General Comments On Diet

Some, as thou saw'st, by violent stroke shall die,
By fire, flood, famine; by intemperance more
In meats and drinks, which on the Earth shall bring
Diseases dire, of which a monstrous crew
Before thee shall appear, that thou mayst know
What misery the inabstinence of Eve
Shall bring on men.

If thou well observe
The rule of "Not too much," by temperance taught
In what thou eat'st and drink'st, seeking from thence
Due nourishment, not gluttonous delight,
Till Many years over thy head return;
So mayst thou live, till, like ripe fruit, thou drop
Into thy mother's lap, or be with ease
Gathered, not harshly plucked, for death mature.

Milton—Paradise Lost: Book XI

THE author is fully aware of the fact that this treatise is not "just another book" on foods or general dietetics and that his real purpose is to advocate the wider use of only one special food substance, namely, honey. However, to explain fully certain principles that are correlated with the main topic, he must allude to the facts and precepts discussed in the present chapter which, therefore, justifies the addition of an apparently irrelevant issue.

There is a deep-rooted yearning throughout animated Nature for well-being and the preservation of life. Health always was and will remain our most cherished possession. Nobody doubts this axiom. The principal human efforts are yet concentrated on preserving health and when on the wane or lost, on regaining it. It is evident that the present generation is extremely conscious of this fact and fully appreciates the value of health. A two-year survey, conducted by the University of Chicago, the American Association for Adult Education and the United Y.M.C.A. Schools, revealed that the first and principal interest of adults is health and the preservation of life. Magazines and newspapers of wide circulation have their regular health-columns, a proof that Americans are no exception and that they are eminently health-conscious. Before drinking and after sneezing, we hear the convivial wish: "To your health!"

Among all educational measures for disseminating knowledge of health-culture, undoubtedly dietetics reign supreme. This is only natural because no other hygienic factor contributes more effectively to health than the logical selection of the proper quality and quantity of food, that is, what and how much we should eat. A sound knowledge of the essential principles of vital nutrition must be acquired,fully understood and—above all—well remembered. Of course, the innumerable scientific and unscientific doctrines and many suggestions, disputes and contradictions with regard to dietetics make it difficult to select the right path to follow.

The first and one of the more important points to be considered is what to eat. If we wish to decide this question, a brief excursion into the field of anthropology, or, relinquishing our pride, to zoology, is indispensable.

The physical history of man, his first appearance on this habit-able globe, preceded his civic or general history. While the latter is based on comparatively authentic facts, the former is veiled in impenetrable darkness. There must have been a time, place and manner when man first appeared on earth. He had to maintain his existence and nourish his body. Undoubtedly, fruits, nuts and honey were the first foods of primitive man. Man's first environment is reminiscent of our present gardens, with their fruits, flowers and beehives. They are monuments to Nature and to our brief sojourn in Paradise, offering incomparably more inspiration to poetry and art and more benefits to health than slaughter houses.

The bees of fossil ages, imbedded in amber, are not unlike our existing bees, which clearly demonstrates that they reached their complete evolution in preadamic times and supplied the primates with an abundant supply of sweets, so much coveted by all living creatures. When man acquired the knowledge of agriculture and learned husbandry, he probably added to his fare vegetables and cereals and only later, after he had invented mechanical implements to kill animals and catch fish, he turned to animal diet. Evidently primeval man was at first a vegetarian and in process of time—call the deviation perversion or civilization—became a carnivorous being.

It is not difficult to teach animals of strictly vegetarian habits to eat meat. Horses easily become meat eaters (even alcohol drinkers). Dr. Philippi of St. Jago, Chile, disclosed the acquired habits of his two saddle horses which eagerly snapped up and consumed chickens; they even pulled young pigeons from their nests and devoured them. In Norway horses are said to dash into the sea to catch and eat fish. Rabbits and squirrels, if they are kept fasting for a while, will greedily eat meat; they become used to it and will gnaw on bones like dogs, even when not short of vegetable food. So it is not surprising that Homo sapiens acquired the meat-eating habit. Regarding drinks, if horses, dogs, cats and other quadrupeds, even birds, become addicted to alcoholic beverages, why not man, an unusually adaptable creature?

Food and physical comfort are closely connected with social and moral well-being, and they have played an important part in man's progress. Our first trouble in Paradise commenced with food. "God created man to be immortal and made him to be an image of His own Eternity." . . . "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Then occurred our first transgression in food, a bad habit which we still persistently practice.

