Most of us who live in the United States are fortunate in being able to partake of three meals every day. Many of us believe, in all sincerity, that we are balancing our meals properly and are providing for adequate nourishment. But even three large meals a day are not necessarily an assurance that one is obtaining all the requirements that a balanced diet includes. Nearly all of us can afford to provide the right kinds of foods for our tables, even if something else must be taken out of the budget. We must remember, though, that just the mere spending of money for food is not a safeguard against malnutrition. We must also remember that no amount of vitamin pills and tonics of any kind will take the place of a proper diet.
What is included in a balanced diet? There are a few necessary building blocks in our diet. But even before considering these, we should speak of energy, which we all need in order to carry on our work. Energy is the capacity for performing work. As we do not expect an engine to run without fuel, so we do not look for our bodies and our minds to operate efficiently without fuel. Some people need more fuel than others because they expend more energy. A farmer needs a far larger quantity of fuel at each meal than a man who sits at a desk all day.
Food is the fuel which provides the heat we need, in the form of calories. In the average diet we do not have to worry too much about calories if we understand the purposes of the different kinds of foods and exercise care in their choice and preparation. (Practical Nutrition, p. 3. New York: E. R. Squibb and Sons.)
What are the different kinds of foods we should know about? All of us have heard of them. They are the three building blocks which are essential in our diet; namely, Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats. Other necessities are the minerals and vitamins of which we hear almost too much.
Carbohydrates and fats are the chief energy producers in the average diet, although the proteins also supply energy. Of the constituents of the ordinary mixed food of man, the carbohydrates are usually the most abundant and economical sources of energy. They are also considered to be the first of the three great groups of organic foodstuffs to be formed by synthesis from simple inorganic substances in plants. (HENRY C. SHERMAN, Chemistry of Food and Nutrition, New York: Macmillan Company. p. 50.) Carbohydrates are supplied mainly in sugar, flour, bread, cereal, and potatoes. A diet composed too largely of refined carbohydrates may supply the energy required to keep one active, but it may not provide for continued health arid well-being. (Practical Nutrition, II 4.)
Fats are almost as widely distributed in nature as the carbohydrates, and constitute a much more concentrated form of fuel to supply energy in nutrition. One ounce of fat yields more than twice as many calories as one ounce of protein or carbohydrate. A diet with too much fat is likely to be rather unappetizing.
Proteins are the principal nitrogenous constituents of all plant and animal tissues. They are essential constituents of the cells, the muscles, and the glandular tissues of the body. They are needed for upkeep and replacement of muscle and other tissues. There are serious consequences when a person receives inadequate protein intake as a result of dietary deficiency or some disease. In many illnesses high protein diets with other constituents are used as the main type of treatment, particularly in cases where the liver is involved.
We can divide proteins into three classes: (s) complete, (2) partially incomplete, (3) incomplete. Complete proteins maintain life and provide for normal growth of the young when used as the sole protein food. Partially incomplete proteins maintain life but do not support normal growth. Incomplete proteins are not capable either of maintaining life or of supporting growth when fed as the only protein.
It is interesting to know that complete proteins may behave as partially incomplete when fed in reduced proportion. In practice we find that we generally receive adequate protein intake because our common protein foods all contain mixtures of proteins, so that even if only a single article of food were consumed, the diet would- still furnish more than one protein at a time, particularly in the case of the soybean. Proteins supplement each other in nutrition, and thus it is that vegetarian diets can be very satisfactory if properly balanced and taken in proper amounts.
Minerals and vitamins are needed in building a balanced diet. The body rarely lacks any minerals other than calcium and iron, except for iodine, of which small amounts are essential. Enough phosphorus and other minerals are usually supplied in even a very poor diet. Iodine can be supplied by using iodized salt. Milk, cheese, and vegetable greens supply calcium. Vegetable greens, brown sugar, and unrefined molasses supply iron.
Everyone is vitamin conscious today, and can say their vitamin ABC's from A to K, with a few skips. Remember that a balanced diet should contain sufficient vitamins. We must also remember that it is not so often a single vitamin deficiency as a multiple vitamin deficiency. Of course we know that deficiencies lead to ineffectiveness and ill-health.
I am not going to list the foods in which our vitamins can be found. Any good book on nutrition will supply this information. It is interesting to note in connection with vitamin C that the lowly potato contains weight for weight one fourth as much vitamin C as oranges and grapefruit, and one half as much as tomatoes. (Hygeia, March, 1946, p. 198.)
In planning our diet we find it necessary to eat the following foods in some form every day:
Milk: 2 or more glasses daily for adults; 3 to 4 daily for children (to drink and combine with other foods).
Vegetables: 2 or more servings daily besides potato; i raw; green and yellow often (these supplying vitamin A).
Fruits: 2 or more servings daily; x large glass of citrus juice as orange or grapefruit, or i large glass of tomato juice daily.
Eggs: 3 to 5 a week.
Cheese, Legumes: 1 or more servings daily. CEREAL OR BREAD (most of it whole grain). BUTTER : 2 or more tablespoons daily.
Other foods may be added as desired, in moderation.
As for proteins, we all know about meat and fish, but what shall we use in a meatless diet, which is not so rare as it used to be? The following foods contain between 20 and 25 per cent protein per foo grams: dried kidney beans, green Lima beans, cashew nuts, cheese, lentils, dry, whole, or skim milk, peanuts, dry peas, dry soybeans. The following contain from To to 15 percent protein: wheat, rye, macaroni, oatmeal, corn, eggs.
I would advise anyone who is interested in knowing more about planning diets in the average home, as well as knowing more about the general preparation of foods so as to obtain the most from them in the form of minerals and vitamins, to obtain the following pamphlets and booklets:
Planning Diets, Bureau of Home Economics, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. (Free.)
Foods and Nutrition. (A.R.C. 725) American Red Cross, Washington, D.C., or local Red Cross Chapter (25 c.)
Practical Nutrition. E. R. Squibb & Sons, Fifth Avenue, New York City.
I have not attempted to give much more than a skeleton outline of the essentials of a balanced diet. As individuals, whether minister, teacher, Bible instructor, nurse, or doctor, we should study more thoroughly into the subject. Counsels on Diet and Foods should be read and studied. On page 91 of this book we find this safe and sane counsel:
"Because it is wrong to eat merely to gratify perverted taste, it does not follow that we should be indifferent in regard to our food. It is a matter of the highest importance. No one should adopt an impoverished diet. Many are debilitated from disease, and need nourishing, well-cooked food. Health reformers, above all others, should be careful to avoid extremes. The body most have sufficient nourishment. The God who gives His beloved sleep has furnished them also suitable food to sustain the physical system in a healthy condition."
And in summing up the whole question of diet, I will quote from the same book, page 81:
"In order to know what are the best foods, we must study God's original plan for man's diet. . . . Grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables constitute the diet chosen for us by our Creator. These foods, prepared in as simple and natural a manner as possible, are the most healthful and nourishing. . . . The Lord intends to bring His people back to live upon simple fruits, vegetables, and grains."
