The normally healthy individual is more liable to supply too much protein than too little, even though he abstain from meat. Yet, as will be shown later, our strongest races, who have lent most to the progress of the world, live upon a mixed diet.
If the diet is to include meat, it will consist of less bulk, because the protein is more condensed; for the same reason, if it includes animal products of eggs and milk and a fair proportion of legumes, it will be less bulky than a vegetable diet. This point is important for busy people, who eat their meals in a hurry and proceed at once to active, mental work. Those who engage in physical labor are much more likely to take a complete rest for a half hour, to an hour, after eating. The thinkers seldom rest, at least after a midday meal, and those who worry seldom relax the mental force during any waking hours.
Where the system shows an excess of uric acid, the chances are that the individual has not been living on a diet with too large a proportion of protein, but that he has been eating more than he requires of all kinds of foodstuffs. His system thus becomes weakened and he does not breathe deeply nor exercise sufficiently to oxidize and throw off the waste. Let it be recalled here that the theory that rheumatism is caused by an excess of uric acid is disputed by the highest authorities. It is accompanied by uric acid, but not supposed to be caused by it.
Every housewife, to intelligently select the daily menus for her family, needs a thorough knowledge of dietetics. She must understand the chemistry of food that she may know food values. The difficulty which confronts the housewife, is to provide one meal suited to the needs, tastes, or idiosyncracies of various members of her household. Peculiarities of taste, unless these peculiarities have been intelligently acquired, may result in digestive disturbances. As an illustration: one may cultivate a dislike for meat, milk, or eggs, as is often the case, and the proteins for the family being largely supplied by these, the individual is eating too much of starches and sugars and not sufficient protein,—legumes, nuts, etc., not being provided for one member. Such an one’s blood becomes impoverished and she becomes anaemic.
The relief lies in cultivating a taste for blood building foods. Foods which are forced down, with a mind arrayed against them, do not digest as readily, because the displeasure does not incite the flow of gastric juices. One fortunate provision of nature lies in the ability to cultivate a taste for any food. Likes and dislikes are largely mental. There are certain foods which continuously disagree and they should be avoided; but many abstain from wholesome food because it has disagreed a few times. It may be that it was not the particular food but the weakness of the stomach at this time. Any food fails of prompt digestion when the nerves controlling the stomach are weak.
Many foods disagree at certain times because of the particular conditions regulating the secretion of digestive juices. Where this condition has continued for some time it becomes chronic and a special diet is required, together with special exercises to bring a better blood supply to stomach and intestines and to regulate the nerves controlling them.
Dr. W. S. Hall estimates that the average man at light work requires, each day,
106.8 grams of protein[9]
57.97 grams of fat
398.84 grams of carbohydrates
These elements, in proper proportions, may be gained through many food combinations. He gives the following:
| Bread | 1 lb. |
| Lean Meat | ½ lb. |
| Oysters | ½ lb. |
| Cocoa | 1 oz. |
| Milk | 4 oz. |
| Sugar | 1 oz. |
| Butter | ½ oz. |