The Body’s Need for Food
Awake or asleep, the body needs energy for every breath, every heartbeat, every activity of living. Food supplies this energy which is measured in units called calories.
When a person eats only enough to supply the energy he uses, his weight stays the same. If he takes in more calories than he needs, the excess is stored as fat. If his food adds up to fewer calories than he needs, his body takes the extra energy out of its storehouse of fat, and a loss in weight occurs. Reducing diets are based on this simple principle: taking in fewer calories than needed to force the body to use its stored fat.
Foods vary in the number of calories they contain. As most people know, fats of all kinds have the most calories. One tablespoon of butter, for example, has in it about as many calories as a good slice of lean roast beef, or a cup of beets, or a quarter of a pound of cod steak. Sugars, alcohol, and starches are the next richest source of calories. Starches include cereals, flour and everything made with flour, potatoes, peas, beans, and corn. When calories must be cut down to make the body use stored fat, alcoholic drinks and foods rich in fats, sugars, and starches are the first to be restricted.
However, no one can lose weight safely by counting calories alone. In the 1920’s, when a slim, boyish figure was in style, many girls and women made themselves seriously ill by reducing their weight without regard to the kinds of food they ate.
For good health, food must supply everyone—young and old alike—with more than calories. The body is constantly repairing and renewing itself. New cells are always growing to replace those worn out in doing their work. In babies, children, and young people, cell-making is going on at top speed, because actual growth is taking place. As in any building process, the right materials are needed. The body’s most essential building and maintenance materials are found in proteins. Foods richest in proteins include milk, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and cheese.
Two other elements necessary for health are vitamins and minerals. Some of these are found in the same foods which are rich in protein. Others are found in grain products, fruits, vegetables, and fats.
To insure a well-balanced diet, made up of the protective foods containing enough proteins, vitamins, and minerals, everyone should have daily:
Milk—2 or more glasses for adults. 4 or more for children and expectant and nursing mothers. Vegetables—2 or more servings, green or yellow. Fruits—2 servings, 1 a citrus fruit or tomato. Eggs—1; at least 3 to 5 a week. Meat, fish, poultry, or cheese—1 or more servings (dried legumes may be substituted occasionally). Cereal and Bread—2 servings, whole-grain or enriched. Fats—1 to 3 tablespoons. (In reducing diets, some of the fat allowance may be in the cream in whole milk.)
People who are not overweight can add what they like to this list in the way of other foods and second helpings, to make up their caloric requirements. People who want to lose weight can add little or nothing. That is the only real difference between a well-balanced normal diet and a well-balanced reducing diet. Because this difference often means restrictions on cakes, pastries, extra butter, rich sauces, cocktails, beer, soft drinks, and other high-calorie favorites, it is a hard one for many people to accept. Nevertheless, it must be accepted by everyone who wants to lose weight.