Show wn WHAT rl AT to EAT and WHY W rim Y C houston goud goudiss iss explodes some false notions about food warns homemakers against fallacies and superstitions by C HOUSTON GOUDISS IT T HAS been well said that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing this is particularly true of dietary facts for half truths can be more misleading than lies there should be no place for half truths misinformation or superstition in a matter so vital as the choice of food yet judging from the letters that come to my desk thousands of homemakers are influx s encee not by scientific knowledge but by old wives tales and a multitude of fads and fancies which there is not a shred of scientific evidence to support some food fallacies are harmless others may be detrimental to health for they result in an unbalanced diet that deprives the body of substances needed to maintain physical efficiency at t the he highest possible level misinformation about meat many common and persistent fallacies concern the eating of meat it is wrongly charged that light meats are more wholesome t than h a n dark meats that veal is not completely digested that meat is a contributing cause to disease and many other equally foolish notions all these misconceptions are in a class with the absurd ideas that eating turnips will make you brave that lettuce is a cure for insomnia or fish a food for the brain there is no evidence to support the belief that some meats are L less desirable than others because they are less completely digested tests show that the length of time meat remains in the stomach varies with such factors as the quantity of fat present the method of cooking and the amount of chewing it receives but there is is no marked difference in the thoroughness with which the different kinds of meats are digested erroneous ideas about cheese other fallacies that continually crop up in my mail are the ideas that cheese is constipating and that this good food is not completely digestible neither belief is in accordance with the facts numerous tests have shown that when cheese is given a proper place in the diet it is usually well digested moreover it has been demonstrated that there is practically no difference between cheese and meat with respect to ease of digestion As for the completeness with which this food is utilized by the body studies made by investigators for the united states department of agriculture demonstrated that on the average about 95 per cent of the protein and over 95 per cent of the fat of cheese were digested and absorbed absorb edl some few persons may have an allergy to cheese just as they are sensitive to a variety of other protein foods but that is an abnormal or reaction and has no bearing on the use of cheese by persons in normal health cheese Is not constipating the mistaken idea that cheese is constipating doubtless arose from poor menu planning cheese is a highly concentrated food it enjoys the distinction of being the most concentrated source of protein known because of this fact menus containing cheese should be balanced by the inclusion of foods containing bulk or cellulose such as fruits vegetables or whole grain breads when men these foods are omitted it is not the presence of cheese but the absence of bulk that is responsible for the meal being insufficiently laxative homemakers who have the interests of their families at heart will banish the notion that cheese chees e is either constipating or difficult to digest when properly used they will give this splendid food a regular place in their menus and thereby provide valuable nourishment at a most economical cost it is doubtful if any other food provides such a variety of important nutrients concentrated in such a small space besides its fine quality protein cheese is notable for its energy values for supplying 5 u p pl y ing the minerals calcium a and n d p phosphorus hosp horus needed for teeth and bones and as a source of vitamin A dont make mistakes about milk not even milk has escaped a variety of f groundless superstitions it is said to be fatten hg when the truth of the matter la is that no food is fattening unless consumed in excess of bodily needs the food faddis ts say that fruits and milk must never be taken at the same meal for the fruit acids will cause the milk to curdle here is an outstanding example of the misleading effect of half truths for it is a physiological fact that milk is always curdled in the stomach by the action of the hydrochloric some people are afraid to eat acid a cid tasting fruits because they have the erroneous idea that they produce acidity in the body in spite of their acid taste however most fruits have an alkaline reaction following digestion my earnest advice to homemakers is to disregard all such fads and fancies dont be guided by hearsay advice eat a wide variety of foods in moderation learn leam what constitutes a well balanced diet and make that your health ideal deal 1 0 C houston condiss 1939 oo 60 |