What to eat and when

Before giving any diets, let me first of all impress the importance of eating slowly, of good cheer, of light conversation during a meal, and of thoroughly masticating the food. Remember it is the food assimilated which nourishes.

The following diets allow sufficient food for average conditions, when the vital organs are normal.

Fruit, as previously stated, contains a very small quantity of nutrition. It is more valuable for its diuretic effect, and to stimulate the appetite; for this reason it may well be eaten before a meal.

The citrus fruits tend to neutralize too high acidity of the blood, increasing its alkalinity. For this reason, also, they are best before a meal, particularly before breakfast; they have a more laxative and cleansing effect if eaten before the other food. The custom has been, however, to eat fruits after dinner for dessert and they are so given in the following menus.

Table XI (page 207) gives the total amount of protein, carbohydrate, and fat needed daily for the work of the body. The method of determining the number of calories produced by each variety of food is also given on page 208.

By a little study of the food one ordinarily eats in connection with this tabulation and the tables given on pages 233 to 241, it can be determined whether the food taken each day is well or illy balanced and whether one is eating too much or not enough.

Table XIII (page 209) gives the balanced supply for a day of the most commonly used foods and may be consulted as a basis from which to work in constructing balanced meals.

Because of the wide variation in methods of preparing food in the home, an exact and absolute standard cannot be fixed.

All foods contain combinations of mineral salts, particularly calcium (lime), sodium, magnesium, and potassium. In each food, however, some mineral predominates. For instance, potatoes contain both calcium and potassium but the potassium content is larger than the calcium. For this reason when potassium salts are needed in a diet, potatoes and other potassium-containing foods make a valuable contribution. When potassium needs to be limited these foods should be omitted from the diet. When calcium is needed, as in growing children, calcium-containing foods should be made a large part of the diet.

In conditions of health the construction of a balanced diet is a comparatively simple matter. In conditions of disease, however, the question of diet is often one that can only be solved by a skilled dietitian, after a chemical analysis. Unfortunately, the number of these in the United States is not large and their services are not available in many cases in which they are needed.

A diet in which the acid-forming elements are in excess will ultimately result in a lessening of the alkalinity of the blood. The blood then, to maintain its balance, withdraws alkaline substances from the tissues. A balance must, therefore, be maintained between the acid and alkaline foods. This has a bearing on scurvy and also in gout.

Foods which are called acid, that is, they tend to lessen the normal alkalinity of the blood, are, oats, barley, beef, wheat, eggs, rice, and maize. When the proportion of acid in the blood is too great the supply of these foods should be lessened.

Alkaline foods, or those which leave no acid residue, are carrots, turnips, potatoes, onions, milk, blood, peas, lemon and orange juice, and beans. These may be used when there is too much acid in the system.

Neutral foods are sugar, the vegetable oils, and animal fats.

All the content of the foods must be taken into consideration in building a diet, the carbohydrate, fat, and protein being considered as well as the mineral. A consideration of the mineral content, however, should not be neglected. One-eighth grain of iron is taken daily in the ordinary mixed diet. The fact that in one quart of milk, according to Hutchinson, there are ¹/₂ grains of calcium shows how valuable this food is to the growing child for bone and tissue building. It must also be considered when constipation results from a milk diet. Milk and its derivatives are poor in iron, while meat, fish, potatoes, fruits, and bread are poor in calcium. Animal foods are rich in sodium; vegetables and fruits in potassium.

The following shows the foods which contain mineral salts, in larger proportions.

A knowledge of the carbohydrate content of foods is useful also in making up a diet, especially in diabetes. Friedenwald and Ruhrah give the following in their order:

In the following menus the effort has been to give a correct balance of the various food elements with the approximate calories furnished by each meal. They are suggestive only and may be varied according to the season of the year, the habits of work, or the tastes of the individual, care being taken to preserve the relative proportions.

For instance, if much starch or fat is taken at a meal and little protein, the balance should swing in the other direction for another meal, the amount of protein being increased and that of carbohydrate decreased.

Common sense must rule in the matter, as one individual would be illy fed on a diet which would be entirely adequate for another of more sedentary habit and weaker digestion. All the habits of life such as exercise, breathing, and mental activity must be taken into consideration.

As previously remarked, there must be a variety in the diet which will stimulate the appetite, and, unless the tastes of the various members of a family are capricious, they may be gratified.

If potatoes are not relished rice may be substituted.

Plain bread may be varied by rolls or biscuits.

Well-masticated nuts may supply the protein usually served in meat and are often a welcome change.

The protein balance is important as this substance is the basis for growth and repair of the tissues of the body.

When the protein balance of the family meal is provided by meat, if for any reason one member of the family does not care for meat, the protein may be supplied by eggs, or by the legumes as shown on pages 232-234.

Let me repeat that everyone should watch his likes and dislikes in the matter of food and guard against allowing himself to become finicky; he should not cultivate a dislike for a food which may disagree with him at a certain time or the taste of which he does not like, if that food is wholesome.

