The Problem of Nutrition by A. B. Olsen

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 30, 1913

The Problem of Nutrition

By A. B. Olsen

A. B. OLSEN, M. D., D. P. H.

The human body is both a furnace and a machine at the same time, and, like any other machine, it requires fuel for the production of steam to keep it going, and also a small amount of building material with which to keep it in good repair. The fuel and the constructive material required for the support of the human machine are obtained from the daily supply of food and drink.

Unlike other machines, the human body requires a certain degree of warmth for the successful maintenance of life. The normal temperature of a healthy man or woman is 98.5° F., and any slight deviation from this degree of heat, either above or below, indicates interference with health, and usually means the invasion of disease. By far the largest bulk of the fuel taken into the human furnace is burned for the purpose of maintaining this warmth, which is so extremely vital to the welfare of the body. Besides heat, the body also produces from the fuel foods a certain amount of muscular energy, which enables the heart to pump blood, the lungs to breathe air, and the muscles to perform work. Furthermore, the body requires a considerable amount of what, for want of a better name, we may call chemical energy, which enables the glandular organs of the body to manufacture various secretions, such as saliva of the mouth, the gastric juice of the stomach, and the bile of the liver.

Classification of Foods

We may accordingly roughly classify foods under two heads:—

Fuel foods.
Building and repair foods.

Fuel foods consist of carbonaceous matter, and may be conveniently divided into three more or less distinct varieties: (1) Starches and dextrins; (2) sugars, including both grape-sugar and cane-sugar. Starches and sugars are also called carbohydrates; and (3) fats and oils, both animal and vegetable, otherwise known as hydrocarbons.

The repair foods are distinguished from the fuel foods by possessing nitrogen, and are hence called nitrogenous foods. They consist of proteins, albuminoids, and gelatins, and are derived from both the animal and the vegetable kingdom. The largest part of the repair food utilized by the body is derived from proteins of one kind or another; such as the white or albumen of the egg, the fleshy fiber of meat, the curds of milk, the glutinous part of wheat and other cereals, and the legumin of the pulses. All natural foods contain a varying percentage of protein matter, but some, such as nuts and pulses, contain it in a far larger proportion than other varieties.

Fuel Foods

The foods which serve as fuel to the body furnace are literally burned, that is, they unite with oxygen which is obtained from the lungs, and then undergo combustion. The direct result of this combustion, or burning, process is the production of heat, most of which is required

for the maintenance of the normal body temperature; but a very considerable proportion, a much larger amount than in the case of the steam-engine, is also valuable for muscular work of various kinds; so that a strong, healthy man is able to do a hard day's work day after day and at the same time maintain good health, providing he is well nourished.

In a healthy body a certain proportion of the fuel food is stored in various organs, and especially in the deeper structures of the skin, for future use, or for times of emergency. These stores form the fat or adipose tissue of the body, and are derived chiefly from the sugars and the starches in the food. When a man is starving, these resources are called upon, and naturally are used up first before the more vital structures are touched. It is a well-known fact that starch and sugar foods are more useful and successful in forming fat and increasing the weight than fatty foods. The Nebraska farmer fattens his hogs on corn, a food that consists chiefly of starch, having but a small percentage of fat.

Repair Foods

Like other machines, the body also requires a certain amount of repair material to keep it in good running order; and this necessitates a different article of diet, which we may call repair or building food. An ordinary machine is usually overhauled and necessary repairs made at fixed intervals, or according to the requirement of the machine. For the purpose of repair, the machine is brought to a standstill while it is undergoing the necessary changes and improvements. But such treatment is impossible with the body machine, for it can not rest completely without fatal consequences to life. Therefore repairs are constantly taking place day by day. Worn-out parts are renewed, damaged tissues are repaired or replaced, and even a broken bone is reunited and once more made fit for service.

Furthermore, during the developmental period of life a larger proportion of building material is required for the normal growth and enlargement of the entire body. The bones increase in size, the muscles get larger and more powerful, the heart, lungs, liver, and other organs get bigger, and both weight and height increase until complete maturity has been reached. Consequently, during the time of childhood and youth more building food is required proportionally than during adult life.

Appetite

How do we know when the body furnace requires stoking? The normal appetite for food indicates hunger and the necessity of providing food for the further sustenance of the body. When food is available, hunger is a pleasing sensation, and eating the plainest of food is a pleasure. No spicy sauces, no tasty savories, and no stimulants are required to tempt the appetite of a hungry man; all good, nourishing food is welcomed, no matter how simple and plain it may be. When a man is really hungry, his digestive organs are best fitted to take care of the food eaten. The stomach is ready for food, the digestion goes on promptly and efficiently, and assimilation is complete with a minimum of waste. Furthermore, there is little danger of overeating when the diet is a frugal one.

It is undoubtedly true that many persons seldom feel the sensation of natural hunger. Their appetite is perverted and requires more or less constant whipping by use of savories, sweets, cakes, tit-bits, and dainties, not to mention wines and other alcoholics, in order to make the food more tempting. In the vast majority of cases, it would be far better to do without food for several meals, or even for a day or two, until the natural sensation of hunger returns; and then, stimulants, condiments, spices, and rich and savory articles, all of which are inimical to good digestion and good health, would be unnecessary.

The next article of this series will deal with “Fuel Foods; Their Selection, Composition, and Preparation.”

Caterham, England.