The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1912-07-05
WHY AND WHAT WE SHOULD
EAT.
~ Marnaret B. EonIks

-
BY Margaret B. FouIks.
Ia the midst of the rush and whirl
OF present day living, how few of
us ever ask ourselves the question.
why do eat? We go into hotels.
restaurants, homes in cities and
country, and we find everywhere that
whatever else is given up for aell
OF time or money, some way. some
now, there must be food and time to
eat it.
Most Of us have a vague, general
idea that we eat to live, and that the
BODY must get its strength from
too1. We might think of the body
as an engine and being compe led
to have fuel TO burn to produce heat
and energy, but unlike a machine the
body must repair itself. Therefore
II we stop and answer this question
seriously we might say we eat to fur
nish our bodies with heat and energy.
and to give it the material for repair
and growth. In other words. the
junction OF the food is two-fd d. II
IS put into the body to supply it with
heat and energy and to give it ma
terial for repairing and building It's
sue Most foods contribute some to
both processes, but some are richer
in the heat producing qualities, while
others are mostly made of the tissue
building materials.
Our bodies contain Oxygen, Hydro.
gen, Carbon, Notrogen, Phosphorus.
Calcium, Chlorine, Sodium, Iron,
Potassium, Magnesium. Silica. and
Flourine, therefore we must suppy
it with these elements through food
we eat and the air we breathe. To
make a healthy, normal body and
brain, We should be getting in our
food some Of all the food principles it
takes to supply these elements the
body is made of, and takes to keep
it in a perfect condition. We may
think we are eating to satisfy hunger,
from habit or pleasure it gives us,
but there is back of all that natures
CAN for the material she needs to
keep the body in perfect condition.
We may truly say we eat to live, but
those who care to do more than exist,
who desire to have clean, healthy,
successful lives, must go deeper than
that and remember, we eat to give
the body some of all the elements
nature uses in making brain, bone,
tissue, fat and blood
Man can and does exist on very I'M
slfstable an devon injurious food, but
It is existence only and not real liv- /
ng. Wholesome and digestible food
IS a necessity to every effective life, =.
and wholesome digestible food is the
1nly substance that can be turned
nto energy, heat and tissue A great
many people to-day are selling their .
)irthright of health, energy, Gear
brains and strong muscles for a mess
If pottage and for ten minutes sat /.
styling of appetite they are getting
n return as many hours of pain and
When we have learned why we
Eat, the question must follow. if am
eating to supply material for heat. |
mercy and tissue, what must I eat? .
Iver since the world began nature
las provided the food mans system
alls for in some form. With the |
avage it was not so much which food
hall | eat as what food can | get.
But even then nature provided the
Inherent elements needed, though in
cruder, simpler form than we have
It present. For many years the race
las been studying the food problem
nd with the birth and growth of ag-
icu'ture, it becomes more and more
ossible to choose our food. The
mall sour fruits were cultivated and
ecame the luscious, juicy products
1e have today. A similar develop
1ent took place in grain, vegetable
nd animal foods. The savage knew
othing of food va;ues, his eye and
ar being the only guide, and some
ines very poor ones. Experience
Ias a better guide, and by pain and
cath taught many things, and for
our race had no better
uide than the knowledge experience
lught. It is only since chemistry
nd biology have taught us what our
odies contain hnd what they de-
land if they are to do their best
ork, that We are beginning to know
by we give it food and what we
lould give it. Chemistry teaches
) that the body is simply a chemical
: number Of chemical laboratories a
king the food we put into it and by t
with other elements con- p
,rting it into the elements the body L
made of. It is not hard for us to a
e that If we put coal into an engine g
will give us heat, smoke and ashes, "
I'd it is quite as easy to see that if o
3 use dirt or some substance the en- Il
ne could not burn, that we would 8
It get the heat, How many house
YES ever stop to ask themselves v
neither they are eating and giving D
their families the fuel the body D