Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-27
EATING IS ONE. HALF HABIT
Prof. C%hittenden's Tests and His Con.
illusions.
RESULT OF CAREFUL EXPERIMENT
College Professors, Soldiers aud Ath-
Ietes Thrive on Much Less Food
Than They Were Accus-
toned 10 Eat,
RESULT OF CAREFUL EXPERIMENT

Than They Were Accuse
toned to Eat.
NEW YORK, Feb. 26.-fn connection with
the discussion of the price Of food and as
substitutes FOR meat some observations
made by Prof. Russell II. Chittenden of
Yale university are Of interest.
The field of dietctiCs has not yet ceased
to be a ground Of controversy and its his.
tory so far has been a disproving today
of what was taken up yesterday. Prof.
Chittenden happens to be the present au-
thority, although the publication of the
results of his experiments some five years
ago was the cause Of a great upheaval.
1t is self-evldent that the smallest
amount of food hat will serve to keep the
body in q state Of high efficiency is physio-
logically the most economical and hence
the best adapted to the needs of the or
ganism," says Prof. Chittenden In his
book, Physiological Economy of Nutri-
ton"
And to find this smallest amount Of food
required by three distinctly different types
of individuals he undertook a series Of ex-
periments continuing over several months.
~ u VI NABNA hNAAA Lt blNtb
in his book.
In the first group were five men, of diff
ferent ages, professors and instructors in
Yale university, representing the mental
rather than physical worker. In the second
group was a detail Of volunteers from the
Hospital corps of the United States army.
representing the moderate worker, men of
different nationalities, ages and tempera-
ments. The third group was composed of
eight young men, Yale students, trained
athletes, some of them with exceptional
records in athletic events.
Professors own Experience.
The professor in describing the expert
ments which he conducted with himself
as a member of the first group says: Il
weighed sixty-five kilos, was a years of
age, and accustomed to eating daily an
amount of food approximately equal to the
dietary standards. Realizing that
the habits of a lifetime should not be too
suddenly changed, a gradual reduction was
made in the amount Of proteid food taken
each day, resulting in a month or so in the
complete abolition Of breakfast. except for
a small cup of coffee. A light lunch was
taken at 1880 p. m, followed by a heavier
dinner at $3.50 p. m. The total intake was
diminished as wen as the proteid constit-
uents.
There was no change to a vegetable
diet, but there was and still is a distinct
tendency toward the exclusion of meat in
measure, the appetite not calling for
this form of food In the same degree as
formerly. At first the lessenlng OF the
daily amount brought a slight discomfort,
but It soon passed away and an improved
condition was perceptible. A rheu-
matte trouble in the knee joint which had
for a year and a half entirely
disappeared; sick headaclE bilious attacks
and other minor troubles also ceased their
regular visits; a keener appetite and more
acute sense of taste was developed and a
liking for simple foods. In seven
months l weighed fifty -eight kilos instead
Of sixty-five.
Down to Simple Diet.
During the ensuing summer the same
simple diet was persisted ina small cup
Of coffee for breakfast, a fairly substaA-
tial dinner at midday and a light supper
at night. Two months were spent In Maine
at an inland fishing resort, and by rowing
a boat frequently six to ten miles in a
forenoon, sometimes against head winds
and without breakfast, and with less re-
sultant fatigue and muscular soreness than
In the old days, 1 disproved the mistaken
Idea that it is impossible or unwise to do
work on an empty stomach.
Returning to New Haven, 1 found thai
body weight was practically the same
as before the summer vacation. During
he first months of the experiment eight
;ilos were lost under the gradual change
IF diet; then the weight apparently re-
NAMED stationary, from which it might
'airly be assumed that the body had finally
itself to the new conditions"
From his experiments with the profess
iional men Prof. Chittenden decides that
certain general conclusions seem to be
Justified by the results obtained.
"A healthy man." he says, whose occu-
Iation is such as not to involve excessive
work. but whose activity is
mainly mental rather than physical.
hough by no means excluding the latter,
AN live on a much smaller amount OF
)roteid food than is usually considered es-
iential for life without loss Of mental or
strength and vigor.
This means that the ordinary profess
ional man who leads an active and even
'trenuous life, with the burden Of care
md responsibility. need not clog his sys-
EN- and inhibit his power for work by the
of any such quantities Of proteid
God as the ordinary dietetic standards
for"
After giving this blow to the popular con-
option that the hard working professional
nan should feed his brain, Prof. Chitten-
len goes on to prove his point by giving
he resultant figures of the experiments
arried on with himself and four Of his
colleagues as subjects, 4
I'VE are certainly warranted" he says, .
In the assertion that the professional man
an safely practice a physiological economy
n the use of proteid food equal to a saving ,
( one-half to two-thirds the amount called
or by existing dietary standards, and this :
Without Increasing the amount Of nom :
it%rOgenous food consumed. Indeed, the
after class of foods can likewise be d. :
FINISHED in amount without detrlment to ;
.ealth or strength, when there is no call :
or great physical eXertion." !
Experiment on Soldiers.
The experiment with the second group
included twenty men-of whom fourteen p,
we're privates. volunteers for the expert :
nanf and accommodation oFFicare .ool. '