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Show V Doctor in the Kitchen" by Laurence M. Hursh, M.D. Consultant, National Dairy Council NUTRITION A LA CARTE Older people who have become be-come less active need the same foods as other people but smaller portions. They'll get less calories that way. Studies show the meals of older people usually are low in some of the nutrients furnished by milk, citrus fruits, and other fruits and vegetables. If you have oldsters at home, see that they get these foods. The best diet for arthritis is simply a good, balanced diet of a wide variety of foods from the four food groups the meat group, the milk group, fruits and vegetables, and enriched or whole grain breads and cereals. No food causes or cures arthritis. But good general nutrition and sufficient rest will help you to manage your arthritis more successfully. suc-cessfully. Regularly I suggest that people peo-ple would feel better if they stopped skipping breakfast. To save arguments in the family, have your breakfast "skippers" try eating breakfast for two or three weeks and let them appraise ap-praise for themselves whether they do or do not feel better in the morning and accomplish more at school or at work. As most everyone knows, milk is the best source of calcium in our food supply. It is, in fact, almost al-most impossible for you to get the amounts of calcium that are recommended unless milk in some form is used daily and cheese and other milk-containing foods are eaten frequently. How do we get energy from the sun? Plants make carbohydrates carbohy-drates by photosynthesis. Part of this process involves interaction between sunlight and the greeH plant pigment, chlorophyll. En-ergy En-ergy from sunlight is trapped by cholorophyll and this energy sets in motion a series of intricate chemical reactions that result in the production of carbohydrates. Is fat essential in your diet? The answer is "yes." Some fat is necessary for good nutrition. Some fats provide vitamins A, D, E, and K, and some are important impor-tant as sources of essential fatty acids. Fat is a concentrated source of calories. The fats you use up for energy will save other nutrients nu-trients for body building and repair.- The hamburger is said to have been popular in Germany before immigrants brought the idea to the United States. But Americans were the first to put it in a bun. This happened in 1904 at the St. Louis World's Fair, where the ice cream cone also was invented, and iced tea served. Your best sources of protein include eggs, meat, milk, cheese, poultry, fish plants and their seeds such as beans, peas, nuts and cereal grains. Mix them all together in varied meals and you'll get many other nutrients, too, such as carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals and you'll be well on your way toward good nutrition. |