Show WHAT to EAT and WHY C houston goudiss describes correct diet for cool weather explains how to keep warm and well B by Y C HOUSTON GOUDISS M MANY ANY people look upon fall weather with foreboding they cannot observe leaves on the ground without a feeling of vague uneasiness and the sight of brown and barren fields fills them with desolation this I 1 think is a throwback to an earlier day when the advent of cool weather foretold long months of bitterly cold days davs tn in nadeau ate Q s ly heated houses and the lack 0 of f adequate heat feat was only one of many difficulties the th e principal reason for fea fearing ring cold weather is another heritage from the past limited diet of an earlier day there was a time within memory of many of us when the terms cold weather di et and warm weather diet had real meaning win ter food differed a great deal from summer food particularly t ticul arly in in the ab sence ot of fresh fruits and legeta bles and in the re stricter strict ed use of 01 milk and nd milk products the limited diet of winter was enforced by conditions of that pe nod methods of production transportation refrigeration and storage of foods which are corn com mon place today were then un known F fruits duits and vegetables were con fumed when and where they were grown and when cold weather prevented their growth they were not available the canning indus try was young and the grocery store in in cold weather presented a far different appearance from the modern food store in in which the shelves are lined row upon row with shining cans of the fin est fruits and vegetables to be found anywhere in the world plus an ama amazing zing assortment of pre pared milks it was an accepted fact that fruits vegetables and the gener ous use of milk belonged to the summer months while in in winter everyone ate an unbalanced diet As a result of lacking these essen bial protective foods health went down rapidly from late fall to early spring the winter diet was deficient in in minerals and vitamins which ence has proven to be the pro rectors of health barriers against disease sustainers iners of life but in those days vitamins were un known and very little ha had d been learned about minerals there fore when people became ill dur ing cold weather the natural eon con elusion was that sickness was in in evitable during the winter season cold weather really a tonic times have changed scientific knowledge has increased the genius of man has asserted itself in mechanical advancement the expressions cold weather diet and warm weather diet have lost their former meaning almost without exception the protective foods are available throughout the year no matter where we live it is therefore possible to pro hect the health by a balanced diet all the year round and to benefit by the tonic effect of cold weather for contrary to popular belief cold weather is beneficial and not harmful to healthy people cold speeds up all the activities of the body the circulation is im in proved muscle tone is increased and and digestion absorption and elimination are stimulated even prolonged cold is thus a tonic to health provided we do not weaken our bodies by an unbalanced diet it is partly because so many people continue to eat improperly in spite of our newer knowledge of nutrition that we still find an in increasing creasing amount of sickness in the fall which mounts steadily until it reaches its peak in the months of january february and march dangers of an improper diet yet winter need have no terrors for the fit only the weak the unfit surrender and become its victims that the number of victims is large earh each winter merely indicates how many people neglect their health through careless living and especially through careless eating measures to protect ones self against the attack of winter should be taken during the summer and early fall fail A sturdy r resistance et asis si once against the ills of winter should be built up by means of a balanced diet which assures an abundant supply of the minerals and vitamins F when a person Is s undernourished IS hed or improperly nourished he I 1 is is denied of every defense lit lie is chilled by the slightest drop in temperature re he offers fertile soil for every kind of disease germs ile be can neither resist their luva inva sion nor fight them off after they have attacked thus the first rule for keeping warm and well in winter is to live and eat in a manner that helps to ma maintain I 1 etain health and strength the correct winter diet differs i in one important respect and one only from the correct diet at other seasons moro mora fuel foods required As a rule people are more energetic in cold weather and it is therefore necessary to increase the amount of energy producing foods nearly all children and adults who spend much of their time out doors should consume more high caloric foods which may be provided in the form of easily digested carbohydrates such as rice macaroni spaghetti noodles potatoes cereals and breadstuffs bread stuffs in the case of adults the amount of fats may also be increased and in some circumstances more sweets may likewise be taken to summarize the cold weather diet should include a quart of milk daily for every child a pint for each adult two fruits daily or one fruit and one fruit juice and while one serving may be a dried fruit such as prunes apricots or alg figs there here should be one serving ol of a citrus fruit or tomatoes to provide vitamin C two vegetables besides potatoes one of which should hould S be of the green leafy variety either fresh or canned an egg dally daily or at least three or four weekly one daily serving of meat fish or chicken and a second pro beio teio t e 1 food f 0 d such as cheese dried p peas e a ns 0 or r b beans cans or nuts and enough of the fuel foods including whole grain cereals to keep the body warm and comfortable it if you eat correctly and dress sensibly so that you are arc neither too warmly clad indoors nor too thinly clad out of doors you can enjoy cold weather and benefit by it to the extent of increased health and happiness O C houston goudiss 1938 34 |