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Show C. Houston Goudiss Discusses LAXATIVE FOODS Nationally Known Authority on Food Shows How Right Diet Can Help You to Avoid Health Hazards of Faulty Flimination By C. HOUSTON GOUDISS 6 East 39th Street. New York. THOUSANDS of men, women and children are alive today because we have learned how to prevent many types of infections and how to cure diseases which once caused un- We have reason to be proud of the achievements of science in fighting disease and lengthening length-ening the span of life. But we should be ashamed of the fact that hundreds of thousands of individuals in-dividuals are not getting the most out of life indeed they are not realizing half their potentialities because improper eating and faulty habits of hygiene cause them to suffer from that great evil of civilization constipation. A EVILS OF CONSTIPATION Someone has called constipation the most deadly disease, and while this may pn.xw-. seem Hke an ex. ' treme statement, it fi becomes justifiable I v "s when one realizes I - ? the untold misery I J I and wretchedness 1 x&v. p tnat may result u ' ' p j: when food residues k i remain to stagnate I ; and putrefy in the I jb-, s body. beiJk. fc wl Constipation muddies mud-dies the complexion, complex-ion, dulls the eye and befogs the brain. It causes a general feeling of discomfort and fullness in the abdomen, lack of appetite, bad breath, coated tongue, a feeling of lassitude and a tendency to become be-come easily fatigued. By weakening resistance, it opens the way to numberless diseases. dis-eases. Serious complications, such as irritation of the appendix, may occur as a result of the friction of hard masses of waste against the delicate walls of the intestine. Piles have frequently been laid at the door of faulty elimination. Do you wonder that I consider prompt, regular elimination the keystone of good health. Its importance is readily understood under-stood when you consider the processes proc-esses by which food is digested and absorbed. -- FATE OF FOOD IN THE BODY From the mouth, food passes down the esophagus into the stomach, stom-ach, where it is penetrated by the gastric juice. It then passes into the small intestine where it is mixed with the secretions of the liver and the pancreas. Here the nutritive elements are absorbed by minute, hair-like tubes which line the intestinal walls. These tubes converge into the blood vessels ves-sels and lymphatics which transport trans-port nourishment to all parts of the body. Undigested residues pass into the large intestine or colon, where they are normally moved along by a series of muscular contractions contrac-tions known as peristalsis, and finally evacuated The amount of the evacuation varies in bulk with the amount of indigestible roughage contained in the food. When there is insufficient insuffi-cient bulk to promote normal peristalsis, per-istalsis, waste accumulates and we have the condition known as constipation with all its resulting evils. Bacteria prey upon the stagnating material, producing poisons which may be absorbed by the body. There is not the slightest excuse for allowing this condition to develop. de-velop. For the misery and wretchedness wretch-edness of constipation may easily be avoided by including in the daily diet sufficient laxative foods, that is, those rich in fiber or cellulose. cel-lulose. BULK OR FIBER ESSENTIAL Because of their fibrous framework, frame-work, plant foods are our chief source of cellulose or bulk, and therefore, our greatest aid in promoting pro-moting normal elimination. Vegetables Vege-tables and fruits are sworn foes of constipation, and unrefined cereals ce-reals are also extremely valuable. -- SOME LAXATIVE FOODS Foods with an exceptionally high residue include raw fruits, especially those with skins and seeds; dried fruits, as apricots, prunes, figs and raisins; raw vegetables; veg-etables; such cooked vegetables as onions and leafy greens; the legumes, that is, dried peas and beans; whole grain cereals and bran. Among the vegetables, don't overlook cabbage, lettuce, celery, spinach, brussels sprouts, string beans and green peas. Foods which tend to form a little lit-tle gas in the intestines, including spinach, onions and cauliflower, are also useful stimulants to intestinal in-testinal movement. In addition to providing cellulose, cellu-lose, the acid fruits, such as oranges, or-anges, lemons and grapefruit, act as a mild stimulus to increased peristaltic motions. -- NEED FOR VITAMIN B Another important factor in promoting pro-moting normal elimination is vitamin vita-min B, which has been shown to be essential for good muscular tone and activity of the digestive tract. Investigations with experimental experi-mental animals have demonstrated demonstrat-ed that it requires twice as long to empty the large intestine when the diet is deficient in vitamin B. Yeast, egg yolk, milk, whole grain cereals, liver and green leafy vegetables veg-etables are good sources of this vitamin. - LIQUIDS ESSENTIAL A sufficient quantity of liquids is likewise necessary to prevent the contents of the lower intestine from becoming too hard for easy evacuation. In addition to water, the diet should therefore contain an abundance of milk, fruit juices and other beverages. Acidophilus milk and buttermilk are especially especial-ly beneficial. Fats and oils, used in moderation, modera-tion, act as gentle lubricants. HABITS It is most important to eat at regular hours and to establish regular times for evacuation, as this is a great aid to body rhythm. Guard carefully against overeating, over-eating, for this practice is a frequent fre-quent cause of constipation. When the digestive system is over- Have You a Question? Ask C. Houston Goudiss C. Houston Goudiss has put at the disposal of readers of this newspaper all the facilities of his famous Experimental Exper-imental Kitchen Lahoratory in ft'cw York city. He will gladly answer questions concerning foods, diet, nutrition, nu-trition, and their relation to health. You are also invited to consult him in matters of personal hygiene. It's not necessary to u-rite a letter unless you desire, for postcard inquiries will receive the same careful attention. atten-tion. Address him at 6 East 3'Uh Street, Neiv York City. i 1 worked, none of its functions can be efficiently performed. The homemaker is largely responsible re-sponsible for safeguarding her family against the dangers of faulty elimination. For she has it in her power to plan meals that will help normal individuals to avoid the curse of constipation. Questions Answered Mrs. B. T. M. Do not worry if your child prefers the egg yolk to the white.- The white is chiefly protein, and he can easily obtain protein from other foods, especially especial-ly milk. But the yolk contains an abundance of minerals and vitamins vita-mins in addition to protein and fat. Nutritionists have determined that the inclusion of one egg yolk daily in an otherwise adequate diet is, an effective method of balancing bal-ancing the intake and output of iron in a child's diet. Miss S. B. No, the generous use of cream cannot be considered consid-ered as a substitute for taking milk as a beverage or in cooked dishes. Cream is much higher in fat and contains less protein, minerals min-erals and vitamins, with the exception ex-ception of vitamin A. Cream deserves de-serves to be included in the dietary di-etary for its vitamin A content, but it should not replace milk. Mrs. A. McK. Strawberries contain vitamins A, B and C. Recent Re-cent experiments indicate that they rank with citrus fruits and tomatoes to-matoes as a source of vitamin C. WNU C. Houston Goudiss 1938. |