Human civilization has been greatly influenced by the food consumed. Nutrition is not only a problem of the individual but of society. We must distinguish between nutritive and stimulating substances. Meat, though undoubtedly of valuable protein con-tent, an important compound for successful tissue building, is a highly stimulating food. Wild boar was the favored food of the romantic Niebelungen warriors, who, though mythological creations, were regarded as the greatest fighters of the world. Carnivorous animals in general are fiercer and more cruel in disposition than herbivorous ones. Meat-eating without doubt has modified man's disposition and tendencies. This is disputed by some scientists. They try to prove their objection to the theory by the ferocious nature of the herbivorous bull and by the gentle disposition of the carnivorous Eskimo. They seem to have overlooked the fact that the ferocity of the bull is attributable to sex (the tranquil cow feeds on the same rations) and that the unfolding of a high-mettled disposition of an Eskimo is checked by the arctic climate. It is noteworthy that abstainers from meat possess greater endurance than those who indulge in meat. The "punch" of the latter group far excels their endurance.

Meat is a rather unclean food because toxins are created in the tissues of animals during the process of living which are difficult to eliminate entirely even through boiling or roasting. Even savages avoid eating carnivorous quadrupeds and birds. The ancient Greeks, though maritime people, abstained from fish because they are cannibalistic creatures. Cereals, vegetables, nuts, eggs and dairy products contain sufficient protein substances and easily take the place of meat. The regrettable fact is that meat eaters crave alcohol, which is a digestive aid, but which only adds to the existing stimulation. The introduction of a vegetable diet would be a radical cure for intemperance.

The critical and important question, as already stated, is what to eat! The huma body is an intricate machine which requires proper fuel not only to generate heat and energy but also to re-build worn-out parts. In this respect our body excels, by far, the most complicated engine—we may just as well distinguish it as a "living" engine. It is unfortunate that the average man knows so little about it. Horace Mann, the great educator, remarked that he knew all about the working of the heavenly bodies but nothing about those of his own body. Anatomical, physiological or even chemical erudition is not an absolute concern of the average per-son; there is no need for him to know how to overhaul the "engine" and to repair any damaged parts—Nature and the physicians will attend to that. But it should be every man's duty to know, at least, how to supply his body with proper fuel and to ac-quire a knowledge of food values. And this is not impossible. Primitive man is extremely proficient in this respect as is proved by the fact that he possesses incomparably greater physical perfection than civilized man. It is evident that modern man is to be blamed for all shortcomings in supplying the "living engine" with the proper fuel. This is a great pity, in fact, a catastrophe because the knowledge and application of the significant laws of nutrition serve not only to maintain physical life but to establish mental, spiritual and moral distinction. Proper food moulds one's personality and that of one's offspring.

We obtain our food supply from the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms. We require a mixed diet consisting of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Meat, eggs, milk, vegetables, fruits, starches, sugars are and should be our main reliance. Milk is an essential food with its main components of protein, fats, sugar and water. Meat is another important food, but, as explained, it is by no means indispensable. Fresh fish have exceptional nutrimental value. Cereals, e.g., rice, oats, wheat, rye, corn, barley, millet, etc., are valuable food materials. The populations of China, India, of the tropics; in fact, the largest proportion of the human race lives on cereals. The inhabitants of the United States annually, per capita, consume even today about 350 pounds of cereal foods, approximately a pound a day. Dr. G. Fordyce (On Digestion, 1791) mentions how Benjamin Franklin personally related to him that he lived for a fortnight, when a journeyman printer, on bread and water at the rate of "ten pennyworth of bread per week" and had found himself stout and hearty on this diet. It did not seem to shorten his life, as he died when eighty-six. Good bread, the "staff of life," composed of protein, starch and mineral sub-stances, is a vital food, though admittedly a monotonous one, especially if eaten in the humble way Franklin consumed it. St. Anthony lived on a few ounces of bread and water and though he never washed himself or changed his garments, reached the age of one hundred and five. Fruits, nuts and vegetables, containing starches, fats, sugars and plenty of palatable organic acids and water, keep in excellent condition the strength and life of the major portion of the inhabitants of our earth. We may as well omit alcohol, coffee and tea, because they are not nutritive substances but stimulants. The heat of coffee and tea itself is a stimulant. Tobacco is a narcotic. Alcohol and tobacco indulged in at the same time have 4n effect similar to that which results when the accelerator and the brake of a motor car are applied simultaneously.

