FOODS THAT WILL KEEP YOU YOUNG

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21920, 4 April 1933, Page 13

FOODS THAT WILL KEEP YOU YOUNG

The struggle for youth is almost as universal as the struggle for life itself. If we could find a secret for retaining it, as the twenties grow into thirties, the thirties in forties and ! Then middle age would be as vibrant with vitality as youth, and dreaded senility would be postponed for many a year. The Home Journal Kitchen has a suggestion for warding off the symptoms of old age. A simple expedient like the right food can act like magic for this purpose. There are certain basic foods that are needed to meet the minimum requirements of good health. And beyond those minimum needs, placing the emphasis upon certain groups of foods will do a great deal to prolong the characteristics of youth. In the course of each day’s meals include at least the following:— One pint of milk—three or four cupfuls is better, especially for children. Three servings of vegetables, one of which is potato, and one leafy vegetable daily or at least four times weekly. Two servings of fruit, one of which is fresh.

One egg daily or at least three weekly. One serving of meat. Cereal, including bread, at least half of which is in the form of whole-grain products. As these various foods are worked into the menus, a wide assortment of other foods will bo included, too —as sugars, fats and oils.

Including these in well-prepared, simple combinations will do much to guarantee good health. But if you are really anxious to have hotter than average health, you will place emphasis upon the kind of foods that are of special value in protecting us from premature old age. Vitamin A—the vitamin which has been known for some time to prevent a certain eye disease and to increase resistance to common eo'ds —is one of the nutiients which wi'l lmlp to keep our niinchiimry in "ood working order. Of our commonly used foods, butter is the most concentrated course of vitamin A. Cream, with its hntter-fat. has the same vitamin in somewhat less concentrated form. Top milk comes next, then

whole milk. Cheese which has been made from whole milk supplies a good deal of this vitamin. And eggs are another of the best sources. Fruits and vegetables ahe on the list of foods important as givers of vitamin A. Carrots are the richest of all vegetables in this respect. Green and leafy vegetables, like lettuce, cabbage, and spinach, are splendid. And other vegetables like potatoes, onions, and parsnips contribute very materially to the vitamin A content of the diet. Fruits in general, too, are very important for the vitamin A that they contain. Cod-liver oil is still more concentrated in vitamin A (and vitamin D) than any of our common foods. It is of inestimable value, particularly at times of the year when we are subjected to sources of cold infections. Other fish oils, especially from halibut and salmon, have been found to be rich in vitamin A, and before long we shall no doubt be able to choose our concentrated vitamin A from a number of fish oils and numerous concentrated forms in which the valuable vitamin may be purchased. Vitamin C, the antiscorbutic —scurvypreventing—vitamin also belongs in this group of protective foods. A serious deficiency of it will in time cause scurvy, but few of us live upon diets so restricted that there is real danger of this disease. Insufficient vitamin C in less extreme instances will interfere with the best development of teeth. And one’s vitality is definitely affected by this vitamin. Citrus fruits —oranges, grapefruit, and lemons—are abundant in vitamin G. Tomatoes and pineapples are also rich sources. The green and leafy vegetables mentioned above are exceedingly valuable for vitamin C. This does not mean at all, however, that other fruits and vegetables are to be discounted for their vitamin G content. Even the humble potato has its antiscorbutic value. And apples are not to be sniffed at for vitamin C. When these and other members of the vegetable kingdom are considered in the light of the large numbers of them used in the course of a year they are of distinct importance. The third vitamin playing an important part in keeping us young is vitamin G. This is one of the two vitamins both of which used to be called vitamin B. It is now known that this vitamin is composed of at least two separate entities. Living on a diet extremely deficient in one of these—the one still known as vitamin B or Bl, —will in time cause beriberi. The other of these two vitamins is vitamin 82, or vitamin G. It seems to be associated with pellagra much as vitamin B is associated with beriberi. Supplying it in amounts greater than those necessary to just maintain average health will help to postpone symptoms of old age. When we compare the amount ot vitamin G available in the same weights of different foods we find that the richest sources of it. are the glandular organs, as liver; apd yeast, followed by wheat germ, eggs, lean meat, and milk. All of these foods are of great assistance in building up a menu to be abundant in vitamin G. However, when we consider the quantities in which foods containing vitamin G are generally used, by far the most important source of it is whole milk. The mineral that has especial significance in keeping us young—if used in amounts that more than barely meet requirements—is calcium. Calcium is one of the materials most often found wanting in American dietaries. Or if not found wanting, at least not found in the abundance in which it might well appear. The best remedy is to drink plenty of milk, for it is bv all means the most generous giver of calcium. Cheese made from whole mill contributes a good deal of calcium; eras, especially the yolks, are good, and a few vegetables, notably cabbage, carrots, and spinach, are quite high in calcium content. And, strangely enough, oranges boast of considerably more calcium than most fruits, though we think of them as important primarily for vitamin C.