New-York tribune., 1909-01-31

Even the struggle to procure food. a severe one
for some people, pales into fnsignifcance besihe
the struggle of the present generation TO hnd our
what it ought to eat, and how many umes u
ought TO chew q mouthfuL One Of the most recent
of the many books written to give people new light
on this difficult subject is 'Fads and Feeding by
c. Stanford Read New York: L. z. Dutton *
Coz One-half OF his subject-feedng-Dr Read
believes in: but the other haIf-fads-he hits some
pretty hard knocks. The fad" he says, is one
of the undesirable factors modern civilization has
brought with it. Where most physicians rear 10
tread well meaning individuals will step forward
and "unauthoritatively and unscientihcally snow
the public that for centuries they have been court
ing disaster by swallowing the wrong food 1t
is quite right the author to be careful what
we eat but this introspect!on may "be carried so
fer that it becomes morbid, and brings about the
very result wish to avoid
Neither does DR.. Read consider that it does to
trust TO ones instincts entirely.
NO RULE SERVES FOR ALL.
ION matters Of dietary I should be inclined in
q general way to say that 1t does not mat'e'
much what you eat, but that the important point
Is how much YOU eat, and how you eat IL NO
one exceDt when generalizing, dictate to an
other exactly what and how much he should eat
for Individual factor differs but there are gen
eral statements which more or less hoId eooo ioI
all It does not do for a nowadays to trust
etr,r1,, n his instincts There was a time once,
doubtless when his instincts were sure enough
guides as they with most OF the lower
animals. but civilization and the wear and tear or
modern life have altered this, and mankind is run
of perverted instincts ana cravings, ana Is oy no
means in harmony with nature.
Vegetarianism is Of the "fads' the author
has little use for. Man. he says, us naturally
a mixed feeder, and the history of the evolution
Of man goes to show that he has become more
carnivoros time progressed It is certain. how
ever that q few thrive best on diet that is en-
tfrely or almost entirely, vegetable, but they are
as I have said, exceptional. and may be regaroed
as being arrested in evolution, reversons to a
,rir,,+iye tvne of human being Good can be some
times effected IN gouty and other allied conditions
bv lessening OF entirely excluding animal food.
R,1t Il is folly to contend that animal food ls
necessarily poisonous to man, though in excess
es IN all other things in life, harm may and does
aSse"
ON EATING TOO MUCH
0,,sres+inp IS always dangerous, but for the old
md for women It is especially bad says the au-
thor:
"As age advances well meaning friends and re-
1a+fons are only too apt to think that extra
nourishnent and support are necessary, doing nuch
harm thereby Certainly any change in the diet
sbouId he gradual and not sudden Large heavy
meals are specially 70 be avoided. Small meals
consisting Of easily dgesed materials should fol-
low one another at not too long Intervals Meat
should be taken only IN moderation while the Vege-
table food may be somewhat Increased some DIdno
nourishnlent at the bedside is often useful IN case
there is a sensation Of hunger IN the early morn
ing; this also tends TO prevent wake1uhesS II sucI
a condition exists at that hour.
There are scientific reasons for stating that d
woman requires less uutrment than a man, even
aDart from the fact that she IS usually OF shghteI
build and does not lead such active life. Know
ing this it is not surprising that some OF the
aggravated cases Of obesity should be among the