TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

New Zealand Listener, Volume 7, Issue 174, 23 October 1942, Page 10

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

(Written for "The Listener’ by DR.

MURIEL

BELL

Nutritionist to the

Department of Health)

WO instances have been related to me by doctors during the past week of patients who have been taking too much of a good thing. People sometimes get a queer notion that, because a thing is good for them, it will be still better if taken to excess. Th» first example was almost incredible; the doctor had been eliciting the story of his symptoms from a country lad. "I felt weak, doctor." "And what did you do?" "I came inside and thought I should eat something to make me strong." "And what did you eat?" "Eggs." "How many?" "Thirty." "Why did you take so many?" "Because I thought they would make me strong, doctor." The second example is much more common. An affkious mother came with her small daughter, worried because the child was not well. When questioned, the mother (who knew there were vitamins in butter and cream), said that she had

tri to do the best for her child by giving her plenty of butter and creamwhich she did on all possible occasions. The result was stunted growth, bad breath, bad temper and failure to. thrive. If you will consult the booklet "Good Nutrition," you will see in a chapter on Milk and Dairy Products, illustrations of rats fed on ‘bread and skim milk compared with rats fed on bread» and cream. The former have obviously done well, while the latter have done badly. The reason is that the cream, having so much fat, soon satisfies the appetite or the need for calories; in addition, there is a tendency if the fat in the diet is taken to excess, for it to diminish the secretion of the gastric digestive juices. The rat on the skim milk ‘fared much better, because each day it was able to take a greater total of protein and of calcium, both being needed for growth; one should add that it was getting enough Vitamin A from its wholemeal bread and from the traces of fat in the skim milk; and enough Vitamin D from its exposure to light; so it did not miss the cream from the milk. Cream and butter are good things if they are kept in their proper proportions in the diet. Another thing that is frequently done by enthusiasts is to over-emphasise the

use of raw foods, or of roughage. They have heard that, if foods are improperly cooked, there is a strong possibility of losing vitamins and minerals; they have also heard that fruits, vegetables and brown bread are protective foods. Quite true, But the remedy for bad cooking is good cooking; and though raw foods are desirable, they should never be consumed to-the exclusion of the main things that are essential for well-being; in feeding children, it is particularly necessary to see to the quantity of good protein, which is above all needed for growth. Looking after the vitamins is all right as long as there is not simultaneous neglect of the proteins, Doctors have told me of mothers who feed their children conscientiously on salads for the good of their teeth, but who neglect to give them enough eggs, or milk, or meat, or cheese. These are the foundations of any diet; the other things should be added. To obtain all the nourishment needed from its raw fare, a cow is furnished with a complicated set of four stomachs (instead of a lonely, single one like our own), and an enormous length of intestine compared with our own, The herbivorous animal needs a fair acreage of green fodder, and all day is occupied with the serious business of digestion and assimilation. The human being has

usually to regard meals as a side-line conly-not an all-day occupation (except for some unfortunate housewives). If the human alimentary canal has either too much raw food or too much roughage, it often objects to the point of rebellion; it then demands the attention of the doctor. Moderation is essential in all things.