Evening star., 1938-03-13
FALLACIES IN FOOD
Ideas Which Have Been Long Accepted Fail
to Agree With Tests Made by
Experts of Government.


something else again. Fats do remain
longer in the digestive tract and they
do slow up the process Of digestion. !,
Furthermore, rich foods usually are
compact and concentrated and take
longer to digest. But, 1t is emphasized
by dieticians, that Is not a matter Of 4
concern to the average healthy person. 4
The important thing about richs
foods is not to get too much Of them
and to get the right quantities Of other
foods along with sugars and fats.
Now how about that moot question
OF water with ones meals?
On that point we're told that if you
like water with your meals, go ahead
and drink it, because in reasonable
amounts it stimulates the acid juices
and aids digestion. Some food faddists
say that it's bad to drink water with
your meals because it dilutes the en-
zymes essential for digestion. But the
answer to that is simply that the en-.
zymes are there in the same quantity
regardless of dilution.
OF course it is not a good practice
to drink lots of water just before
meals because water is filling and
dulls the edge Of appetite.
I 1NCLE SANS diet authorities de-
clare that there has been an
enormous amount Of misinformation
spread abroad about "roughage." They
say that you can get all the roughage
you normally need from eating fresh
fruits and vegetables without resorting
to special preparations. They espe-
cially emphasize that too much rough
age irritates the sensitive lining Of
the digestive tract and urge you to
consult your doctor If there Is any
question as to how much you need
Another widely held misconception
is that food is poisoned by being left
in opened tin cans. 1t isn't. but. OF
course, it must be refrigerated prop
erly like any other cooked food.
A lot Of us have believed for these
many years that it is dangerous to
eat milk and fish at the same meal.
Is that true? The experts say 1t Just
isn't so, pointing out that so long
as the milk or ice cream, the fish or
oysters are fresh and in good condi-
ton you run no risk in combining
them at the, same meal. The De-
partment of Agriculture notes that
fish choWders and oyster steWs with
milk are among New England's proud
est gifts to the American culinary
heritage and that fish baked in milk
also is the basis of some excellent
recipes.
The department further quotes a
famous nutrition authority to the
effect that any foods which may be
safely eaten separately may be safely
eaten together.
FxTRAVAGANT claims are made
for certain foods on the basis
Of supposed anti-fat virtues. These
claims, 1t is pointed out, may be :
grossly misleading, for average per-
sons grow fat or thin according to
the total number of calories they eat.
If you want to reduce. cut down on
calories. but be sure to include in
your diet enough Of all the food
essentials.
How about raisins? Should one
eat raisins for the iron they contain?
Raisins are good food. they have
deserved wide popularity. and they
do contain iron. But just for the
record it should be noted that weight
for weight raisins contain less iron
than fresh spinach or meat.
Then there is that old axom that
those who do heavy physical work
require lots of meat. Is that true?
Uncle Sans dieticians set us
straight on that by explaining that
energy for physical work can come
from almost any food The most
economical sources of energy. they
explain. are foods rich in carbohyd-
rates sugars and starches) such as
bread, cereals. sugars, fruits and GER
tain vegetables. Fats furnish consid-
cradle energy also. From meat you
get most proteins. which are essential
for rebuilding body tissues destroyed
by daily use. Proteins are a very
important part of the diet, but they
are shown to be decidedly expensive
as source of energy.
In using protein for energy the
body has to break it down into car
bohydrate, depriving 1t OF its nit.
rogen content, and then burn 1t in
the form of carbohydrate A leading
nutrition authority compares that
process to making fire with board
full of nails. The board would burn,
but the nails would add nothing to
the fire.
Scientists at Yale studied members
Of the college crew and found that
an athlete depends greatly on carbo-
hydrates for body fuel when under
special pressure. Sugar was found
to be the best quick fuel for intense
exertion. OF course, over a period Of
time athletes, like the rest of us, need
a balanced diet.
And so far as the extra meat for
extra muscular strength idea goes.
1t just isn't so according to the latest
findings Of science.
However, the Department OF Agri-
culture adds that while vegetarians
may have psychological reasons for
cutting out meat, 1.-The average healthy
individual needs protein, and it takes
skill to provide this if you limit your
sources to eggs, cheese and vegetables.
If you don't watch the balance you
may go too heavily on starches."