The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-03-19
HOW DO PROTECTIVE FOODS
 PROTECT?

ANO A<OAs
 In the past ten years or so it has become almost cliche. this phrases { "protective foods" Some physicians who pretend they know what they're talking about use it glibly. Some humbug flood experts or "diet specialist or "nutritionists use the phrase with telling effect upon prospective customers.
 In reality it is as nice sounding but as vague and misleading as the sterotyped phrases of yesteryear- good nourishing food" and easily digested food'-remember how the doctors used to say that was what the patient needed besides rest and fresh air? And how they never stopped to specify precisely which foods were nourishing and easily digested?
 Well, the present generation is more difficult. People today have the impudence to ask the doctor, sometimes, please to tell them just which foods they may and may not eat-and worse still, by jingo, some of them now know enough about the tricks of the trade to elevate an eyebrow If the doctor has the temerity to hand them printed diet list in lieu of his own advice.
 So of late years the doctors, in order to save face, have adopted & new line. Caught mapping when the vitamin craze developed. the doc tors found this happy solution for their predicament. When patients inquired about vitamins the doctors had only to laugh about the 'rac- ket' and assure them that if the ordinary everyday diet is well ball anced and includes liberal amounts of fresh milk. green vegetables and fruits-the protective foods one will get all the vitamins the body needs to maintain good health. It really sounds good, doesn't 1t?
 Milk and milk products, particu- larly cheese of any kind you llke or can get-I mean real cheese. not the "processed" stuff - and green vegetables or greens, as well as all fresh vegetables and nuts, fresh fruits, and eggs, and just as im-l portant though often for someI peculiar season not mentioned att all, fresh meat, are the protective corrective foods, because these foodJ are the dichest sources of mineralsl and vitamin. If they make up thel main part Of the diet one is there by protected against developmentI of deficiency diseases If one already has mild deficiency diseases, liberal use of these foods tends to correct the trouble. So far so good But let's not ivy off the handle. The doctor Whd| ! blandly or blatantly tells the world that the use of these protectiv4 foods in liberal proportions assureM the body all the vitamins the body needs is talking through his hat.
 If the American people conn tinue to use wheat and sugar
 amounts currently consumed statH ed Prof. Geo. R. Cowgirl of YalV University, in an official report to the Council on Foods, American Medical Association, (J. A. M. A., Dee. g. 39) simple calculation reveals that. in order to secure the $50 units of vitamin B1 which has been lost during the past century as result of refinement in the milling of wheat. one would bd forced to consume tremendous and impossible quantities Of these particular protective foods" The author quotes Jolliffe's estimate that one would have to consume daily 625 Gm. QM pounds) o1 fruit, nearly as much potato, and about 1A pounds of other vege- tables and pints of milk! But don't let me stop you. folks, if your doctor assures you that you can get all the vitamins you need from the protective foods. When your doc tor tells you so you should follow his advice-or bust.