Nerves

(By A. E. Lorimer, M. Sc. A.1.C.)

The country which can produce a population with strong nerves is going to have a big chance of winning llio “battle of nerves” which is already a feature of the present conflict. We may well ask how we can fortify our nerves for the extra strain which is to be imposed upon them in the next few months. Is there anything which wc, as ordinary citizens, can do to make ourselves more fit to cope with the crises which are arising? If the problem is to be attacked logically, we should find out just what our nerves arc composed of, how they act and what substances are utilized the most in enabling the nerves to function. We do not know Ihe complete answer to these questions. But modern physiology has advanced to such a stage that we can indicate with some certainty that lime (calcium), phosphorus and vitamin B 1 are perhaps the most important of all ttie substances which must be supplied daily in adequate quantity to the nerves. The most commonsense way to obtain these is to eat as large a ration as possible of foods which contain the lime, phosphorus and vitamin 81. This means that wc must consume every day at least a pint of milk (or its equivalent in cheese; and we must eat all our cereals whole. Necessity For Wholemeal “Milk and whole cereals” may well become the slogan for the present war if we, as a people, are to keep our nerves in order. No oilier readilyavailablc food will supply these elements in adequate quantities. This is important—unless we have all our bread and biscuits and cakes made from wholemeal Hour, we are not getting anything like an adequacy of those elements which are necessary for health at ordinary times, but which arc vitally necessary in times of strain. During Uic Great War, Denmark ac-

tually reduced its death-rate (and insurance premiums) as the direct result of a progressive nutrition policy which was put into practice by Professor Hindehede. He cut out all white flour for human consumption and replaced the white bread and biscuits by those which were made from wholemeal flour and bran! The Danes called it chaff, but they ate it and down went their death-rate and the incidence of disease! It seems a pity that we have to wait for a war to demonstrate the valve of the application of a little simple nutritional knowledge! Delete All White Flour So why not let us in New Zealand follow the example of the Danes? We are primarily an agricultural country, and we have all the potentialities for health that they have. But because we have been brought up on white flour, we are losing valuable opportunities of bettering our health. Could not every housewife as her contribution toward the defence of New Zealand, try to make herself and tier family more healthy (and therefore less of a dr.ag on the hospitals) by deleting all white flour products from her shopping list and substituting wholemeal bread and biscuits instead? It costs no more. And could stie not serve more cheese and milk as well? If every housewife in New Zealand served one meal a day of wholemeal bread, cheese and some greens, she would be making a big contribution toward the maintenance of health and the conservation of the foods which have to be imported Thousands of New Zealanders gave up sugar in their tea during the Great War and grew to prefer it without the sweetening. So why not now. in a time of crisis, try to overcome the prejudices which exist wholemeal bread as a contribution tu national defence? You will be astonished how soon you iikn iU