Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-25
FOOD AND HEALTH
BY WINIFRED STUART GIBBS
Food SuAcialiAt.

There is evident on every hand
definite tendency toward reducing life
to it's lowest terms. We are apparently
in such haste to get through what
il has to offer that we have Scant
time for the non-essentials. There
fore, when the desk worker thinks of
his diet problems he likes to have
their solutions expressed in as few
words as possible.
All of which being the case, how
shall we put in a nutshell the advice
best calculated to help the desk
worker keep fit?
Provided there is no organic dis
order of any kind, the average
seGentary individual may rest assured
that he has it in his own hands to rid
himself of that curse of all who sit
still at their Work-faulty elimination.
He may not be conscious that he is
suffering from this trouble. In fact,
he may say that he is never troubled
with constipation yet the chances
are that he will be mistaken.
Once let him establish free elimina-
ton and lie will he astonished to
realize what constant vigilance is re-
quired to free his system of the waste
products of even a simple diet.
Now as TO the diet program itself
It is not sufficient 10 say: Eat
plenty OF laxative foods There is
. as much of IL trick in eating ones
food properly as there is in wearing
ones clothes well.
Laxative food does not simply mean
food that contains a quantity of cellu
lose or roughage, although that is i'm
portant. Laxative food. in the best
sense, means food that is so perfectly
digeSted that the end products result
ing from digestion are so constituted
rs TO give the organs of elimination
Just the right amount of work to do
If they are loaded, for example. with
Il burdensome and complicated mass
they will be so discouraged that the
chances are they Will at once set about
giving the hapless eater a lesson. Con
stipatiOn. alternating with an irritdt-
ing diarrhea, is one penalty apt to he
inflicted.
Again. III fighting constipation 100
few realize that a careful balance be
tween acid and base or alkaline foods
| is important. Because of agreeable
| flavor and also because of long estab-
| liShed customs. acids formed are not
| i'll this case unwholesome: in fact,
| they are part of natures wise plan for
| digestion. The danger lies in allow
! ing tho acid foods TO overbalance
! the alkaline. which is in itself u
menace to complete elimination.
| Therefore. let the desk worker be care
| full to add to his diet just a little
/ extra variety of the alkaline foods
The others will take care Of them
selves.
| Coming from the general To the
particular. here * Il meal plan for
such an individual:
For breakfast, oranges. bananas.
steamed dates OF figs. with the cereal.
! grapefruit. pruneS.
Between meals. if Just bite" i,
! kept in the desk. let it take the form
! Of stuffed dates or plain figs. The
! dates that are stuffed with nuts are
especially valuable and nourishing.
! Luncheon consisting OF Il sumptu-
! ouSly large and meaiy baked potato.
with cream, green and cracking and
white celery hearts: will not require
/ bread and butter. Not that the latter
foods must he cut ont OF the daily
diet. Breakfast and dinner cali for
either toast or bread. and call LOUD
ana long. And the potato luncheon
/ sill. Of course. be varied but the point
is that potato is alkaline and helps
balance the nourishing sort of the food
IS we'll as the waste products. Dinner
should be largely vegetable, from soup
/ to main dish. through salad and cream
! or cuStard dessert, with only enough
meat to satisfy the possible craving.