The Vitamin Need

Hutt News, Volume 15, Issue 20, 15 October 1941, Page 8

The Vitamin Need

"i i. '• - *■ . f - : 1 • ; ? By H. K. AD. W. Adair--, i (Osteopaths). j / The need for Bpecial .to be given to the selection of vlta-fliin-containlng foods is greatly in- * creased as mankind develops socially. People who live under, .primi? Jtive conditions, and if horn many t of we moderns arei inclined to regard With feelings akin to'contempt, are, on the whole, infinitely better nourished and possess < more perfect proportions and consequently more ; joeautiful bodies' than we. Sir Robert MoGarrißony .one of the most 'noted British investigators of nutrition, spoke of the condition of the fmemberß of a hill tribe in India (the State of Hunza) as being possessed of the most perfect physical proportions together with.an entire absence of the common ailments to f which civilised peoples are prohe to ' suffer. To come nearer home, however, we have the Polynesians, in-j j cluuding our own Madris, and when left to themselves these various ; peoples represent the acme of physi- ' cal perfection. Dental caries, rickets, chest complaints, v digestive ail- : ments, nervous and other commonplace ailments as suffered by about wi) in every 100 of us, are conspicuous by their absence. With the adoption of our so-called civilised methods of living, however, these Barne peopie are taking over our heritage of physical defects and common ailmentß. Their beautiful proportions are still transmitted to their children, because the evii effects of wrong eating habits may require several generations to undermine or distort hereditary qualities and thus affect the germina. cells. - Also, the natives have not as yet, fully adopted the white man's methods of living. As these people advance in years though, the) supply ample evidence of the detrl mental effect of our mode of life. Obesity becomes a prevailing physical defect and they become susceptible to all the commop ailments as well. . . ■

Not all primitive peoples posses such a high standard of. physical e: cellence as the Hunzas and the Pol] nesians, but it is a significant fa< that the same excellent qualities ar to be found in every community, b it brown, black or white, where th food supply, contains the same ei sential- vitamins and other bod] building, elements as provided b the food supply of these two widel separated peoples. Our food does not contain thes essentials, because!'we consume fa too great a preponderance of cool ed food, and foods that have bee; processed'.or. refined. Our civilisa tion has 'provided us with every con ceivable 'comfort, but it has mad life too easy for us in many direc tions. We have too much physica ease, and we find it far too easy secure foods which have ;but, littli real food value. AH the foqd shop; are crammed with eatables" of > poo; vitamin value. ■ Foods ■ such ai sweets, cakes, pastry, processec cereals, biscuits, tinned and pro cessed foods of every description We eat sugared and other carbohy drate foods in quantities that an out of all proportion to our needs We have not the consumption figures for New Zealand at the moI inent, but in, Britain the Board 01 Trade figures show that Britons eat 40 times more sugar to-day than they did one hundred years agd, ,and • einember, the need for carbohyurate lood was greater than it is now. ; Sugar contains no vitamins whatever, nor any mineral elements "either. It is a pure carbohydrate, and as such provides beat and energy in animal tissues, but it provides no tissue-building materials Whatever,. Refined cereals . are consumed to an even greater extent than sugar. These J include white dread aiid the multiplicity of puddings, cakes, paßtry, biscuits, etc., made from white flour. Along with, sugar, refitted cereals constitute two of the three main staple foods in general use. Refined cereals art nly a slight improvement on refined sugar. They provide a cheap form of carbohydrate, but they lack both vitamins and minerhl substances. Responsible officials in most Cotin l tries realise all this and a half hearted effort is being made to overcome Some of the vitamin deficiency of white bread by the addition of the B vitamin. This is a step in the right direction tertainly, but only a child's step. A very big stride is needed before we can catch up with the vitamin deficiency of our staple foods. Besides an absence of the B complex vitamin, all refined cereals are lacking in vitamins A, D and C, and all of the other building essentials as well. f , Then there is meat. Meat is our , staple food, and it provides us with one of the essential materials for the- building of our muscle structures, viz., prote'in. Fresh meat in moderation provides us with a first" class protein material; built also Is lacking in certain • <>f . the vitamins and minerals. ThV amount of vitamin substance ; to l>e fbttod in alt these various pl&dleka of refine!!' flour, sugar and; is far bettMr the minimum absence is alone 'reiiidn for the C/ 2 standard qflifcltjh thfct vails amongst both young and old to-day. lUtese. foods are also lacking in the equally' essential mineral elements, but it may bo well to mention that If sufficient attention be

I foods, the mineral portion cftn well be left to take care of itself, because practically all vitamin foods are also rich in the mineral subr stances. Now the foo<l» the dairy jftroducts, which includei eggs,, -'.unIjq&ed vegetables, be sldeiM:>s6nititiU>' "Imtm l and othei graihs and pulses. Cooked fruits and . cooked vegetables are not a safeguard against vitamin de; |faii)r about t&i priee these, Which we agree Is exorbitant, but that is a' question for our legislators. On the other hand, far too much money is spent upon sweets, desserts, etc., tobacco, etc., but One seldom hears complaints about the price of these, and if

borne of the money at present expended on . these health-wrecking substances were diverted to the purchase of salad vegetables, milk and fruits, we would iiear far 16ss about malnutrition and the thousand i and one ills ; which are so closely related to it. '