CHAPTER XV
FOOD
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Necessity for Food
Food is defined as nutritive material absorbed or taken into the body of an organism for purposes of growth or repair and for the maintenance of the vital processes. Food is derived from two sources—the animal kingdom and the vegetable kingdom.
The body is composed of materials which are constantly wearing out under the processes carried on in the functioning of the body, and this tissue must be replaced with new material. This is supplied in the form of food that is taken into the system and acted upon by the secretions in such a way as to break up and properly combine the chemicals so that Innate Intelligence may bring about an assimilation in the tissue cells.
The variety of articles that Innate can use as food in the body is varied. It is not necessary to have a perfect food or a perfectly rationed diet in order for Innate to maintain the anabolism of the body. The ease with which the processes of digestion are carried on depends upon the freedom with which mental impulses are transmitted to the organs of digestion.
As there is a constant flow of mental impulses through the nerves and a constant expression in the tissue cells so there is a corresponding change taking place in the tissues of the body. To this change there must be a constant adaptation so that new tissue will be provided to replace that which is worn out. To accomplish this there must be a proper supply of nutrition at properly stated intervals.
It is not the purpose of chiropractic hygiene to say what a person should or should not eat. Innate Intelligence is the best judge as to that. Chiropractic philosophy teaches that a person may eat anything that does not disagree with him; or to put it otherwise, a person should eat what agrees with him. It also teaches us that pain and discomfort from eating that which does not digest is Innate telling the educated mind that this particular article is not being digested and that he should not eat it. This lack of digestion is not the fault of the food, but is due to an interference with transmission which prevents Innate from bringing about an adaptation to this food. In other words, the interference with transmission prevents Innate from producing the secretion that is needed in the digestion of this particular article or diet.
Distinction between Appetite and Hunger
It is quite necessary that we make a distinction between appetite and hunger. Hunger is Innate calling for food. It is the expression through the educated brain of the vibratory interpretations which are received from the tissue cells that are in need of nutrition. These vibrations are interpreted by Innate Intelligence and Innate becomes aware of the need of the tissue cell. Thereupon she expresses this interpretation through the educated brain and we become aware, educationally, of this condition which is interpreted as hunger.
Hunger is an Innate interpretation while appetite is an educated interpretation. Hunger is a desire for food while appetite is a desire for a certain kind of food. The appetite decides what kind of food we will eat to satisfy the hunger. Appetite may be perverted.
When there is a condition which interferes with the process of digestion Innate Intelligence takes away the desire for food. When this is true there should be no effort on the part of the educated man to tempt the appetite. If the appetite is tempted in such a case, the food will not be properly digested, or if it is, it will be necessary for Innate to employ force that should be used for some other purpose.
If the processes of digestion are normal the individual may eat any article of food and it will be properly digested and he will not be conscious of this process. But if the process of digestion is abnormal he may not be able to digest even the most scientific diet. The severity of the indigestion will depend upon the degree of interference with function. In such event appetite is not reliable because it may call for something that can not be digested. Innate knows nothing of the different foods. She calls for nutrition, but the educated mind says beefsteak and eggs. Now if we become sick after eating beefsteak and eggs this is Innate trying to let us know that the food is not being digested and should not be taken into the stomach.
On the other hand we may find that Innate will revolt when we try to eat food which can not be digested. Innate will cause us to lose our desire to eat such food, the very thoughts of it being repulsive.
Chiropractic philosophy maintains that a patient should eat anything that agrees with him and that Innate is the best judge. A food is anything that can be used in the metabolism of the body. A poison is anything that can not be used in the metabolism of the body and if allowed to remain in the body will injure the tissues. That which is food for one may therefore be poison for another.
If there was no interference with the transmission preventing the normal expression of Innate Intelligence through the educated brain, we would eat only those things which could be digested. It might be said that Innate is a great dietitian and one that would never make a mistake if there could always be a perfect expression. The trouble is that we substitute educated for Innate and therefore make mistakes and eat those things which can not be digested because of interference with transmission of mental impulses.
The amount of food and the kind required by man will be governed largely by the character of the work he does. The state of health, the climate and season, occupation, clothing, exercise, body weight, sex and age all have an influence on the quantity of food required to maintain bodily health.
The appetite could be relied upon to determine just the quantity and quality of our diet were it not for the fact that, in this day of civilization when cooking is a fine art and the appetite is so stimulated, we eat beyond the normal requirements of the body. As a result the stomach is overloaded with food that is not required for the normal health and vigor of the individual. The digestive organs are overworked. There is an engorgement of the liver, and degenerative changes, such as fatty heart, take place.
The symptoms of overeating are: headache, feeling of lassitude, drowsiness, mental stupor, the liver becomes congested, the intestines are engorged, the secretions of the body are altered in their composition, the urine is heavily loaded with salts, there is constipation, maybe biliousness, and the tongue is heavily coated. There may also be obesity and gout.
