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Show WHAT to EAT and WHY C. Houston Goudiss Explodes Some False Notions About Food; Warns Homemakers Against Fallacies and Superstitions By C. HOUSTON GOUDISS T T HAS been well said that a little knowledge is a danger-1 danger-1 ous 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 being influenced, influ-enced, not by scientific knowledge, knowl-edge, 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. harm-less. 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 the 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 than dark meats . . . that veal is not completely digested digest-ed .. . that meat is a contributing cause to disease, and many other equally foolish notions. no-tions. 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 less desirable than others because they are less completely digested. Tests show that the length of time meat remains in the stomach varies va-ries with such factors as the quantity quan-tity of fat present, the method of cooking, and the amount of chewing chew-ing it receives. But there is no marked difference in the thoroughness thorough-ness 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 complete-ly digestible. Neitherv 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 prac-tically 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 investiga-tors for the United States department depart-ment of agriculture, demonstrated demonstrat-ed 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! Some few persons may have an allergy to cheese just as they are sensitive to a variety of other protein pro-tein foods. But that is an abnormal abnor-mal 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 pro-tein 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 these foods are omitted, it is not the presence pres-ence of cheese, but the absence of bulk that is responsible for the meal being insufficiently laxative. Homemakers who have the interests in-terests of their families at heart will banish the notion that cheese 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 the nunIi ' and Phosphorus, needed ,Ca,c 1 and bones, and as 7' vitamin A. 8 surce 2 Don't Make Mirfa?es A. , Not even milk h variety of groundless ?W i ;, tions.-It is said to & , when the truth of fL teni-- ; that no food is fatwffiallf- consumed i exce'-needs. exce'-needs. The food Sst J fruits and milk must n t '' en at the same meai .be' n fruit acids will cause th. (t curdle. Here is an themilkJ example of the misleaT' of half-truths. Fori s eiiU logical fact that milk i fPN curdled in the stomach i action of the hydrochfi Some people are afr , acid-tasting 'fruitsM have the erroneous idea , produce "acidity" in the ; 'H spite of their acid taste h ' h most fruits have an alkalw 1 B tion following digestion t(i 5 My earnest advice 'to i f makers is to disregard a.r K fads and fancies. Don't h !,( (If by hearsay advice Ea aber ? rietyoffoodsinmdei5i what constitutes a well h,i u diet .'And make thrtJ ideal. "u ijtf ' WNU C. Houston GoudiaMj (He |