How to select essential food materials? There is no hard and fast rule for sensible eating other than the use of common sense. Unerring regularity is impractical. The strict adherence to any sort of diet always has a bad effect on the human system. Nature has provided a gr at variety of nourishment for us and we should select with discret on what best agrees with our constitution and mode of living. 4 diversity of nutriment is paramount. We re-quire sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, copper, chlorine, iodine, fluorine, phosphorus and sulphur for our organism and we cannot obtain all these minerals from a diet which is not sufficiently diversified. Empiricism will be more helpful in our search for appropriate food than scientific analysis. Everyone must study his special personal requirements.

The first consideration is that the intake of food and the output of energy must be balanced. The human body is a perfect machine, the cells are able to regenerate and, to all appearances, should go on forever. The waste must be compensated for and an equilibrium established between loss and repair. The dissolution of our body is possibly due to the disrespect or ignorance of this seemingly occult law. The curse of our civilization, in addition to denaturized food, is unbalanced diet. Food faddists with their irrational precepts and dietary whims contribute their share by excluding desirable foods. Fortunately most diet fashions seldom last longer than a year or so.

If an engine carries a heavier load and is run with greater speed, it will require more fuel and lubrication. The prime considerations should be the innate quality of the engine and the purpose which it is meant to serve. Age and climate must be considered. The body requires different food in winter than in summer; the same contrast which exists between the north and the tropics. People in extremely cold climates prefer fat which is a heat producing food; the population of the tropical countries, on the contrary, prefer fruits and leafy vegetables. In cold climates the organism will be more capable of enduring dietetic errors.

The various ages of life are important. If we divide the periods of life into three principal parts: (I) Period of Preparation, from birth to about twenty-one; (2) Active Usefulness, from twenty-one to forty-five; and (3) Period of Decline, we can easily under-stand why the food requirements vary considerably. In the first period of life, next to starches and sugars, proteins are most important. In the second "act", the catechism of metabolists, that carbohydrates, proteins and fats should be in a 4:11/2 :I ratio, is more applicable. During the period of decline, when tissue building is on the decrease, the body requires less protein to repair the wear and tear but more calorigenic carbohydrates to create much needed energy. Of course, the principle that one man's meat is another man's poison should be considered. Constitution, hereditary traits, temperament, habits and environment, on the whole, must be taken into account. The main precept should be, however, to be mindful of the stomach (the boiler and its purpose) and not of the palate and the tongue, especially when they are not under the control of the brain. The rule of common sense is more important even than that of science. Too much science only adds to the confusion. If we were to eat entirely according to science, especially in our science-mad era, we should soon be served a fair-sized pill, containing carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, enzymes, calcium, iron and "sixteen" other minerals in proper ratio, previously irradiated, of course, with ultra-violet rays, which would mean the end of the good old-fashioned "square" meal. Too bad that philosophers lave maimed and deprived us (we also did our share) of the power of instinct and have indemnified us with reason—because instinct in selecting food could be of considerable assistance. As it we simply have to envy the intelligence (with apologies to Descartes) exhibited by the lower creatures in their choice of food and ... drink.

We could learn a lot also from the ancients in the selection of their food. Hesiod remarks: "The uncultivated fields afforded fruits to the Greeks and supplied their bountiful repast." Porphyry, the Platonic philosopher (third century B.C.), a man of great talent and learning, related that "the ancient Greeks lived entirely on the fruits of the earth." The diet certainly must have agreed with them and aided their intellect and imagination, enabling them to create the greatest classic of all times, their mythology. Their unusual longevity sounds today more like a myth. The ancient Greek and Roman legislators introduced strict laws for the preservation of health and it was the duty of officers of high rank to enforce public health laws. Simple, natural and physiologically rational nourishment is more fitted to promote health than unnatural, stimulating foods.

Hygienic measures formerly constituted a part of religion. Moses, Mohammed, Confucius and Buddha prescribed health laws. When countries once healthy and prosperous disregarded these tenets and changed their habits, they became decadent. The Holy Land, once flowing with milk and honey and producing sufficient grain and fruit to supply a great population, became a land of doom, a deserted land, the abode of lawless Arabs and Turks. A Sanebat from Egypt, about 2500 B.C., described Pales-tine: "There were figs and grapes; its wine was more plentiful than water; abundant was its honey, many were its oil-trees, and all fruits were upon its trees; there, too, was barley and spelt, and cattle of all kinds without end."