Remember that the likes and dislikes for food are largely matters of cultivation and one misses much enjoyment and much of health which comes from a well-nourished body by habitually sitting down to a table in a pessimistic frame of mind because the food served does not suit the fancy.

It is very difficult for a mother to provide a meal which suits each member of her family and consideration for her as well as for self should teach one to guard against a critical attitude.

The following is an example of a badly balanced menu. It was given a family, including a child, by a mother who “had no time to study foods. She gave her folks what was the easiest to get and filled them up the quickest.” This mother may have wasted hours in gossip with the neighbors, or on “fancy work.”

The cardinal sin of such a diet is in the lack of protein, the great predominance of starch, and the inadequate supply of fat. An excessive amount of sugar, however, was taken in the tea. This was taken to satisfy the taste, not realizing that the system demanded it for energy.

The child was given one egg and one slice of bread for breakfast. Being a light eater it asked for no more, but her mother wondered why the child was so pale and suffered from constipation.

No water was given with any meal.

There are thousands of such illy nourished children in our schools, lacking in brain power and readily subject to infection, because of badly combined or poorly prepared food.

The number of calories in such a diet may suffice to sustain life, but the balance is insufficient, the amount inadequate, the tissues are not repaired, the secretions lack some of their necessary ingredients or are scanty, and the functions of the body are not well performed.

The following diet is for one who has attained full growth and who exercises no more than to walk a few blocks a day. The diet may seem light, but when one is sitting indoor most of the time, and has little outdoor exercise, less waste protein is oxidized and less starch, fat, and sugar are required for heat and energy. If too much carbonaceous food is consumed, one will store up too much and become too large. If more protein is consumed than is oxidized and eliminated one is liable to various derangements of the system.

Every person at sedentary employment should exercise each day without fail, being particular to bring a thorough circulation to the vital organs. He should fully inflate his lungs many times a day and see to it that the air in the room is pure.

In nearly all of the following menus coffee and tea have been omitted because, as before stated, they are not foods but stimulants, and the caffein and thein may overstimulate the nerves and the heart. They sometimes retard digestion. Some other warm drink should be substituted when there is digestive disturbance, or when the digestion is weak. They should never at any time be used strong. They are used simply for their pleasing flavor, or for warmth.

The following diet is suggested for one of sedentary habit who is not exercising and does not use up much mental or physical energy.

DIET I

Breakfast

Fruit
Cereal coffee or toast coffee
Dry toast (one slice), or one muffin, or one gem
1 slice of crisp bacon
1 egg

If one has taken brisk exercise, or is to take a brisk walk of two or three miles, a dish of oatmeal or some other cereal, with cream and sugar, may be added.

Luncheon

Fruit
Creamed soup or purée
Meat, cheese or peanut butter sandwich, or two thin slices of bread and butter
Cup of custard, or one piece of cake, or two cookies

If purée of peas or beans is used the sandwich may be omitted and one slice of bread is sufficient. If the soup contains much cream or is made of corn or potato, the cake or cookies may be omitted.

Dinner

Meat, gravy, potatoes or rice
One vegetable (green peas, green beans, cauliflower, greens, corn. Do not use dried baked beans or dried peas with lean meat)
Salad or fruit
Ice cream or pudding, such as bread, rice, tapioca, cornstarch, or chocolate, or an easily digested dessert.

Diet II gives the calories of energy required by a business man or brain worker who uses much mental force.

Diet III gives approximately the calories required for one taking moderate exercise.

There is no time in life when one needs to be so watchful of the diet as during these years. Growth is very rapid and much protein is needed to build tissue, particularly to build the red blood corpuscles. Anemia may be produced by a faulty diet or by one which lacks eggs, meat, fresh vegetables or fruit, particularly in developing girls.

The red meats, the yolk of eggs, spinach and all kinds of greens are important articles of diet at this time, because of the iron which they contain. They should be supplied freely. Butter and milk are valuable and regular exercises with deep breathing are imperative.

If the appetite wanes, be sure that the girl or boy is getting sufficient brisk exercise in the fresh air.

DIET IV

Breakfast

Fruit
Oatmeal, shredded wheat biscuit or triscuit, or some other well cooked cereal with cream and sugar
One egg, boiled or poached (cooked soft), or chipped beef in cream gravy
Cereal coffee, toast coffee, or hot water with cream and sugar
Buttered toast, gems, or muffins

Luncheon

Cream soup, bean soup, or purée with crackers or dry toast
Bread and butter
Fruit and cake, or rice pudding, or bread, tapioca, cocoanut, or cereal pudding of any kind, or a cup of custard, or a dish of ice cream

Dinner

Meat (preferably red meat)
Potatoes
Vegetables, preferably spinach, or greens of some kind, or beets boiled with the tops
Graham bread
Fruit, graham bread toasted or graham wafers. Cake of some simple variety.
Candy (small quantity)

A growing child is usually hungry when it returns from school, and it is well to give a little easily digested food regularly at this time, but not sufficient to destroy the appetite for the evening meal. Irregular eating between meals, however, should be discouraged. An egg lemonade is easily digested and satisfying. If active and exercising freely, craving for sweets should be gratified to a limited extent.