Starvation
Food must be taken into the body in sufficient quantity and quality so that bodily function may be maintained. The term starvation is a technical one meaning a lack of sufficient food, although it is used loosely to mean a condition resulting from lack of assimilation. After the food in the stomach has been completely digested and the process of assimilation has reached a certain stage, vibrations are carried from the tissue cells to the brain. These enable the intelligence to know in what stage of assimilation the food is, and these vibrations are interpreted as hunger, the sensation being localized in the stomach. In the normal individual this sensation will appear soon enough to enable the introduction of food into the stomach so that its digestion may be completed before any injury from lack of nutrition occurs to the tissues. In other words, a provision has been made whereby food will be called for in sufficient time to enable Innate Intelligence to prepare this food for the tissue cells, so that there will be a new supply as soon as the process of assimilation has been completed. If food is not taken into the stomach when the sensation of hunger is manifested this sensation in the course of time will result in extreme bodily weakness and faintness. In certain incoördinations sensations may be produced which will be interpreted by the educated mind as hunger. Therefore, it is necessary to make a distinction between the sensations of hunger and the sensations from incoördinations of the stomach. In a dyspeptic condition there is an almost constant sensation of hunger, and the individual may eat much more food than can be digested. Very often, in these cases, the food is taken into the stomach so rapidly that there is not sufficient time for the gastric secretions to act upon it. In this way much more food may be taken into the stomach than is actually required by the tissue cells. It is obvious that we must have a proper amount of food in balanced rations, and also that this food be properly digested in order to be assimilated by the tissues. If food is not properly digested it can not be assimilated.
Inanition
There may be a condition obtained in the body resulting from a lack of assimilation of food by the tissues, even though there is a sufficient amount of food taken into the body. This condition is known technically as inanition. Death will result in a short time when food is completely withheld whether the condition is that of starvation or inanition. There may be an interference with transmission of mental impulses to the digestive organs. This will interfere with digestion, and inanition will result because the food which is not properly digested can not be assimilated even though the tissue cells are perfectly normal. Inanition may also result from an interference with transmission, which prevents the tissue cells from performing their normal function in the process of assimilation. In this way the tissues starve for the want of food, not because there is a lack of nutrition in the body, but because the food taken into the system has not been properly broken down by the digestive secretions, or if it has been properly digested it has not been assimilated. It is a recognized fact that a large percentage of growing children are underweight. Authors differ as to the percentage. It ranges all the way from 15% to 60%. This condition is not necessarily caused by an insufficient amount of proper food, for the condition has been found more prevalent among the children of the wealthy than among those of the poorer classes. This shows that the cause for such malnutrition is within the child and not in the food that he is eating. In the large majority of cases it is either because the food is not being properly digested or is not being assimilated after it has been digested. It is quite necessary that there be a properly balanced diet, but even a perfectly balanced diet will not guarantee perfect assimilation. This can be accomplished only through unhindered transmission and expression of mental impulses in all parts of the body.
Balanced Rations
Properly balanced rations will enable Innate Intelligence to promote the growth and maintain the processes of the body with the greatest ease and the least necessity for the adaptative expenditure of internal energy. Much attention has been given the science of nutrition. At one time there was great importance attached to the chemical composition of foods, special attention being given to the proteins, carbohydrates and fats contained in the diet. Later it was thought that certain inorganic salts were necessary. Great stress has been placed upon the caloric value of food. The latest students in the science of nutrition have emphasized the value of vitamins.
A properly balanced diet should contain sufficient calories and inorganic salts, especially iron, phosphorus, calcium and iodin. There should be a sufficient variety of foods to provide the necessary vitamins. It is also thought that a certain amount of roughage is necessary. If we expect the best results from our digestive tract we should strive to keep the balance approximately the same each day. This is not because Innate Intelligence is unable to adapt the body to a great variety of food, but it is more to prevent a necessity for such extreme adaptation. To illustrate: If we constantly introduce too much acid into the stomach, it necessitates an adaptative action on the part of Innate Intelligence in the production of an alkali to neutralize the acid. Since we know so little educationally about nutrition, it is wise for us to eat as great a variety of foods as possible, and especially is this necessary in providing a balanced ration for growing children.
In considering food we must not forget the importance of proper digestion and assimilation. In Chiropractic the diet is of little importance, providing the functional activities of the body are maintained at normality.
CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS
Sources of Food
Foods are classified according to source, chemical composition, physical properties and function.
In classifying food as to its source we have three classifications: animal, plant and mineral. Meat, fowl, fish, shell-fish, eggs, milk and its products, animal fat and gelatin help to constitute the animal foods. Seeds, roots, leaves, cereals, vegetables, fruits, sugar and vegetable oils are plant foods. From the mineral there are: iron, potassium, phosphorus, iodin, sulphur. These are obtained from the animal and plant foods. Water is not classed as a food, but it enters into the diet as a very important constituent.
Chemical Composition
From the standpoint of chemical composition foods are grouped into two classes, nitrogenous and non-nitrogenous. Both the animal and vegetable kingdom contribute foods to each of these classes, although the animal substances belong more to the nitrogenous, while the vegetable kingdom belongs more particularly to the non-nitrogenous foods. The nitrogenous foods consist chiefly of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen and are considered to be essentially tissue builders. Hygienists speak of the non-nitrogenous foods as being force producers, asserting that these foods supply energy for muscular action.