Napoleon remarked that an army marches on its stomach. We could easily apply this maxim to nations; in fact, to the inhabitants of the entire globe. Ideal nutrition would entail not only physical but mental and moral reform, consequently raising sanitary as well as social, economic, and even spiritual standards. If we were to introduce, for instance, a five-year trial period of sensible eating —a procedure very much in vogue today in other matters the world over—or even nominate a food-czar, many problems of sociology, economy, criminology and of agriculture would become avaunt. Through economy of food not only ill health, but many a depression could be averted. The actual and current fact, mentioned without political or any other allusion, that sixty-five mil-lion Germans are led today by a vegetarian ought to arouse the interest of food experts and induce them to use telescopes instead of test-tubes. The indefatigable German Führer is a liberal consumer of honey, in which he indulges daily at breakfast, in typical Bavarian fashion, with milk, oatmeal, bread and cheese. The full appreciation of honey by the Nazi government is best proven by the fact that its exportation is strictly prohibited.

With regard to the quantity of food to be consumed, we must obey one of the principal commands of Nature and that is economy. The old precept that we eat to live and do not live to eat, must be remembered. The ancient Egyptians placed miniature mummies, and the Carmelite monks, human skulls, on their dining tables to remind them of this truism. The consumption of tasty and wholesome food, in moderation, is the safest and most essential approach to the conservation of health, prolongation of usefulness, enjoyment of the senses and the complacent exercise of intellect to appreciate the beauties of this world. Samuel John-son well expressed this sentiment: "Health is, indeed, so necessary to all the duties as well as pleasures of life, that the crime of squandering it is equal to folly; and he that for a short gratification brings weakness and diseases upon himself, and for the pleasure of a few years passed in the tumults of diversion and clamors of merriment condemns the maturer and more experienced part of his life to the chamber and the couch, may be justly reproached, not only as a spendthrift of his happiness, but as a robber of the public; as a wretch that has voluntarily disqualified himself for the business of his, station, and refused that part which Providence assigns him in the general task of human nature." Socrates, who preached and also practiced moderation in food consumption, escaped all plagues which raged in Athens, where he resided. The glorified Spartan diet produced superior physical prowess.

People in general consume more food than is physiologically necessary. Eating too much, to eat until one cannot eat any longer, overstrains the digestive powers and prevents digestion. There is an old and very true saying, "stop eating while you still have some appetite." An excess s of food defeats its object; besides, it is detrimental to health. Occasionally, or for a short period of time, it is not so harmful but when prolonged it will lead finally to the destruction of the organism. But, as Cato said, "it is a difficult task to argue with the stomach, which has no ears." Gluttony is the greatest sin which an individual can commit against himself. Of course, it is not easy to change established habits which have prevailed for generations. Let us apply the words of the Earl of Rosebery, Prime Minister of England and successor to Gladstone: "We cannot expect a nation to stride into perfection at once. It was only by slow painful efforts that a nation worked out its redemption from darkness and ignorance." In fact, it would be an error and a tax on the system to change suddenly. Changes must be gradual. Meanwhile, the rich man should eat when he has a good stomach and the poor, when he can get a good meal.

Some ha'e meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we zae meat, and we can eat;
Sae let the Lord be thank it.—Robert Burns

The confusion and lack of discipline in the field of dietetics is mainly caused by the rivalry between the stomach and the palate, especially when the latter, as already remarked, is beyond the control of reason. Taste is the most indiscreet among our five senses. Also, it is unreliable. The same food or substance varies in taste with different individuals. An identical chemical compound will be tasteless to some persons; to others it will be bitter, sour, sweet or salty. Modern cookery is chiefly to be blamed for the ex-cesses in eating because it tries to flatter and tickle the palate and we cannot resist the temptations and the charms of taste. Culinary art has become very ingenious and persistent in provoking and maintaining unremitting appetite of the palate without taking into consideration the requirements and even the capacity of the stomach, which has to bear all the burden by receiving many times more food than it can manage. The palate has no responsibilities or toil; its only aspiration is to be pleased and satisfied. And how we accommodate that selfish desire and cater to its caprices, un-mindful of the penalties which we have to endure afterwards!

The cunning strategy of modern culinary art is to create, by any means, false appetite. The result is: most impossible and harmful combinations. Foods which by themselves are salutary become injurious when combined. Meat, eggs, milk, starches, sweets and acids alone are digestible, but become heavy and indigestible when mixed. Ice cream is not objectionable but when eaten after a meal it will convert the otherwise digestible food to a state of decomposition. The Hebrew religion forbids eating meat and dairy products at the same time. Wrong food is not always the cause of trouble; a wrong mixture of good food is just as harmful.

