Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-03
DR.. MARTHA TRACY
On q Balanced Diet

A DIET made up of the proper food ele-
n ments is just as essential to good health
as food IN sufficient quantities. according ing
to DR.. Martha ID. Tracy. dean OF the
Womans Medical College and an acknowl-
edged authority on dietetcs.
"A great many children nrr undernour-
ished," said DR.. Tracy. 'and this condition
results as frequently. If not more 80, from
Ignorance on the part OF the parents as TO
what the child should eat as it does from
much fruit and milk as an essential part
of their diet. Both the parents and the
children themselves should be given the phys
ical reason for the diet recommended to
the instructions much more willingly and
effectively when they know why they are
doing it. They should know what food IL
for and what certain foods accomplish In
the body.
"a child which is undcrnourished cannot
b. the case If 1t were properly fed. Most
adOlescent girls do not cat sufficient food,
and often what they do eat is not Of the
right kind: the result is that most of them
are only from 30 per cent to 20 per cent
efficient in their studies Or work.
Definite Purposes Of Food
"One of the great points which should
be impressed upon people is that food serves
definite purposes in the body. Iher" AR, are
first IS that which is transformed into It's
sue. bone, etc, and in this class come the
meats and certain Of the heavier foods. The
second class IS that which produces energy.
These foods are not transformed into It's
sue, but are used up In very much the same
manner as an engine burns its fuel; they
are translated into heat and used up. The
bodily tissues cannot be properly built up
and the energy necessary to do work be
created without the right kind of food.
q. l,,ill CO. nl.
eggs and milk, together with certain vegc-
tables. The vegetable proteins are physi-
oogically incomplete and not equivalent to
the proteins Of animal meats. 70 give the
body n sufficient amount of prOtcins from
vegetables alone an enormous quantity must
be eaten, and the person who follows a strict
vegetarian diet thus has his choice between
not getting an adequate amount OF proteins
or OF getting indigestion through over
eating. A strict vegetable, diet. to be effec.
tive. must be re- enforced by milk and eggs.
''The chief energy producing foods are tho
starches, sugar and fats. This matter of the
relative food values Is not guesswOrk; IL
has been scientifically demonstrated. The
young, vigorous adult person uses up about
1000 heat units day doing absolutely
nothing. II he works or moves about much
there must be proportionate increase in
these units.
Many Youths Undernourisi,od
but IN eplte OF tnls obvious Iact Sncre
are many young persons who acquire through
their food only from 1900 to 1900 calories
! q day. They cannot expect to do vigorous
work on this amount. and 1t cannot be ex-
pected of them. Seventy per cant OF this
group are poor in their work.
Natures protest against such conditions
| takes the form Of Il loss of weight The
| body, deprived of the right amount Of food,
| draws upon It's own tissues to supply energy.
| The human body Is different therein from
a locomotive. The latter stops when its fuel
| is exhausted. but the body burns UP itself
until the point IL reached where the hear art
and respiratory organs stop from inanition.
Zone of the main troubles In this arti.
fetal civilization OF ours Is that we have
developed false appetites. We eat at ali
hours OF the day, nibbling between meals.
and when the time comes when real food Is
set before US there Is no appetite, and little
OF the needed food is eaten.
another very important factor In the
matter Of food is that of the vitamines,
| These consist Of food which does not seem
to be used In the building Of tissues and
similarly do not seem to supply energy. Vet
there will be dire results to health Il Z suii.
siapt supply q than y net taken into ia
f,l Z \ Il