The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1942-04-02
Homemakers' Column
Edited by Miss Mariana Lee Long,
Home Demonstrate Agent,
Oakland, Maryland
ENERGY" FOODS

ENERGY" FOODS
This question was once asked by Z
mother; Il have been wondering if
could help my son have more energy
by serving him more energy foods
He already eats a good deal of sweet
starch and fat, which | under.
stand are energy foods. Do you think
he would be more energetic if he ate
more of these foods ?" Nutrition scien-
I fists think not. They say most Amer
! leans eat all of the sweets, starches
and fats they need, and many eat toe
much Of these foods, and too few OF
the vitamin and mineral foods. The
! term energy foods" is often mis-.
leading. A more understandable term
is fuel food" The sugars, starches
and fats provide the fuel or energy tc
keep the body active and warm, just
as gasoline keeps an engine running
and warm. But the body can use only
so much fuel, just as an engine can
use only so much gasoline. If you load
| your car up with more gasoline, you
| don't make it any more energetic If
you load a human body up with sugar
starch and fat, you don't make that
body more energetic. In fact, just the
contrary is likely to be the result The
energy foods which the body doesn't
need it stores as fat. SO if an individ-
ual eats more energy foods than he
needs he may become fat but not more
energetic.
Actually, the vitamn and mineral
foods are the foods that usually make
a person more vigorous and energetic
because they keep the body in good
working order. One nutrition author
/ ity often explains that vitamins work
with the energy foods as ethyl does
with gasoline. They make for easier
and more efficient running. So any
child who seems to lack energy may
need more fruit and vegetables in his
meals, or more milk, more eggs, whole
grains and other protective foods
rather than more energy foods. Occa-
sionalIy physicians find child who
is not able to absorb enough vitamins
from his food to keep him in best
health. Such child often improves
in health after taking vitamin con.
centrates. But most normal children
and grown-ups can get the vitamins
and minerals they need for feeling
"encrgetic' from a good diet.
Sugar Is Not Needed
No normal person needs sugar every
day if he eats other energy foods
Sugar is only one Of the energy foods
You can use starchcs or fats in place
Of sugar In fact, for many thousands
Of years the human race prospered
without ever tasting sugar as we know
it. 1t was only a few hundred years
ago that the process of refining sugar
was worked out and gave us the
white concentrated sugar we now use
in such quantity. Before that, human
beings took their sweets in natural
form-in sweet fruits, in honey when
they could find a wild bees nest. and
sometimes in sweet juices from plants
such as the sweet sap Of the sugar
maple tree discovered by the Ameri-
( can Indians. Physicians and nutrition
scientists today generally agree that
Americans have been eating too much
sugal-in candy, sweet drinks, pies
cakes, cookies, and so on. They believe
Americans would be healthier anc
have better teeth and figures if they
ate less sugar.
Recipe of The Week
Do you dye eggs for your children
at Easter? Since the dyes used are Of
vegetable origin and consequently non
poisonous, the eggs can be used fol
food.
The March-ApriI Scaltcst Food Ad-
wiser carried recipe which | should
like to pass on to my readers. think
children might accept this as a special
treat. Add a glass of milk and you
have complete lunch or supper fol
the little ones:
Dreamed Eggs and Tomatoes
! Two and - holt +a blaupoo,,c of L,,4