Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-10
FOOD AND HEALTH
BY WINIFRED STUART GIBBS.
Food Specialist.

With noted neurologist, DR..
Joseph Collins. telling us that the
i United States as a nation is suffer
ing from adult infantilism. and an
eminent medical editor, DR.. Joseph
F1shbein, vouchsating the informa-
ton that our dietary habits may be
| taken as evidence of the allegation
| that large majority of us are
moronS,' does it not behoove us 10
| take account of our dietary stock?
Not ours the task of proving or
disproving the said allegation We
! do know, however, that intellectual
! growth has been retarded sufficiently
| to make the problem one that de-
mands serious consideration. We also
know that malnutrition is another of
our national problems. The fact tina.
we have excellent medical authority
| for the belief that the two problems
are inextricably bound together
should be sufficient to make us eager
to see what we. as individuals. can
| do about a solution.
First, to examine the evidence sup
| porting DR.. Fishbein's Statement.
Are we not pathetically ready to
believe the first halfinformed, if not
misinformed, faddist who assures US
gravely that this food will make US
the embodiment of health, while that
one will cause us to be cursed with
fell disease? That vegetarianism is
the solution of the worlds problems,
while more" of any one Of a dozen
foodstuffs will cause us to live happy
! ever after!
! Truly it is time for us to call a
halt on food fads.
| To quote DIR. Fishbein again:
| There is no law of man or nature
I; that compels the thinking human
being to limit himself to milk, wheat.
oranges, nuts or anything else in
! the food category. If he is really
! intelligent he will want to make up
his diet of a sufficient variety of
foods to provide everything necessary
| for the proper development and sta
| bility of his tissues"
/ If this is not supreme common
sense, as we'll as sound medical adj
vice, then we should like to know
! the reason why!
! So, it would seem to be largely
a matter of developing our intellects
sufficiently to insure our making rea
| sonable choice of foods and, con-
versely, of eating properly, SO as to
develop our intellects.
Lewis Carroll would have made
delightful sllit about it. but we, in
| more prosaic fashion, must content
ourselves with revamping our ideas
on the subject of food fads.
Members Of the much discussed in
telligentsia are wont to consider the
! intellect as a thing apart from such
sublunary considerations as meat and
| potatoes, and bread and butter and
fruits and vegetables and milk. Mem
i bers of the proletariat of intellect
may prove themselves more far-see-
! ing. If they will but turn deaf ears
to alluring tales of pineapple and
chops" for reducing; to stories of dire
spiritual and physical disasters trace
J able to even moderate consumption
/ of meat, and other extreme plat
FORMS" they will be on the high road
toward achieving sound minds in
sound bodies. ~
To revert to the allegation that
we are nationally infantile. We may
! pretend to scoff .thereat. but deep
| down in the consciousness of every
one of us is the pride of nation that
does so much for individual and coun-
| try alike The flick of a tiny lash
on the pride may be a tonic indeed.
| if it is the means of setting us think.
| ing along lines that spell increased
vigor of both mind and body.
Therefore let us do our best to
disprove that we are immature by
following sound diet principles. at
least.