The Virginia enterprise., 1909-02-12

a good example of the requirements
of physical endurance. Mr.. Weston's
diet was far from ideal; but the one
great lesson, constantly taught was,
that If a man is to do his best work
he must eat only enough to furnish
heat, energy and bodily waste. If he
Is to win in contest, he must eat
proteids sparingly and lose in weight.
Digestion and elimination are work,
of the severest kind, and the more
he saves in that department, the more
he will have to spend in muscular and
mental work.
A few months ago published in
one Of the medical journals the re-
suit of some experiments made in "A
Tramp's Diet" showing that the best
walking was done when only enough
food was taken to prevent actual
hunger and that gradual elimination
of meat was found to steadily increase
the mileage walked. This corresponds
exactly with the results of the endur-
ance tests made by Profs. Chittenden
and Fisher of Yale and with all the
results in the great walking contests
in Germany, England and America.
No fallacy in regard to diet is more
erroneous or more unfortunate than
the common argument that the work
ing man needs meat. The contrary is
true. DR.. Wiley of our federal bu-
reau of chemistry, an acknowledged
authority on food, says: "A Japan
ese coolie will carry you around town
all day on a pound of rice; you can.
not do that on a pound of meat" Mr..
William Jennings Bryan says that the
Japanese 'riskishaw man will wheel
a man Is miles in day; and his
food is rice (unmilled, of course, cor
responding to our whole wheat), and
possibly beans and fish. The Bedouin
Arab, who will run all day by the
side of magnificent Arab horse,
lives on dates and figs, never eating
meat.
I have nothing to say Of the ethical
objections to meat-eating. I merely
wish in dealing with the economic
side of food, to impress, especially
upon the working man, that the first
step to economy in eating is to omit
meat and fine white bread from the
diet. The man who eats rye or whole
wheat and a few nuts, needs no meat,
no eggs, nor milk, though he will do
we'll to drink glass of buttermilk
daily.
Sugar is the cheapest food for one
doing heavy physical work, because
it furnishes energy directly with little
waste. Its best source is prunes, figs
| or dates.
A spoonful or two of olive or pea.
nut oil should be taken daily. Butter
is an expensive food compared with
vegetable oils
What the physical worker needs
most is, just like the engine, ready,
fuel and water. It's cheapest source
is sugar and fat, rather than wheat,
starch and meat, though rye is easily
converted into glucose or cereal
sugar. A tablespoonful or more of
peanut oil may be taken with prunes,
or separately. Fat interferes with the
digestion of proteids in the stomach
but not with sugar. A warm drink
of weak cocoa or substitute coffee
may follow fruit meal, facilitating
the passage to the intestine where
such food is digested. The more
liquid the sooner the stomach empties.
The most economical of foods is
sugar, and yet much harm is done by
| cane sugar, as it is eaten in candies,
especially by young women who have
little exercise, and in tea and coffee
by men and women of sedentary oc-
cupation. The evil effects of cane
sugar, including ordinary candies as
compared with the natural sugar
foods. dates, figs, prunes, currants
and raisins (and perfectly ripe banan-
as), might be compared to the diff
! ference between fine white and
coarse bread.
Experiments made with men on a
march showed that quarter to three
quarters of pound daily of cane
sugar was utilized readily and caused
no distress, but 1t is Well-knOwn
fact that such an amount of sugar
eaten in the way it is ordinarily taken
by one not making the fullest use of
lungs and muscles, requiring the con-
sumption of a large amount of avail
able carbon-that sugar not quickly
burned in the system for heat and
energy causes catarrh of the stomach
and bowels, uniting them for natural
digestion and at the same time over
loading the liver and straining the
kidneys. Similar results follow the
excessive use of starch foods, espe-
cially in concentrated form.
AS we have already seen, the es-
sential food is albumen, definite
amount of which is necessary, under
all circumstances, to support life, as
we'll as to build new tissue in the
growing child. But carbon, as sugar,
starch or fat. can be ,auch more quick
ly utilized for maintaining heat and
energy. If sufficient amount of car.
bon in these forms is not furnished,
heat and energy will be sustained by
the consumption of albumen, and as
the waste products from the consump-
tion of albumen, require many times
more energy for elimination from the
system through the kidneys, the con-
sumption of more albumen than is
necessary, is a serious error in vital
economy. rheumatism, Bright's dis
ease, and other diseases result from
the inability of the system to eliminate
the excessive waste of albuminous
foods.
Concerning shyness.
Shyness is usually the result of mex.
perience. Contact with the world will