FANATICISM IN FEEDING

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 20 April 1935, Page 11

FANATICISM IN FEEDING

Where the Food Faddists Go Sadly Astray

A report of an inquest on a naval officer who- died of pneumonia and malnutrition recalls to mind several instances of a similar character, writes W, jVi. Gailichan in. the “Daily Mail.” Only those who 'have studied the dietetic habits of a large number of persons are acquainted with the frequency of faddism in feeding. I knew a fanatical vegetarian who declared that he lived entirely upon raw wheat and apples. in the right-hand pocket of his coat he carried the loose grain, and in the left-hand the apples. I was not surprised when I heard of his death at the age of 35.

be for most persons a very severe tax upon the digestive organs. The most nourishing fruits are dates, raisins and bananas. But no one can be protected against disease and sufficiently nourished upon the fruit alone. In contrast to the strict vegetarians are the advocates of a high protein diet derived chiefly from meat. These hearty meat-eaters are frequently as fanatical as the fruitarians. Through an excessive consumption of meat they neglect to eat important vitamin foods, such a uncooked lettuce and other gteefi leaves, and they frequently refuse all cooked vegetables except potatoes.

Another man subsisted almost entirely upon boiled rice and salt for three months. At the end of this period he died of influenza and starvation.;

I have for many years experimented personally in diet. Experience has shown me that it is futile to lay down hard-and-fast general principles. One rule is applicable to everyone. The diet should be mixed and not restricted to one or two foods. The faddists go wrong because they try to live upon a dangerously restricted diet. Every day we need for bodily repair and energy a certain proportion of the main essentials, protein, starch and fat.

Many women at the present time practise slimming through adopting a starvation diet. They are anaemic and terribly under-nourished, and favourable hosts! for any of the millions of disease germs that they encounter daily. Nearly all food cranks are neurotic. They can he easily persuaded to abandon certain foods as “poisonous.” There - are people who teach that salt is “the forbidden fruit.” A proportion of fruitarians try to live upon fruit and nuts. They claim that the oil of nuts supplies the requisite amount of fat food.

These can be supplied by dairy produce, and not- necessarily by meat, by cereals, garden vegetables, and fruit. I No food by itself can be described rightly as “the staff of life.” A deficiency in one article of diet- requires compensation from another source of nourj ishment. Above all, we should avoid ! morbid preoccupation witfiYood'fads as j preached by persons who have never studied dietic facts.

It is quite true that Brazil nuts and walnuts contain a nutritive oil, but the daily quantity of nuts required would