Evening star., 1925-12-08
FOOD AND HEALTH
BY WINIFRED STUART GIBBS.
Food Specialist.

We are so glib with our few little
phrases and our pat" little speeches!
This staccato superficiality Is in the
air, and when the question under dis
cussion is nothing more serious than
the latest thing in symbolism no one
is any the worse for the fashionable
patter.
When we approach the subject of
nutrition, however, we are dealing
with fundamentals, and before we at
tempt to place q food in it's proper
niche In the dietary. we must know
something beyond the fact that 1t is
full Of calories," as one slim debu-
tante. more loquacious than accurate,
phraSed 1t!
What should we really know in re-
lation to each of the foods that make
us what we are? Because it is al
ways more interesting to have a real
personality at the center of our study
Of the history of a period. because 1t
Is also easier to think of the diet as
a whole in terms Of the particular
foods that compose 1t, why not take
one food, chocolate, If 1t SO please the
reader, to hold the center Of the stage
while we present the pageant of the
foods.
Chocolate, then.
First its history. Before these
piping times of food research the his
tory Of the discovery. development
and use OF a new food product was
the chief dependence of one who wish.
ed to study it. The merest skim over
the available literature dealing with
chocolate shows that in the eighteenth
century it was said to be actively
harmful, that in the middle of the
nineteenth such extravagant claims
were made touching it's food value
as almost to discredit 1t among
thinking people, while at the present
time, with the twentieth century but
recently launched on its somewhat
stormy but remarkable life, we learn
that the conclusions of first writer's
have been disproved and those of
second SO modified as to give US a
practical basis for evaluating this de-
licious food and beverage.
Fact No. Ito learn about a
food-its nutritional history.
While this Information about choco-
late was gathering form numerous
instances are cited to show that 1t
played an interesting part In the social
world.
Fact No. 2-Personality stories con-
nected with a food often help to AK
III llliIiu N0ldcboiC AllAo1 uo W
it's food value.
Next come the discussions on the
subject Of the component parts of the
cocoa bean and the nutritional func-
ton to be performed by each. Various
writer's will emphasize various points.
but a calm and dispa passionate atti-
tude, plus an intelligent knowledge
of what constitutes a complete dietary
will guide the student here.
Fact No. 3-Complete information
as to the chemical composition OF
the product is an absolute neces.
sity. AS a corrollary to this point we
have the fact that it is equally neces.
sary for the student to have a gen.
eral working and reading knowledge
of dietetics as a whole.
Then, with all this preliminary ma
terial lined up, we arrive at the inter
esting stage of preparing the product
for consumption. The nutrition work.
er who desires to make proper use
of chocolate in his diet work must
know the best method Of preparation.
Half-raw cocoa or chocolate will some
times produce a well defined indi-
gestion. while delicately prepared
with proportions of milk and water
just right the individual will be re.
freshed, cheered and fed.
Fact No. At is for the food stu
dent to despise not the homely art
of cookery!