HEALTH INSURANCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 138, 8 December 1936, Page 13

HEALTH INSURANCE

EATING RIGHT FOODS

A DOCTOR'S ADVICE

That the public is anxious for guidance in the maintenance of health and physical fitness is becoming increasingly apparent, writes Sir W.'Arbuthnot Lane in the "Daily Mail." Those who, like myself and my colleagues of the New Health Society, hp.ve striven during the last'ten years to awaken the health conscience of the community "are gratified that the Government is now planning, a heaith campaign on an adequate scale. Most medical practitioners whose names' are known to the public habitually receive irom strangers the most pathetic letters, begging for advice in their case or that of relatives or friends. ',•.■•' •..■.'-•. : The colds arid coughs, the rheumatism, headaches, neuritis,, bilious attacks, and . general feeling =of de-, pression and malaise, which are so commonly experienced at changes of the season, .are the price paid for conscious or unconscious departures from sound practice in diet,, exercise, and other everyday, interpretations by the individual of the art and : .science of living. Many of these conditions need never have occurred. . ; ".-■"• Susceptibility to winter ills is largely a matter of the, degree of resistance we can offer. Most of . the germs which are capable of getting the upper hand of us we carry ; in our systems, and their success or failure.in establishing themselves depends on whether they can. catch this organ or that at a low ebb. Yet none of our organs would be open to attack were, its tissues consistently fed by a' healthy bloodstream. .'■"■' A healthy bloodstream is dependent, upon two main factors—adequate feeding and proper drainage. Body cells that are starved of living nutriment degenerate rapidly • and cannot renew themselves vigorously. In : order to make sure that your body is getting its Share of living foods, you should include in your meals each day some milk—and children should have ,at the very least one pint a day—green vegetables, both cooked and raw, some ' fresh fruit, especially orange, lemon, apple, or tomato, and wholemeal bread or preparations of rye or wheat. USEFUL VEGETABLES. Carrots and onions, are very valuable; so is, celery, especially when eaten raw. Radishes and, watercress again are full of essential minerals ar.d vitamins. Remember that fresh vegetables and fruits are not merely, summertime luxuries; they are all-the-year-round necessaries for health. Butcher's meat is not' essential, but you must have sortie kind of bodybuilding food of animal origin—such as eggs, cheese, milk, and other dairy produce—or fish or poultry. Where constipation is present, meat is best avoided until the condition is rectified. 'In. any case,. except in the case of the severest manual labour, one meat meal a day is ample. A valuable source of• minerals requisite for maintaining a high degree of health is to be. found in dried fruits, and especially dates, which in themselves are able to sustain over long periods. • With regard to the once-vexed question of canned foods, there is now general unanimity among research workers, who have subjected -such foods to exhaustive tests. From these it is clear that fruits and vegetables canned under modern conditions preserve most of the natural qualities of the, fresh article, both mineral and vitamin, and may be included freely in the menu, especially when fresh green vegetables are difficult to procure. , \ PROTECTIVE FOODS. The children should not be deprived of a full ration of sweet dishes. Bread and suet puddings are definitely beneficial to the growing child, and in moderation are also a good food for. the active adult. ; Butter, cream, and milk are the chief protective foods—they preserve certain therapeutic qualities of sunlight in much the same way, though not to the sarrie extent, as halibut liver oil-or cod liver' oil, either of which is. most valuable arid, indeed, often essential, for infants and young children. Various -palatable forms and compounds of these oils are now available, orange juice being one of the specially, valuable ingredients in such- preparations where children" are concerned. : In enabling the organs of excretion to do their work fully, air and water both play an important role. Deep breathing should be made into a conscious, regular habit. . • Another- sound habit' is that 'of copious waterrdrinking. 1 Water or its equivalent—fruit drinks or other similar beverage—e.g., weak tea and lemon—should be taken freely on rising and between meals. Clothing and exercise are important matters to. consider in cold weather, and are subject to certain misconceptions. It is common, especially for men, to err on the side of over-clothing, yet a little reflection must bring home to us the important part played,' by the skin as an organ of excretion—that is. in. the removal of the body's waste matter. Our clothes must be . porous enough to admit a minimum of light and air to the body. A further valuable form of health insurance in the winter months is exposure to artificially produced ultraviolet rays. Enterprising local authorities in various parts of England now offer such baths to the general public at most reasonable rates. REGULAR EXERCISE. For the home one of the excellent sun lamps now available is a sound investment. Make sure, by consulting your doctor, that you are not subject to any abnormal condition, such as would make light baths undesirable (e.g., tuberculosis of a joint), and receive from him also guidance as to the length and frequency of, exposure. ' A few minutes' exposure produces an effect equal to several hours' exposure to sunlight. This is particularly valuable after the serious shortage of sunlight during our summer months this year, for the months June, July, August, and September showed a shortage of 125 hours of sunshine in respect of the average of 710 taken over a period of 30 years. ...... Regular exercise in the fresh air is essential to winter health. This does not mean a violent and spasmodic effort' at the weekend after six days of stagnation and over-eating, but at least an hour'spent each day in some form of outdoor recreation steadily pursued without undue fatigue.. I know of no finer or more suitable exercise at any age than walking, for it can be made as gentle or as strenuous as need be, and every muscle and fibre of the body can be brought into regular play.