Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-10-17

ton rather than give the new plan q
trial.
To the person who has been "con-
yerted," in q dietetic way, 1t will seem
strange. indeed. that the other will not
even give the thing little trial.
But perhaps 1t is just as well.
"You can't teach an old dog new
tricks" goes the saying, to which a wag
once added. He knows 'em already"
The best way to gain new knowledge
is to find it for ones self. In the mean
time, those who think they have made
real discoveries must sit on the sidelines
and watch the other continue In error?
That, too, is life.
There Is not much to be done about 1t,
unless one wishes to use force or to con-
tinue in spasms of augmentation. The
first is unthinkable, in dietetics, and the
second is unpleasant.
Nor does example seem convincing,
alas. Eat never so perfectly, as you
think, before one who needs a different
wisdom, he will persist in saying that
there could be no possible application to
his case.
Maybe he will be right, too, that is the
strange part of it. The human body Is
such queer thing. so much the creature
Of custom and habit, to which Is added
the effect Of the mind, that what is one
persons meat is another's poison, as has
been stated so often, and SO correctly.
"The proof Of the pudding is in the
eating" and the same holds for any diet.
II short trial does not prove it bene-
fetal, give it up, but If it does, stick to
1t, and do not be scared away by the
cries of treason.
Many cries, even howls, have been sent
up against diet "fads," as some call them,
but the best of these newer diet systems
are nothing but common sense. after ALL
and can be proved or disproved for and
by the individual.
II they come across with benefit, for
you they are worthwhile, for you.
Often they are sound at the very points
where the common universal habits of
eating are unsound.
1t seems impossible to make many per-
sons realize that there can be any rela-
ton whatsoever between health and food.
They seem to think of themselves
simply as bags to be stuffed daily, re-
gardless of the articles used to do the
stuffing.
Carefully they choose the gas and oil
to feed their motor, but seldom. if ever,
give a thought to the food with which
they feed themselves. Those who dare
do so are termed "cranks" and worse,
~ **
It is only i'll health. in some form or
other, which ever seems to turn any ones
thoughts to the possibility that there
may be some relation. after all, between
what we eat, when and how. and the
way we feel.
Not only do most persons 40 years old
or over eat from two to four times as
much food as they need daily. but their
selections are seldom rational in any
sense. but mostly are built solely on
chance, within and established habits.
Even i'll health, in many instances
has no effect whatever in this regard, but
the sick person continues to eat, to the
best of his ability. in exactly the same
way as he did before he became Ill, and,
what is more important, while he was
becoming i'll.
One extreme is that food is sort of
cure-all. The other is that there is no
relation at all between the food we eat
and the diseases from which we suffer.
Probably the truth is somewhere in
between, as 1t so often is; If we cannot
cure ourselves wholly. by the food route,
at least We may be able to help ourselves,
at least free ourselves from indigestion,
which Is great gain.