The growing boy or girl takes from six to eight glasses of water a day.

Overeating, however, should be guarded against for many of the dietary habits of adult life are formed in this period, and the foundation of many dietetic difficulties and disturbances of the system are laid.

If one is not hungry at meal time, the chances are that he is not exercising sufficiently in the fresh air.

Thorough mastication should be insisted on.

One should encourage the habit of eating hard crusts or hard crackers to exercise the teeth and to insure the swallowing of sufficient saliva.

The schoolboy or schoolgirl, anxious to be out at play, is especially liable to bolt the food or to eat an insufficient amount. This should be especially guarded against and parents should insist on the proper time being spent at meals.

The dislike for meat or for certain vegetables or articles of food, which develops in this period, should be guarded against. All wholesome food should be made a part of the diet and the child should not be indulged in its likes or dislikes, but should be instructed in overcoming these.

Very few foods disagree at all times with a normal child and if they do the cause usually lies in a disordered digestion which needs to be restored by more careful attention to exercise, deep breathing, and to elimination of the waste of the system.

The young man active in athletics needs practically the same food as given in Diet IV, yet more in quantity. He needs to drink water before his training and at rest periods during the game.

If he is too fat, he should train off the superfluous amount by exercise and by judiciously abstaining from much sugars, starches, and fats.

Diets for reduction, however, must be governed by the condition of the kidneys and the digestive organs.

Deep breathing habits are imperative though he must be careful not to overtax lungs or heart by hard continuous straining, either at breathing or at exercise.

The man engaged in muscular work requires plenty of food; he can digest foods which the professional or business man, or the man of sedentary habits, cannot. He will probably be able to drink coffee and tea without any disturbance to nerves or to digestion. In his muscular work he liberates the waste freely and needs fats, starches, and sugars to supply the heat and energy. This is especially true of men who work in the fresh air; the muscular action liberates waste and heat and the full breathing freely oxidizes the waste, putting it in condition to be excreted through lungs, skin, kidneys, and intestines.

He should have more meat, eggs, and nitrogenous foods, and he also needs more carbonaceous foods to supply heat and energy, as given in Diet V. Three hearty meals a day are necessary.

His muscular movements keep the circulation forceful and the vital organs strong so that his diet may be almost as heavy as that of the football player. Meat or eggs, twice a day, with tea or coffee, and even pie may be eaten with impunity. He needs a good nourishing breakfast of bacon and eggs or meat, also potatoes, or a liberal allowance of bread and butter, corn bread, muffins, etc.

The following constitutes an average which will supply the daily requirement for the aged, or for one at any age whose organs are not functioning strongly.

DIET VI

Breakfast

Cereal, well cooked, with cream or sugar. Oatmeal is preferable because it is laxative
One egg, boiled, poached, or baked (soft)
One slice of toast
Cereal coffee

Dinner

Bouillon or soup
Meat—small portion
Potato (preferably baked)
One vegetable
Cup custard, or bread, rice, or other light pudding with lemon cream sauce

Supper

Soup
Bread and butter
Stewed fruit
Tea

These individuals need little meat. Tea, if used, should not be strong and, for reasons given on page 104, should never be allowed to steep.

If the habit of life is active, if one exercises regularly, and if the constitution is vigorous and the body not too encumbered with fat, a greater variety and amount of food may be allowed, but great regularity should be observed concerning the diet and the hours for meals. Thorough mastication is more than ever a necessity.

If inclined to constipation, or if the kidneys are inactive, grapes or an apple, or some fruit, well chewed, may be eaten just before retiring.

Careful attention must be given to securing thorough removal of waste by attention to the eliminative organs, not overloading them.

TABLES OF USE IN MAKING UP BALANCED DIETS

The following table from Dudley Roberts is of material help in making up combinations of foodstuffs for balanced diets:

The following tables[11] are exceptionally valuable in compiling diets in various combinations. One can readily determine the number of grams in various servings of different foods. For example: a small serving of beef (round), containing some fat, weighs 36 grams; 40 per cent., 14.4 grams, is protein, and 60 per cent., 21.6 grams, is fat (no carbohydrates). One ordinary thick slice of white, home-made bread weighs 38 grams; 13 per cent., 4.94 grams, is protein; 6 per cent., 2.28 grams, is fat, and 81 per cent., 30.78 grams, is carbohydrate.

The proportion of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats required by the average individual as suggested on page 208 can be readily made up from various combinations of foods. Each individual may ascertain whether he is taking too much food, or too large a proportion of proteins or of carbohydrates or fats.

TABLE OF 100 FOOD UNITS