The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-09-06
ANOTHER TRICK DIET FOR REDUCTION HAS ITS
 RRIEE DAY.

And now the best of all food fruits, the one that comes in a sterile package, the luscious, nour- ishing, sustaining, satisfying and never cloying banana, has come upon bitter days. for the publicity hunters in medicine are featuring bananas in their trick reduction diets.
 In this crude reduction regimen, which politician attempted to sell to the public by staging newspaper touted diet marathon, the victim is allowed six bananas and a quart of skinned milk daily for from ten days to two weeks, and then a less restricted diet. The few who manage to stick to the regimen lose perhaps three pounds a week. But they also lose something else. They lose ambition. The group of victims the politician used in his news paper diet marathon entered the demonstration with some enthus- iasm or at least good imitation of enthusiasm. Presently they be- gan to complain of being so tired and weak. Naturally. And the big show petered out.
 According to the master minds that contrive this banana and skim milk regimen the obese patient gets $40 calories from six large six large bananas and 1000 c. c. (liter) or approximately a quart of skim milk. City hicks may pre- pare their own skim by pouring of the top fourth of quart bottle of milk which has stood till the cream rises. and using only the lower 34 of the milk. Or if they prefer they may use buttermilk in place of skim milk. Buttermilk or skim milk yields half the number of calories fresh milk yields It is fair to credit 370-38O calories to the skim milk or buttermilk -four g!assfuls), but 569 calories Is rather low estimate for the six large bananas. Credit 700 calories to the bananas and 375 to the skim milk or buttermilk, provided you take four glassfuls with the 1 1-2 bananas at each of the four meals in the day. That makes less than 1900 calories a day. Even a frail adult lying abed should lose on such a scanty ration. One up and about - well, frankly Ithink the banana skim milk regimen is not great improvement over tn. karell regimen which is now ob. solete and the "1S-day" diet which sent so many foolish women to the hospital or sanatorium.
 Some hunger and weakness during the first three or four days of the milk and banana diet are common and must not be regarded too seriously" So says a physician who ad < cates this diet for reduc- tion. Having experimented con- siderably on the now not over weight dog who conducts this column, I desire to testify that hunger and weakness are pretty serious when one is experiencing such sensations. Further can as. sure all fat folk that one need not suffer any great hunger or weakness in the simple process of getting rid of thirty pounds oi stacker flesh. know, for I have tried 1t. This admission that the banana and skim milk regimen may be expected to cause some hunger and weakness condemns the method, in my estimation. The physicians who employ or advocate such a reduction regimen simply do not grasp the essential signi. ficance of nutritional obesity or the simple, logical way to correct this common fault of nutrition. Abhorrent as 1t may seem, some Of these physicians can learn something to their patients ad- vantage by watching this column.