Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-03-25
ERROR IN FOODS.
s1ISTA <Es IN REGARD TO EATING
AND NOURIsHMENT.
The Proper Diet Dependent Upon Ihe
Life and Habits of Individuais-ih NE
Rast Food for Americans.

wholesome IOOu alS sum as
any housewife to take special care OF hef
table. writes medical authority IN the
Tribune. The lack of proper food to
meet the needs of the system brings IN
its wake a frightful number OF organic
diseases. If the food is of an improper
kind and the system fails to asslmllate II
a partial starvation ensues, and there IS
q continual craving for something which
shall stimulate the body for the time
being. Persons without strong princi-
pies are quite likely to yield to this crav-
inc and make use of stimulants which
take the place of food for the time, and
the remedy, as we all know, is far worse
than the disease and brings in its train
the most frightful of all diseases, intern
perance. The amount of food taken into
the system has nothing to do with the
question of proper nourishment. In this
matter quality is of far more importance
than quantity. The human system may
exist in perfect health and comfort on
comparatively small amount of food con-
tanning all the clements of sustenance,
while it may partially starve on large
amour. Of improper food Many author
quire heat giving and muscle-forming
substances, and that about tiveslXths of
the carbonaceous or heat-giving foods
like fats and one-sixth heterogeneous or
muscle giving food are necessary to a
person of health, who takes active eXer-
else.
Now this matter depends something
upon the habits and life of the individual
A man who works outdoors, like the
coolies Of China, and takes abundant eX
-ercise and uses his brain as little as pos
sible, may live on diet of rice, of which
he must consume enormous quantities to
secure the clements of nutrition. The
European peasant of more nervous ply
sique would be likely to perish on such
diet, though he lives in health on vege-
tartan diet, eating, however, vegetables
rich in starches and consuming large
quantities of cheese, milk and butter,
which supply the place of meats. 1t IS
doubtful if the American field worker,
who is a man who thinks and uses his
brain to plan out his work far more than
his European brother, could survive in
health on the same simple diet.
The experiments which have been tried
in this country have certainly not proved
a brilliant success. The American re-
quires more animal food, a more varied
diet. Yet it may be doubted if we do
not consume as a nation too much meat
and too little of the food that gives heat
and fat The effect of a surplus of meat
an our diet is to make us nervous 70
stimulate the powers of the mind and
body for the time tu do work beyond
the strength of the body 1t is in some
way analogous to the use of spirltuous
stinulants in breaking down the nervous
system This evil effect is seen when
the European peasants, who have been
reared on diet of milk and vegetables,
come to this country and adopt our
stimulating diet of meat. They are
strong and ruddy when they come over
and after a few years are pale, nervous
and too often confirmed inebriates. They
attribute this change to differences in
he air of the two lands, but the astutc
students of the question now tell us
that much of it is due to the change OF
diet and the excess of meat eaten by
chose who are unaccustomed to it
1t has often been proved that habit is
much stronger than reason in the matter
of food. Otherwise, it would be impos-
sible to account for the frequency with
which coarse, unwholesome dishes appear
on the table under the guise of plain
substantial food Nothing could be {
greater misnomer than substantial mea
when applied to dinner of boiled beef
vegetables and pie. Yet this is a com
mon dinner among plain people, many
of whom preach the doctrine of "plair
diving and high thinking"
Now in the very nature of things, thu
boiled beef must have parted from
large portion of its nutritious substance
in the water in which it was boiled
And it is nine chances in ten that it ha
been boiled so rapidly that it has becom
tough and leathery and almost valueles
for food. If the potatoes and other veg
,etables have been cooked with the beet
as they often are, they are likely to b
greasy and overdone The pie adds yer
little digestive value to the food Of tn
dinner The heavy crust of the ayeag
plain pie is probably the most unwholc
some article of food which is eaten b
civilized man. There are very few
housekeepers in the land who understan
the supreme art of making puff paste, O
at they did would not hesitate for plai
dinner at the extravagant use of butter
which genuine pastry calls for. tn
combination Of drippings and lard, whic
makes q good frying fat, cannot be use
with success in puff paste, and the result
when it is mixed with flour is a heavy
greasy mixture, without any Of III
lightuess of French pastry. It has fe'
nutritivo qualities and is a positive detr
ment to digestion.
It is not strange that such plai
living leaves lis subjects desponden
dyspcptics. The stomach Of an EsQu
mau. accustomed 90 q die; Of mutt0
tallow, would hardly digest such dif
ner aud would certainly fail 20 find th
elements Of nutrition 10 e But take Oh
same materials 81 this plain diuner, suI
stitutiug light and wholesome desse
at the SHINE cost as pie, and $50 m4
have "a bmleot beet, potatoes aud vrg.
tahle c0lkcd carefully hy themse.Ee
simplg salad lud it b. hg summer. Cd
ifeshiug iCel dessert. or L a.ut.r
smuIe stomcd pudding This H.1H