Special Problems
On a reducing diet many people find themselves eating more vegetables, raw fruits, and salads than they did before. Most of them benefit from the change. However, anyone who has previously had signs of ulcers, colitis, or other digestive disturbances should tell his physician. A person susceptible to such conditions may need to use raw fruits and vegetables sparingly, substituting fruits stewed without sugar, or perhaps using pureed vegetables.
Constipation sometimes occurs when eating habits are changed suddenly. It can often be corrected by drinking more water and by using green, leafy vegetables more generously. The substitution of stewed, dried fruits for some fresh fruits may also help. The amount must be watched, because dried fruits are richer in calories than fresh fruits. They are often eaten in greater quantity and cooked with sugar.
People who are on a diet and who eat in restaurants a great deal have a problem. Unless their budget runs to a daily steak diet, a good cafeteria is often a better choice than other types of restaurants. The foods are usually plainly cooked, without much fat, and can be chosen individually. The chief problem is to develop the habit of passing by all the display of foods which must not be eaten. The temptation to add something extra is sometimes greater than it is at home.
If lunch is the only meal which must be eaten out, and there is no suitable eating place available, the problem may be solved by taking lunch from home. Some suggestions for a day’s menus, including low-calorie lunches which can be carried to work or school, are given on the opposite page.
| PACKED LUNCH | |
|---|---|
| for 1200 Calorie Diet | |
| BREAKFAST | |
| ½ cup fruit | |
| 1 egg | |
| 1 slice toast | |
| 1 teaspoon butter | |
| 1 glass milk | |
| Clear coffee or tea | |
| LUNCH | |
| Sandwich: | |
| 1 slice bread | |
| 1 teaspoon butter | |
| 1 ounce lean meat | |
| 1 hard cooked egg | |
| wedge of raw cabbage | |
| whole raw carrot | |
| fresh fruit | |
| 1 glass milk | |
| LUNCH | |
| Sandwich: | |
| 2 thin slices bread | |
| 1 ounce lean meat | |
| 1 hard cooked egg | |
| 1 teaspoon mayonnaise | |
| lettuce | |
| 2 stalks celery | |
| 1 small cucumber | |
| fresh fruit | |
| 1 glass milk | |
| LUNCH | |
| Sandwich: | |
| 2 thin slices bread | |
| 2 ounces chicken or meat chopped and mixed with | |
| 1 tablespoon mayonnaise | |
| 1 tablespoon chopped celery and a little chopped onion | |
| large fresh tomato | |
| ½ green pepper | |
| fruit | |
| 1 glass skim milk | |
| DINNER | |
| 3 ounces meat, fish, or poultry | |
| ½ cup vegetables from Group I and Group II | |
| 1 glass skim milk | |
| ½ cup fruit—fresh, or cooked or canned without sugar | |
UNDERWEIGHT AND ITS DANGERS
Anyone 20 percent or more below his best weight is considered underweight. Definite underweight is not desirable in young people who are still growing. It may be a symptom of disease. The glandular disorders so often erroneously blamed for overweight are much more likely to show themselves in loss of weight or inability to gain. Even when there is nothing wrong, people whose weight is too far below normal are more likely to suffer from fatigue and poor physical endurance. Resistance to infection is often lowered. Tuberculosis strikes more often among adolescents and young people who are underweight than it does among those whose weight is closer to what it should be.
What Causes Underweight?
Certain diseases and glandular disorders can cause underweight. In healthy people, however, underweight comes from eating too little, from poor eating habits, from over-activity or too little rest, and from worry or prolonged tension.