Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 8, Number 32, DeMotte, Jasper County, 7 July 1938 — WHAT to EAT and WHY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WHAT to EAT and WHY

<?. g*ui» . Explains What Is Meant by CORRECT NUTRITION

Describes How to Construct a Balanced Diet, So ,Essential to Maintain Optimal Health

By C. HOUSTON GOUDISS

6 East 39th St., New York City. TO SOME families, a summons to the dinner table means nothing more than a chance to satisfy hunger. To others, it represents an opportunity to gratify the palate, sometimes to the extent of overtaking the digestive system. Xeither of these extremes fulfills the true functioi . of food , which is to provide adequately but not to excess, for growth, main-

tenance and repair of the body. Food May Fail to Feed You can satisfy hunger without providing correct nutrition. You

can partake of de-licious-tasting foods to the point of overindulgence without meeting bodily requirements. The mere spending of money will not insure good nutrition, for extremely poor diets cap be found in households "where the income is large

and the food budget is ample. What counts is learning to provide the right foods in the correct proportions,. The retqrn in health will be more than worth the investment of effort iu acquiring this knowledge. j A Balanced Diet Science has discovered what foods are necessary to help build top health and us 100 per cent fit. The amount of food required by a man for a day’s work can be accurately determined. We know that a specific disease may be produced by one diet and cured by another; that growth can be influenced through changes in the quality of the dietary; that old age may be deferred by choosing the food with care. " We know that the body is a working machine which never stops but may sloyr down or get out of order unless the daily diet includes every element, every mineral, every vitamin needed to maintain health and avoid the deficiency diseases. Seven Essentials There are seven factors to be considered in planning a balanced diet. Protein sor 1 building body tissue and repairing the millions of cells that are vi'orn out daily. Carbohydrates to produce quick heat and energy. Fats—a more compact form of fjiel, which are also essential in ia satisfactory diet. Minerals wdi.ch serve both as builders and regulators of body processes. The six vitamins, A, B, C, D, E and G, that also act as regulators and prevent a number of deficiency diseases. Water —which serves as .a vehicle by which food is carried to the tissues. And cellulosje or bulk—required for the normal functioning of the intestinal tract. —★— Danger in Omitting One Food Substance The homemaker who fails to take every one of these factors into consideration is depriving her husband of the opportunity to develop his greatest efficiency. Moreover, she may be robbing her children of their birthright. During every day of childhood, the body is being built, (and defects in body structure are likely to arise if the child is improperly nourished. It is then that disease and disability make their appearance as a result of faulty nutrition. How tragic to deprive the young body of substances so necessary to its well being. —★ — How to Check Diet for Balance • Perhaps you are like the homemakers who tell me that they do not know a protein from a carbo-

hydrate. Or it may be that While you understand the difference, you do not know what quantities should be included in the diet each day. To simplify your task of serving balanced menus at every meal, I have prepared a Homemaker’s Chart for Checking Nutritional Balance. In convenient chart form, it shows what foods should be included in the diet every day and gives the standard amount for each food. There are also skeleton menus outlined by food classifications, which enable you to plan balanced menus for every meal by making a choice from each group of required foods. I urge every homemaker to write for this chart and use it daily. Then you won’t make such common mistakes as serving a dried legume as a vegetable at a meal in which meat is used, which tends to concentrate too much protein in one meal; or choosing a too-heavy dessert following a main course that is overly rich in carbohydrates. —★ — 60 Per Cent Carbohydrates Carbohydrates should form at least 60 per cent of the supply of food fuel. Rarely are- menus deficient in carbohydrates, because they are so widely distributed in such common foods as cereals, bread, potatoes, macaroni products, sweets, and sweet fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, grapes, apples and peas. Fats should supply about 20 per cent of the caloric content of the diet. They are obtained from butter, margarine, cream, egg yolk, salad dressings, vegetable oils and the fat of meats.

A protein food should be provided at each meal. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, milk and most nuts supply complete protein. Cereals and legumes furnish incomplete protein which may be supplemented by the complete protein of milk. —★ — The Protective Foods It is essential that the diet should contain an abundance of minerals and vitamins Which are furnished by the protective foods—milk, eggs, fruits and vegetables. Cellulose or bulk is obtained from fruits, vegetables and w T hole grain cereals. Water comes from juicy fruits, succulent vegetables, milk and other beverages, as well as the water that is consumed as a beverage. To provide adequate amounts of the seven food essentials at every avoid the mistake of serving too much of one type of food and too little of another — should be the worthy aim of every homemaker. You will find the task considerably easier if you send for the Homemaker’s Chart. Tack it up in your kitchen or in the room where you plan your menus, and use it to check the nutritional balance of every meal you prepare. If you faithfully follow the food program outlined in the chart, you will help to assure your family of correct nutrition. This is the most priceless gift you could bestow upon them. For nutrition is the architect that draws the plans of human destiny. In providing the right foo.ds, you lay a firm foundation for health on which to rear a life of happiness and success. , © WNU—C. Houston Goudiss—l93B—lß