The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-05-09
DOES 1T MATTER MUCH WHAT
YOU EAT:

| another popular 1allacy we WISE
acres reluct to relinquish is the notion
that any fool can prescribe a diet. ]
know, for every day lot OF Wise
acres ask me to prescribe one for
EN-. 1t is obvious they take me for
a fool, because as a rule they merely
mention the name of some real or
imaginary malady and CURLY order me
to send the diet for 1t. Or some OF
the more gullible ones 60 to the
trouble of telling me the nature, cause
and symptoms OF the malady tor
which the diet is required without de-
lay.
Take "acidosis" for instance. Now
there's a purely imaginary malay
that almost any fool but physician
can recognize at a guess. Makes a
pleasant variation from ''autointoxi-
cation" when you're played out on
that line. Moreover some OF the more
snooty mediums are manifesting
actual diffidence about unpleasant
discussions of certain bodily functions
and it is growing increasingly diff
cult to sell "autointoxication" treat"
ment. but "acidosis" is a subject on
which anybody can say what he likes
and nobody can stop him. So "acl-
dosis" is now all the rage amongst
the hoipolloi, and many are SO badly
obsessed that they insist on counting
the Galleries, assaying the vltamlns
and knowing precisely how acid the
ash OF every item in the bill OF 1are.
So far as my observation goes, there
is rarely any serious harm done by
all this monkeying with diet. Occa-
sionally some girl with more beauty
than brains goes to extremes with
reduction and presently finds that
the latent tuberculosis that this lights
up will keep her reduced for long
while. It is quite conceivable, too,
that injudicious restriction IN the
variety and quantity of food con-
sumed may impair health or various
functions thru vitamin deficiency.
Catering to the popular demand
for dietetic hokum is quite a business
in this free country. For every odd
notion or belief about food there Is
at least one Authority" in the form
Of a self commended food expert"
or specialist. From the fancy that
tomatoes cause cancer, rheumatism or
acidosis to the belief that fats, sweets,
buckwheat and other good foods cause
pimples, there Is some such author
ity". That's enough for the Wiseacre
mind.
I do not mean to deny that in some
particular conditions special dietetic
treatment is helpful. Indeed, pass
out such advice to many correspond
cnts-reduction regimen, corrective
protective regimen, menus for victims
of peptic ulcer or hyperacidity and
for the we'll members of the family
and suggestions in reference to the
diet In many other conditions. But I
do believe that it doesn't matter much
what you eat if you are fairly well,
provided you have normal liking TOR
reasonable variety of natural or not
too much processed foods.
Even in diabetes as we now under
stand the functional fault, it Is i'm
possible to prescribe suitable diet
without such knowledge of the pa
tents individual capacity to metabo-
lie or utilize the different food ma
terials as the physician obtains
10y tolerance tests.
Show me your cut and dried diet
list for this or that ailment and I'll
point out the misconceptions on which
it is based.