The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-08-22
THE Topeka

established the custom of overeating.
The United States today seems to
be in the grip of an influence more
Italian Renaissance than the Italian
Renaissance. Physical perfection is
something to be ignored unless one
has chorus aspirations or desires to
become a classic dancer. AS it hap
pens, most of our classic dancers are
Russians or Austrians or Italians
anything but natives. Our young men
are too busy making money TO inquire
into their health. and many of our
women are too lazy.
In recent years. however, two fac
tors have tended to stop this rapid
process of physical decay. The first
| is outdoor sport. taught in the col
| leges and practiced in the country
clubs, which are the salvation of
American business men. The second
is the dietician.
Dietetics are still in the experiment
tai stage, but at least enough general
knowledge has been promulgated to
make it a practical science. If you
are below weight, your physician can
tell you what to eat to make you fat:
| If You are obese. he can tell you what
| to eat to make you thin We know
that the diet should contain balanced
| portions of proteids. fats and sugars
| We know that we should drink plen-
ty of water. eat lots of fruit, dislike
! pastry, take daily shower and sleep
eight out of each twenty-four hours
Why We Are Ill.
These are a few simple medical
commandments, but everyone can
| think of dozens of others. Good
health has now become largely a
question of the conservation of vital
| ity, and vitality can be kept at max
imum only by the most rigid obedi-
ence to the laws of nature. Why do
you contract tuberculosis? Because
| thru the lack of the proper food and
| care you allow your vitality to be-
| come weakened, and the germs be-
| come stronger than you are. Why do
some people get scurvy and pellagra
Because they eat food. such as pol
| ished corn and rice, which is lacking
| in VitamineS. Why do you have heart
trouble, kidney trouble, diabetes. in
| digestion, bilious attacks, colds? Be-
| cause you don't know how to eat.
| You don't understand even a limited
| amount of dietetics
Now, even nervous disorders are at
| tributed by some physicians to the eat
| ing of the wrong kind of food. Either
! say modern doctors at the expense of
| their own practice, a nervous per-
sons diet is not sufficiently nourish-
ing or it is lacking certain required
| elements. Usually. it contains too
much proteid. A man eats too much
|
and not enough carbohydrates, or
vegetables and fruits Says one doc
| tor:
THE harm comes from the fact
| that large amounts of unused food
| residues collect in the colon. and there
| the protein that has not been absorbed
| into the body decays and gives off
| large amounts of poisons that are cir
| culated turnout the body and produce
what is known as auto-intoxication or
self-poisoning. One of the effects of
iauto-intoxication is a Gripping of the
| nervous system
Much Exercise and Many Fruits.
The way to prevent auto-intoxica-
| ton is to see that the body regularly
eliminates it's burned-up fuel. Exer-
else and a large quantity of fruit, both
| raw and cooked. are the bess aids to
| this. And above all, do not eat too
much. The loss of q meal occasion
ally will not hurt you. and if your
4 stomach gets out of order" the very
| best thing you can do is - fast for a
day or two. or eat only a fruit diet.
until your tongue loses its yellow coat
ing.
Unfortunately, however. it is much
| easier for most people to patronize
patent medicines than to deny their
| appetites. Well cooked food, even
poorly cooked food if you're hungry.
is hard to resist But there is one
The food which you eat today is run
| ming around and talking tomorrow.
That is. to be exact, it is providing the
| energy on which you run around and
talk. Thus it is important that you
| choose it carefully.
Under these circumstances, war
rations will probably be the best
thing that ever happened to us. A
board of dieticians TO prepare menus
for us and see that we stuck to them
would be even better. II Germany
4 at the beginning of the war a woman
dietician undertook to do this and
met with great success. She deserves
large credit for making warning Ger
many a healthy nation.
Questions on the above or any sub
ject upon which the reader desires in
formation should be addressed the To-
peka State Journal Information Blu
! reau. Frederic J. Haskin, Director,
! Washington. D. c., with 2-cent stamp
enclosed for reply.