The hors d'oeuvre with all its innumerable salted, dyed, smoked, pickled and spiced varieties tends to irritate the stomach and induce it to oversecrete. The production of more than the normal amount of gastric juice creates a craving for more food to get rid of the excess irritating juices. Hot soup with all its condiments produces the same result. The gastric juice will welcome the inward-bound conglomeration as an affinity which will absorb it like a sponge. If the food is insufficient to absorb all the gastric juices and there is still acidosis, people will resort to bicarbonate of soda and hundreds of other digestive powders with which the medicine chests are richly stocked, to remain, as they say, on the "alkaline side." Occasionally victims perspire freely and feel faint on account of the toxic state and have to be taken to the air to obtain needed oxygen, which will assist to eliminate the surplus acid through increased respiration.

Stimulated appetite is simply a forced craving for food, parallel to administering aphrodisiacs. And the happy possessor of the wonderful organ called the body, loaned to him by Nature for use during his lifetime, is satisfied and believes that he has pleased his belly, his false (and often his only) god. The French are past masters in this special art and it is not surprising that Montesquieu made the statement that dinner killed one-half the inhabitants of Paris, and supper the other half. We try to imitate the French, though rather poorly, if we take Dr. Wiley's word, who remarked that there is "no country in the world where food is so plentiful and so badly cooked. as right here in the United States of America."

Most people do not wait until the previous meal has been thoroughly digested. "Sometimes to feast and sometimes to fast"—is not in their catechism. But there is a good remedy in modern Materia Medica for everything (if not, the radio announcer will help you out) and the impatient epicures often resort to the extremely popular use of drastic purgatives to make room for the next, anxiously awaited food and drink. We live in a rapid transit age! To all this we may add the destructive effect of another intemperate habit; namely th overindulgence in intoxicants, though, to be frank, Drunkenness is not half as disastrous (in physiological respects) as her demure sister, Gluttony, who claims incomparably more victims. The concentration of foods, e.g., essences, like beef broth (consommé), made from pounds of meat and marrow bones, is also an error. T e system receives more nourishment than it is capable of using. Such principles are admissible if there is an urgent need of aliments, as in sickness, when the digestive organs are weakened, but not in everyday diet. Most of the so-called easily digestible foods are really indigestible because they are absorbed before they have been properly prepared for assimilation. This is against all natural laws. Coarse foods have great advantages; they require mastication which means use of the teeth, and salivation which helps digestion. Coarse food is retained longer in the stomach and incites it to activity—which renders food more homogeneous with our own body substances.

Another harmful (though occasionally enjoyable) conventional practice of civilized races is to eat in company. A multitude of people are assembled, each one with individual requirements and tolerance, and served the same food. This is as impractical and in-feasible as to supply one size of shoes to a large number of people. But we are more congenial at banquet tables than in shoe stores. If not, a few drinks will make up for the ill-fit. (Shoe-stores really ought to adopt the same policy. It probably would expedite sales, as difficult as it is to please a disgruntled and sober customer.) Meals, by right, ought to be physiological and not social or family affairs. Tables "dressed up" with fancy china, silver and glass-ware, flowers and other ornaments distract the attention from the food. Dyspeptics, anemics, diabetics, young and old, fat and lean people, and those with low and high blood pressures, ought to eat in respective groups which would save much discomfort, the lure of temptation, hospital expenses, doctors' and surgeons' fees, etc. While small children eat in the nursery they get along well with their diet but as soon as they join the family table trouble commences.

A multitude of diseases, physical and mental, are due to the improper stoking of fuel. The "fire box" is sometimes in a fiery blaze but we still add more fuel, not even natural foods but too frequently artful explosives. The formed gases puff out (we call it belching, eructation, etc.) through all openings, which is really a blow-out of safety valves. The exquisite engine often ejects the objectionable matter (the act is designated in human language as vomiting, diarrhea, voiding, etc.) but the precious machine will soon be filled up and maltreated again with other noisome stuff. The forefront part of the "furnace", which is less reinforced by Mother Nature, possibly because such abuse was not anticipated (especially not in the case of man), bulges out, forming a corporation or paunch, which signifies the beginning of the end, but the "handwriting on the wall" is still disregarded. Pliny suggested:

"Simple diet is bEst; for many dishes bring many diseases." Will civilized man ever wake up and live?