Evening star., 1925-11-30
FOOD AND HEALTH
BY WINIFRED STUART GIBBS.
Food Specialist.

indigestion" is almost as manifold
in Its application as there are indi-
vidualS using the word. one dear
old lady suffering from "a sour taste
in the mouth" will tell YOU that she
suffers terribly from Indigestion"
Her daughter will say tue same thing
of her own Intestinal inactivity. while
the man of the house Will add his bit
! by calling attention to his own par
ticular brand of indigestion. which is
characterized by Il sluggish liver.
And each Will he right,
1t is only when they all ask for a
diet for Indigestion" that the trouble
begins, For each will require q diff
ferent dietary.
With Il little thought the average
layman can easily come to know in a
general way the type of indigestion
, from which he is suffering and also
in a. general way the type of diet best
suited to his needs.
Why not begin with the lady who
is disturbed by the sour taste? She
must learn, not vast deal of phySi-
illogical chemistry. but simply a few
basic facts, and among them these:
First. the glands in the stomach are
oVera ctive and the diet must be such
as to make them slow up. so To speak;
second, the meal should include such
foods as cream of vegetable soups
made ithout meat stock from such
vegetables as peas. fresh. canned or
dried; soy beans. potatoes. carrots,
asparagus. oyster plant, squash and
corn. These vegetables may also APP
pear at luncheon or dinner in the
form of hot baked dishes, to form the
chief part Of the meal. Then there
should be hot dishes of macaroni and
H. ,t-it
cheese. crisp and crusty bread or
toast. without too much butter; celery,
ripe olives. sweet apples, pears, blue
berries, cantaloupe. grapes and ba-
nanaS. according to season.
Desserts should consist of lightly
sWeetened cuStardS, and puddingS,
ices and fruits. cream and olive oil,
cottage cheese and ice creams are also
on the list. In general, the diet
should consist of bland foods that
will not irr'itate.
Then comes the lady's daughter.
She has intestinal inactivity, you will
remember Her diet is in one direc-
ton almost the opposite of her
mothers The trouble here beng con
slttpation, all coarse foods are dis
tinctly in order--unbolted flourS. bran
preparations, Winter vegetables, car
rots beets, cabbage, caulifioWer and
the like, and, in short. all foods that
contain bulk. Such an individual
need have no fear as to Irritating
food Her inactive but otherwise
normal system will in all probability
not mind ir the least the fact that
il is asked 70 deal with foods con-
tanning cellulose or woody tiber-that
is, it will not mind after its lazy In
testineS have been set TO work. The
first stages, those of clearing the
body of Stored-up wastes. may be
slightly disagreeable for time. but
this will be temporary. And. by the
way. this stage often requires some
additional help. Food is the very
best of all laxatives, but when a lazy
bowel has been lying down on its
Job, so TO speak, food alone Will not
always suffice. Warm enemas and
iudicious doses of mineral oil are the
reserve troops to call in at this juno
ture.
Finally, there is the man of the
family, with his liver His case
may often be summed up in two
words-"over indulgence. If he fol
lows the same regimen as the daugh-
ter in regard to constipation and cuts
all of his portions in half. he will be
ready for his own diet.