FOOD FALLACIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 275, 21 November 1933, Page 10

FOOD FALLACIES.

ADVICE IN SLIMMING.

Many fallacies about food and exercise were exposed, and much useful advice was given to those who wish to slim by a professor of biochemistry in the London University recently. Common beliefs which he exploded included those that: Beef tea, . oysters and lobsters are restorative; soup that sets to a jelly is particularly nourishing; Turkish baths, warm baths, massage and exercise allreduce weight; and toast is less fattening than bread. All these beliefs the professor controverted.

"Most people," he said, "have no idea what a nourishing food really is, and during times of convalescence and illness many valuable pounds are wasted in preparing more or less valuable dishes to rally the invalid's strength. A typical example of this may be found in the misplaced faith of most people ill beef tea; The anxious mother purchases a pound or so of beef and proceeds to boil it for a prolonged period. Then the solid material is strained off, and the watery fluid, which contains the 60-called nourishment, is given to the invalid, while the solid matter is usually given to the dog. On this occasion it is very definitely the dog which scores, because 99 per cent of the nourishment goes to the dog and only 1 per cent to the invalid.

"To the lay mind there is perhaps no more potent restorative than oysters. Now a dozen oysters will yield 88 calories of energy. That is to say, the well-to-do person is spending say seven shillings to purchase 88* calories of food. But the slice of brown bread and butter which he eats with the oysters will give him well pver 100 calories. Cold Baths for "Slimming." "How often does one hear a person refuse bread because it is fattening, and say that he can only eat toast? Weight for weight, toast is more nourishing than bread. One often hears that a particular soup must be really good and nourishing because it sets to a jelly when cold. This is due to the gelatine which is extracted from the meat or tendons, and it is known that gelatine is one of the few proteins which will not support life.

"Clear soup is of very low caloric value and can be taken with impunity by a fat person. It is a pity to see anyone at a dinner refusing oysters and clear soup because they fear that they will get fat, but while their thin friends are consuming these low caloried delicacies, they themselves are taking in literally hundreds of calories by eating rolls and butter."

Most people, he went on, had a false view of the weight-reducing character of exercise. It was much easier to absorb energy than to dissipate it, and exercise could not be recommended for weight reducing unless combined with very rigid dieting. Turkish baths, warm, and tepid baths had no effect in dissipating energy, while massage only reduced the weight of the masseur. Cold baths, on the other hand, did get rid of energy. A cold bath at OOdeg F., lasting for five minutes, caused the loss of about 70 calories.