Evening star., 1902-03-01
FOOD FOR ATHLETES
When, How and What to
Eat.
THEORIES WILL HELP
BUT GENERAL RULES ARE I'M
POSSIBLE.
Years Of Experience Have Proven the
Value Of Certain
Methods.
THEORIES WILL HELP
Written for The Evening Star by Eustace Miles,

Written for The Evening Star by Eustace Miles,
If each one of us waited for science to
tell him clearly what he should eat. and
how much, and at what times, he might
have to wait for several centuries. Mean
while we have to be content either to follow
custom slavishly, to eat whatever is put be-
fore us. and to ask no questions (Which
means to listen to no questions or COM
plants from our internal organs and ap-
paratus and to dismiss these complaints as
inevitable or ridiculous), or else to get
some workable theory as makeshift until
science can tell us something more definite
about ourselves and about the changes
which go on within our bodies.
There are authorities in plenty who in
form us that such and-such foods must be
the best possible foods for you and me, and
for all others. But what do these author
tiles know about you or me as individuals.
and how many of them agree as to the eX-
act meaning of that delightful phrase. "such-
and-such?" Does it include beef and beer,
or beef and water, or fish and potatoes or
fruit and nuts, or toast and cheese? Only
the other day l was vigorously assailed by
a crank at a public meeting. He said:
"Mr. Miles refuses to lay down any one
diet for everybody, but 1 say that bread
and apples must suit everybody" 1t is OBJ
vious that this enthusiastic vegetarian" Z"
or "fruftarian," thought that he himself
was everybody-a not uncommon fallacy.
Now it is impossible for me to guarantee
the complete success of any one diet, or
even of any one out of twenty diets: each
pertinent for himself. All that 1 can do Is
to show what is the theory, or perhaps only
theory, of food and feeding. and then to
try to draw few conclusions from it.
Nuts and Fruits.
For the sake of being practical and con-
crete may suggest a specimen meal. My
own favorite at the present time Is worth
trial for one of the meals. let us say the
midday luncheon. 1t consists of Plasmon
blancmange, milled nuts and an apple; the
quantity Of the two former will vary ac-
cording to the number of meals day, the
exercise and SO on. Enough of proteid, to-
gether with "salts," we know to be con-
tanned in two ounces of Plasmon and four
ounces of mlled nuts 1t is comforting to
reflect that this diet seems to be correct in
theory. for 1T has proteid, fattening and
heating material Including OLD, 'salts," :"
fiber, bulk and soft water. If we ate such
a meal slowly and in as pure air as we
could obtain, and without any thought of
worry, then. theoretically, we should be
feeding extremely healthily.
But this Is not the only reason why take
such a meal. though am bound to say this
reason by itself gives me confidence. The
real reason is that such a meal suits me
excellently. Almost Immediately after 1t
feel ready for hard work or for hard ex-
ercise, and If live on two similar meals
day q vary the diet considerably l can
keep In training without regular exercise at
ALL After many weeks Of as nearly seden-
tary life as l ever live, weeks Of concen-
trated brain work, can play a hard game
of fives, which uses nearly all the muscles
of the body. and then Immediately after
ward hard game of racquets, for two
hours and half straight on end; and am
ready to continue this for several days;
and then, If necessary, to go back to the
sedentary life again without becoming de-
pressed. Such thing was an utter impos-
sibilty to me on my former diet of meat
etc. With that diet 1 had to take exercise
regularly or else feel miserable.
May Not Suit, but
People tell me that my diet will not suit
them, because all individuals differ. Many
of these people, by the way, will sit down
to a dinner party of twenty and all eat
precisely the same ten or fifteen courses,
and talk almost precisely the same fluffy
nonsense, In spite of those individual diff
ferences'' of which they boast so fire.
quently. l say: Perhaps it will not suit
you, but then, on the other hand, perhaps
1t will" Theoretically l have heard no OBJ
lection to it, so long as it is recommended
just for what it is worth. Practically you
have not tried it, but some hundreds. or
perhaps thousands, in various parts of the
world, have tried it and have found it sue
cessful. You must not condemn 1t before
fair personal experiment If, on your
own diet, you can do something like what
have just described, keep in excellent phys
ical training Gf necessary, for weeks) with
out regular exercise. and with severe brain
work, then very likely you have no need to
change your way Of living. But If you
want to keep in excellent physical training
without regular exercise, and with severe
brain work, then such diet has at least a
fair chance of succeeding.
We have now become, or we are be-
coming, sedentary people, at least from
Monday morning till Saturday afternoon.
In our city offices or factories we work
either with our heads or with only few
parts Of our bodies. And yet, for all prac-
tical purposes in this world, we need clean
and active and strong blood and nerves
and muscles. We need them for our own
happiness and for the happiness Of 9TH
ers. I do not wish to say word against
the best forms Of physical exercise. They
are invaluable. But the ideal. surely, is
to be in training even If we have given up
our exercise for many days. Such an idea
cannot be reached without careful atten-
ton 20 diet at any rate. at first. After
ward it is possible that when We have de-
veloped strength of mind and will we may
to some extent ignore our Diet or leave it
entirely to our recovered instinct To re-
cover this instinct is one Of the meanings
of the commandment, Become like little
children"
Thrive on Almost Any Diet.
Man can live on almost any diet. Some
Arabs Of the desert feed chiefly on milk,
and they are scarcely ever i'll and reach an
almost incredible age. The Scotch, the
Irish. the Hundus and the Moors can
thrive on such foods as oatmeal, potatoes
and buttermilk, rice and dhal Qentils).
fruits and bread On the other hand, the
Pampas Indians live chiefly on flesh foods,