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Show The Art of Reducing Wisely BY ELV.A HALL, GRADUATING FROM U. S. A. C. j (Continued from last week) The chief things to aim for in planning plan-ning any reducing diet are as fol-j fol-j lows: i 1. Low calorie content. 2. Relatively high protein content. 3. Moderatiely low carbohydrate content. 4. Very low fat content. 5. Good satiety value. Foods to use Clear soups,, tea and coffee (without sugar or cream), milk (especially skim milk or buttermilk), butter-milk), fresh fruits and stewed fruits (without sugar) watery and fibrous vegetables (especially green vegetables), vege-tables), lean meat, eggs, and soft cheese, small amount of simple desserts. des-serts. Foods to avoid Cream soujjs, breakfast cereals, bread, stai-ch vegetables, vege-tables, fatty meats, rich dressings and sauces, rich desserts, nuts and dried fruits, sugar, cream and butter. A diet made up of exclusively clear soups, beverages, fruits and vegetables vege-tables would be extremely low in fuel value, so that it would result in decided de-cided weight reduction but it would be lacking in protein and in staying qualities and would probably cause loss of weight at a more rapid rate than is advisable for the general welfare. wel-fare. Hence we enlarge the reducing dietary to include rather liberal a-mounts a-mounts of lean meats, eggs and soft cheese (which supply protein and are at the same time of relatively low fuel value) and small amounts of a few carbohydrate foods such as bread, potatoes and very simple desserts. des-serts. These additions give us a better balanced diet and one on which weight will be, lost at a more moderate moder-ate rate without accompanying discomfort dis-comfort from hunger. It is entirely permissable for anyone any-one to construct their own reducing diet, using whatever foods they have preference for in such limited a-mounts a-mounts as will keep the calorie content con-tent of the food intake down to 1000 to 1700 caloiies. In practice, however, how-ever, it seems to place too much responsibility re-sponsibility upon the individual and to be too confusing to leave him entirely en-tirely without guidance in the selec- tion of a reducing diet. Yet thej usual procedure of giving a large assortment as-sortment of unrelated menus seem equally confusing. Therefore, I have bought it more useful to suggest a definite type of meal plan for those desiring to reduce, leaving considerable consider-able latitude for variety and choice of foods in making up individual menus. This I have endeavored to accomplish by presenting a skeleton menu for the reducing diet, while many of the details as to how the menu shall be filled is left to choice. If one prefers to use small amounts of butter and sugar, it is permissible to do so by cutting down on some other foods. Not more than one tablespoon of sugar or 1 tablespoon of butter should be included in a reducing re-ducing diet, however, as most of the fuel allowance should be taken in the more bulky, less concentrated foods. The reducing diet can readily be altered so as to allow a different arrangement ar-rangement of meals from the ones suggested here, which merely epc-press epc-press the general plan of meals which has been found most satisfactory. satisfac-tory. Some regular system of meals should be adopted, however, and strictly adhered to, as only thu3 will a reducing diet be kept up and yield the desired results. Muscular work has a far greater effect in raising the energy consumption consump-tion than any other factor. A very moderate amount of exercise may result re-sult in using up 500 calories in excess ex-cess of the amount required for maintenance, while more strenuous exercise may easily result in the consumption con-sumption of 100 calories, or even more. The fuel for doing this work must come either from the food or from the tissues; if part of the fuel foods taken in are used up doing muscular work, the excess left for forming fat will be less or may be reduced to the vanishing point; when the food intake is too low to provide the energy, needed both for maintenance mainten-ance and for work, the body tissues will be called upon to supply part of the required energy and a loss in weight will result. Taking a moderated mod-erated amount of exercise while on a limited food intake, thus constitutes one of the most efficient means of preventing the development of overweight over-weight and of bringing about a reduction re-duction of weight, when desired. Some mild form of exercise should be taken regularly and in considerable amounts, rather than resorting spasmodically to more violent exertions. exer-tions. Walking calisthenics, golf or swimming are probably best adapted to overweight individuals especially those over forty. When there are disturbances of the heart or circulatory circula-tory system, exercise should be limited limit-ed and should be adjusted to the patient's condition by advice of a physician. Caution will also need to be taken that the increased appetite does not lead one to a .larger consumption con-sumption of food, which will undo the effects of the exercise so far as weight reduction is concerned. I |