OUR BABIES.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 14195, 6 June 1916, Page 2

OUR BABIES.

.(By Hygeia)

Published, iinrler tlio auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children.

"It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom."

Nelson.—Plunket Nurse Wix. Office, 18, Selwyn Place. Tel. 125. Hon. secretary, Mrs Bright, Waimea street.

THE MISUSE OF FOOD

At t.he annual meeting of tho Dun-j odin Branch of tho Society Dr. Malcolm; Professor .of Physiology at Of ago XJni\;t'rsity, gav«j' a most- valuable address on "The Abuse of' Misuse of Food." The address ,was of.= such practical importance to all of us. that wo have no doubt as >o the desirability of publishing- if-ih/this' column for the benefit ©f our. readers. Dlt. MALCOLM'S ADDRESS. Only Three Kinds of . Food—Protein, Sugars or Starches, and Fats. At the outset tho lecturer explained that diverse as our diets may seem to be in composition, they are all built out of Protein, Carbohydrates (that is, Sugars or. Starches), and Fats—along with water and a smfoll trace of saltj, which need nob be considered here.

Thus white of egg and the lean of j meat, fish, or fowl are more or less I pure protein (with from 75 per cent, to 90 per cent, of water). The curd of milk is mainly protein with fat in its meshes. The food in the yolk of egg is two-thirrls fat and one-third protein. 1 Floxir is mainly starch, but contains about 10 per cent, of protein and 1 per cent, of fat; while Oatmeal has less starch, more protein, and from 6 to. 8 per cent, of ' fat. The foodstuff in Potatoes, Turnips, Apples, etc.., is mainly starch or sugar; vegetables.and fruits- also contain, important salts, and from 80 to 9o per cent, or >more of water. Certain 'vegetables, such 'as peas and beans, contain large quantities of protein, and may thus be made .important sources of the protein clement in the diet. i ■ PftOTEIN NEEDED FOR BUILDING AND PvEPAIES. Protein is \a special kind of foodstuff; it is used "'for building and repairs, and is moi'o nearly related! to" tie composition of living' matter tlwn any other constituent of oi>v food. On this account, it is possible to starve an animal to death by withholding protein, though the two other foodstuffs (starches ,and fats) are given in-abundance. The chief sotiroes of protein are the ■muscles of animals (used in the form of Initcher-me'at,' poultry, game, fish), milk, cheese, eggs, «hell-fish, and some vegetables -liko'peas" and beans. A typical standard diet contains 100 grammes (S-j-oz) Protein, about 500 grammes of Sugar or Stau-li, aiid about 60 grammes of Fat. The conversion of these quantities into actual foodstuEs can be calcntjuod from tables. One hundred .grammes-of p-etein _would be present in tho following:—Six ounces of^tean, meat.' lib of bread, three-! quarters of a pint of milk," Jib of j potatoes, aud'2oz of oatmeal.

■FOOD AND EXERCISE

Dr. Malcolm then ;>r<Kceded,,.;is i'ol-lo«-,s.:-—I;i his f-rimitivo state man eani-

Ed his bread by the sweat of liis brow,' so that muscular exertion and the size of the daily menu were in a large degree proportional to eacli other; but in these noctern days, when a competence is easily earned by brain work, or by sedentary occupations, this relation no longer exists. Brain work, pven when severe, docs, not require the same amount of iood «s muscular work, and if s-odentary brain-workers continue to cat as if they were following the plough, j a train of evils arises resulting in indigestion, or corpulence, or gout, according to the tendency of the individual TEMPERATURE. Besides muscular exort'on, the temperatuie of our surroundings is an important factor in deteimining how much one should eat, foi by nervoiis mechanisms our body remporaturo is lriaintained at a constant figure,, due.to variations in the. heat produced in the body and inthe heat lost from-the body. In cold weather more heat is lost, and more must be produced, and this is pro-, vided for by oxidation (burning) of more food. Conversely in warm climates, less food is required.

TOO MUCH FLESH-FORMING MATERIAL.

H is • generally held that we eat too much meat'in this country; iaaid in this "connection one should remember that meat is not the only protein-rich_ food. One may take in excess" of protein, by eating fish, poultry, cheese, eggs, or ■oven peas and - beans. . When ta.ke,a much in'"excess" of what ,i&; necessary,especially if the neiyous system is overworlied, the digestion and absorption of the protein are- delayed, and the protein falls a ready price to the bacteria, that haunt the intestine. In tins way poisonous substances are produced which arc absorbed, and give rise to bad effects.

STRAIN ON LIVER AND KIDNEYS,

lu-cn when bacterial decomposition does not occur, the absorption of an excess of protein is believed by many to throw a strain on the liver and kidneys in excreting the excess, for protein is also peculiar in this, that it cannot be stored to more than a slight extent. We can store fat and. a little carbohydrate when these are in excess of what is required, but any excess of protein above what we actually r.eecl goes to form excretory substances,, which" the iiver (and kidneys must deal with. It is partly on this account that many experiments have been made to find out whether man can live on a smaller amount of protein 1' ; tho standard diet allows, and all 1.. ■,•••. experiments go to show that it is c,. .:.-■ possible to continue in apparent Vgood health on munh less, even as low as. half the standard allowance of 100 grammes. On tho other hand, it is very doubtful whether the least quantity one can live en is also the best. It has been pointed' out that the physique of races or classes of .people who are brought up on rice, which is poor in protein, corn pares very unfavourably with those who have a more liberal supply of protein, and tuberculosis and similar bacterial diseases are more frequent in the poorer classes, where presumably the supply of protein is less, for protein is always more expensive than-carbohydrates.

HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO WE ** NEED ?

On the whole, it is generally agreed that 100 grammes per diem is not an excessive amount of protein for aai adult. For the sake of comparison v, ith actual foodstuffs, I may say that 100 grammes of protein would be present in the following materials:—Six ounces lean meat (36gm), lib bread (36gm), 3-pint milk (2Qgm), ilb potatoes (t)gm), and 2oz oatmeal (7g-n). This is iai little over the 100 grammes, to cllow for what passes through the alii^entp.ry tract without being absorbed. This quantit}- is considered sufficient for n full-grown adults doing an avera.fro clay's work. . : ' * '^

When the muscular work is severe, as in soldiers during war time, the quantity is increased to 150 or 200 grammes. It is, of course, impracticable to weigh one's food daily; but 1 think many people would find it advantageous to consider whether they are taking excess of protein, and to try the experiment of gradually and judiciously lessening the amount. Young growing persons should receive a good "supply of" protein, preferably, in the form of milk, fish, and eggs. Dr. Malcolm's addfess will be con^ tinued next week.