Physical Properties
Under this heading foods are classified as: (a) solids, semi-solids and liquid foods; (b) fibrous, gelatinous, starchy, oleaginous, crystalline and albuminous foods. The indigestible residue is called roughage.
Function
Foods are classified as: Proteins, carbohydrates, fats, condiments, inorganic salts and vitamins.
Proteins are the tissue builders of the body. They are derived from meat, milk, eggs, peas and beans for example. Some foods are much richer in protein than others, and there is also a difference in the quality of the protein. Some protein is more valuable from the standpoint of food than others. Casein is very rich in protein which is of great food value. The protein found in meat is also of good quality, but it is not as valuable as that found in milk. Such cellular organs as the liver and pancreas furnish a good source of protein. There is a very small amount of protein of excellent quality found in leafy plants. There is a difference of opinion among authors as to the amount of protein needed per day by healthy individuals. Some advise a very small amount of protein while others recommend a diet containing as much as 125 grams, approximately four and one-half ounces, per day.
The carbohydrates furnish the body with the necessary material for forming adipose tissue and heat through oxidation. It is very essential that the body be provided with sufficient starches. This is evidenced by the fact that starch constituents are so universally found in food from whatever source taken. For example, carbohydrates or starchy foods are found in cereals, tubers, such as potatoes, and sugars of cane, beets and fruits, and glycogen in flesh.
Fats come from animal and vegetable sources and are represented by butter, fats of meat, olive oil, cottonseed oil, nuts and seeds. Oily substances are found in practically all vegetables. A vitamin known as fat soluble A is found in certain fats, but not in others. It is found in the fat of milk and usually in other fats of animal origin; and also in eggs and in leafy plants. Lard and oil of plant origin furnish very little of this vitamin. It can readily be seen by this that all fats do not have the same food value.
The condiments are the spices such as pepper, mustard, cloves, coffee, tea and alcoholic beverages.
Inorganic salts are not ordinarily classed as a food. However, it is essential in the maintaining of life. It performs a very important function in the building of bone and assists also in digestion and metabolism. The vegetable acids, such as tartaric from grapes, lemon and citric, will be found in combination with the bases calcium, sodium and potassium, for example, especially when they are taken from fresh vegetables and fruits. When absorbed they form carbonates and are therefore indispensable in the process of metabolism, since they aid in maintaining the alkalinity of the body. If the food of the growing infant is deficient in calcium phosphate, or if there is an interference with transmission which hinders the activity of calcium phosphate in the body, the bones of the child will be poorly developed and will become abnormally soft. In this case they yield under the weight of the body and become deformed. A good illustration of this is seen in rickets.
Milk forms an excellent source of calcium in large quantities and in a utilizable form. The fact that milk is deficient in iron must be taken into consideration when it is used as a sole article of diet for growing children.
Vitamin is the name given to a chemical substance found in yeast and in rice polishings. It was so named by Dr. Casimir Funk, a Russian chemist, in 1913. The chemical nature of the vitamin is unknown, but it has been proven that it possesses great growth-producing qualities, a small amount producing great results. Only three vitamins have been recognized. One is soluble in fat and has been called fat soluble A, the other two are soluble in water and are known as water soluble B and water soluble C.
Fat soluble A is found in the leaves of plants, spinach, carrots, peas, peanuts, but more abundantly in eggs, butter and milk; it is also present in such glandular organs as the liver and kidneys. Cod liver oil is found to contain this vitamin. It is found to be almost, if not entirely, missing from lard and the fats of vegetable origin; sugar from cane, milk and beets, bolted flour, starch and glucose and polished rice are entirely devoid of this vitamin, while the rice polishings are exceedingly rich in fat soluble A.
Experiments have been made upon rats and dogs which show that if they are fed upon a diet devoid of this vitamin they develop a condition similar to rickets. Their eyes become inflamed and dry and eventually blindness results.
The vitamin known as water soluble B is probably the most widely distributed of the vitamins. It is obtained in tubers, seeds, leaves of plants and in animals, but not in the oils or fats of either vegetable or animal origin. This vitamin promotes growth. The prolonged absence of it induces beriberi. Water soluble B is not destroyed by boiling the foods in which it is found. This vitamin is found in yeast, navy and soy beans, milk, parsnips, potatoes, spinach, whole grain, rice, maize, carrots, onions, oats, cauliflower, celery, rutabagas and whole wheat bread. This vitamin is present in very small quantities in such foods as cabbage, tomatoes, peas, eggs and wheat bran. All ordinary foods contain this vitamin. Water soluble B is known as the antineurotic vitamin.
The water soluble C vitamin is known as the antiscorbutic vitamin. In experimentations it has been found that animals entirely deprived of this vitamin have developed scurvy. The condition disappeared when the vitamin was included in the diet.
The experiments by which it has been hoped to associate many dis-eases with vitamins have not proven satisfactory, and while it is a recognized fact that they play an important part in the bodily metabolism yet dis-ease can not be corrected by a scientific endeavor to supply the needed vitamins through diet.
Water soluble C is found in such foods as: apples, cabbage, tomatoes, spinach, peas, onions, lettuce, oranges, potatoes and milk.