STRESS ON VITAMINS

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 79, 1 October 1945, Page 10

STRESS ON VITAMINS

MRS. M. G. BARKER'S ADDRESS

Mrs. M. G. Barker, of the Health Department, addressed members of the English-speaking Union recently on the subject of nutrition. Although the conditions of malnutrition existing in Europe were almost nonexistent in New Zealand, where .'there was abundant food for everyone, said Mrs. BarkerMt should be emphasised that small deficiencies in the diet of children resulted in bad posture, eye diseases, and many similar troubles. It was not necessary .to eat, anything but the ordinary foods, which all contained their share of vitamins, to maintain health, and if diets were chosen wisely from milk, meat, eggs, green and root vegetable's, cheese, citrus fruits or rosehip 'syrup, and many . more, the average New Zealander would enjoy good health. A film strip illustrating the appalling diseases suffered mainly by children and in the starving European countries after the last war through lack of important vitamins, was shown by Mrs. Barker, who explained which vitamin deficiencies were responsible for scurvy, rickets; beriberi, etc. • "Calories are a means of measuring the heat that all foods give, to the body," said Mrs; Barker, "and, therefore, the quantities in which they are taken determine a person's energy.' Using approximate figures, Mrs. Bai'ker stated that an average, active man used 3000 to 4000 calories a day to keep up. his body energy, and most women used 2000 to 3000. It was recently announced that the people of Belgium • were ; existing upon food which yielded only 900 calories per day, she said, and/in consequence their general health' was in a very bad New Zealanders were not aware even of taking calories, Mrs. Barker continued, as they were present m most of the foods that formed our staple diets, but it was generally known that the extra calories in foods like cake were fattening and not necessary for normal energy. A special guest at the afternoon was Mrs. G. H. Faulkner, wife of Commodore G.. H. Faulkner, who was welcomed by the E.S.U. president, Mrs. E. D. Good, and presented with a bouquet of tulips. Similar bouquets were also presented to Mrs. Barker and Mrs.. W. G. Ross, who ' gave elocutionary items.