The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-12-22
FOODS FOR THE FIT.
director hIngton Home Exc Club.
ARTICLE II.

In nv last article ! said that all effort
conscious or unconscious, entails an ex-
penditure Of body substance, and that
this must be replaced. Accordingly, We
eat for the double purpose Of supplying
energy to our bodies and Of repairing
the materials used up by the application
Of that energy.
In classifying food material we are able
to FIX a basis which is in harmony not
only with the chemistry OF these food
stuffs, but also with their use in the
body. For example, prOteins are used
for growth and repair: they are con-
structive foods. They differ from all OF
the other fOOdstuff in containing nitro
gen. sulphur. and phOsphates. The first
named material Is so important that the
proteins have been called the heterogeneous
foodstuffs.
The fats, starches. and sugars contain
no nitrogen, sulphur, or phosphates, but
are especially rich in carbon. They have
therefore been called the carbonaceous
foodstuff. and they are the fuel or
energy-pToducing materials.
Another need OF the body is supplied
by water and mineral salts.
In classification of the various foods
may be put in diagram form somewhat
AS follows:
Group l. Inorganic foods-water and
salts.
Group = Organic foods.
Fuel matcrials-a CaTbonaceous: %
Sugar, C2l starches. 90 roots tubers, D
green vegetables. 90 fruits and fats. b.
heterogeneous foods: Lean meats and eggs.
c. CarbonitrOgenous Tor foods which
combine the properties of the two former
subclasses): Cereals, leGumes, nuts. and
milk.
Now. it is important to observe that
all the organic foods are derived from
three gases and one sOlid-from oxygen.
nitrogen. hydrogen. and carbon, which
are found alike IN earth, air. and water.
The vegetable world seizing upon these
four elements. transforms them into
starch. fat and aIbumen. The animal.
consuming the vegetable. changes the
starch. fat and albumen into flesh. blood
and fat.
These processes are called anabolic or
up-building They accumulate energy.
Now when the animal moves about, or
makes any effort. the katabollc or de-
structive forces come into play; the
forces. that is. which eXpend the ana
bolic Accommodations.
As a result Of this kataboiism, the ami
mails flesh. blood and fat dissolve into
carbonic-acid gas, water and ammonia,
and these organs are ultimately split up
gen, and carbon. This process, by which
the raw elements pass through the vege-
table and animal words furnishing US our
food on the way, is known as The Cycle
of T.:rs'' and a thorough understanding
OF this cycle is essential to any One who
would have a good knowledge of those
questions Of what to eat" on which
our health so largely depends.
In particular. the forces of anabolism
I'M .fl
breaking down"-have an important
bearing on longevity. As long as the two
are balanced. q man is said to be in
state Of dynamic equilibrium. which is
another way of saying he is in good
health. In early life, income is greater
then outgo, for the body is growing
From the age of say thirty to fifty IN
come and outgo balance: and fifty. as a
rule declining vigor shows that kata-
course, either the destructive or the con- !
structive processes can be checked Or
by ones choice of diets.
Some biologists assert that these pro- |
cesses run by seven-year periods That
is. at seven years the boy is a child; |
at three times seven he is a man. Thisj
period lasts seven times seven years, |
when he reaches the age OF seventy.
when reaching the age OF seventy he be-
comes an old man. however, TINS df-t
vision may be rather fanciful. : A better
indication of what insurance actuaries
cali 1.-THE expectation OF life can be
found by each individual himself through
a simple mathematical calculation, The |
formula is this: Add together the age |
of the individuals mother and maternal
father and paternal grand
and divide by six. II the an
swer fails under the sixty years limit.
subtract one year for each five years it
is short; il over sixty years, add year