Evening star., 1926-02-09
FOOD AND HEALTH
By wINIFRED STUART GIBBS.
Food Specialist.

If we are to do justice to the discus
| sion of the dietary treatment of some
special condition details are in order.
Each case Is usually Il law unto 1t
self, and after principles are discussed
details follow In the natural order OF
events. 1t Is serviceable, however, to
have in mind general types of diets as
being suitable for general types of
| disturbances. These types may be
presented somewhat along the follow
ing lines
First there is the normal mixed
diet. This means the diet that is
strong ally IN preserving normal
health. Such a mixed diet may be
used as the oasis for dietary treatment
of individuals who are suffering, let
us say, from a broken bone or other
condition that does not interfere seri-
ously with the workings of the bodily
processes
Then we have what hospitals and
physicians call the soft diet. This
Is made up of foods which may be
strained and mashed through a soup
Strainer.
Still keeping to the medical method
of describing diets, we have next the
fluid diet, which is self-eXplanatory.
Subdivisions of the fluid diet may in
clude the milk regime, where the food
is limited to whole milk, skinned,
modified, melted or butter milk.
When patients have advanced be-
yond the stage where any one of
these is needed, the physician orders
what is known as Il convaieSCent Diet.
This includes easily digeSted body
building material, combined with deli
cate jellies, custards, cream and the
like.
n
visions of diet as it applies to diges-
tive disturbances, however. that we
have most interesting reading. One
well known authority makes II di
visions, as follows:
/. Diets capable OF neutralizing
gastric acidity.
,. Diets rich in base-forming foods,
or alkaline foods
3. Diets low in table salt or en-
tirely free from this.
4. Diets high in mineral salts such
as lime, iron, phosphorus.
5. Diets low in purins.
6. Diets low in bodybuilding mate
rial or protein.
I. Diets rich in starch
s. Diets high in building ma
terial
9. Diets low in starch.
10. Diets rich in fats.
IL. Diets poor in fats
-. Diets rich in vitamins.
1t Is we'll worth while for the lay
man to learn the general principles
underlying the formulating of any
one of these dietaries. First of ALL
he must learn the general condition
in which this general type of diet Is
advisable. Briefly, these are as fol-
lows:
Acid-neutralizing diets are useful
In cases of ulcer or when there is too
high a proportion of ordinary diges-
tive acids. Diets rich in basic salts
are indicated for Bright'S disease as
Well as the more common acidosiS
Salt-poor diets are sometimes ad-
vised for kidney trouble and usually
For heart disturbances Iron, lime
and PHOSPHORUS diets are useful in
wasting diseases such as tuberculosis
and other deficiency diseases. Diets
low In purin are used for gout. Those
trouble or in intestinal putrefaction.
Diets high in bodybuilding material
are Tor bullding-up purposes after
wasting diseases. Starch-rich diets
are helpful in cases of intestinal putre-
faction. Those that are low in starch
are called for in diabetes and obesity
F'ar-rich diets are obviously helpful in
bringing the weight up to normal and
in some cases for constipation. Those
poor in fats are usually indicated for
acfdosiS, while vitamn-rich diets may
be said to be indicated for all sorts
and conditions of men as we'll as all
sorts and conditions of diseases!