THE REACTION TO FOOD 



345 



proteins of many vegetable foods, and are otherwise appro- 

 priately constituted with respect to the vitamins and mineral 

 salts. For this reason the writer has designated these as 

 "protective foods" and has urged the planning of the daily 

 diet so as to include more hberal amounts of both than are 

 ordinarily eaten. The recognition of the Hkehhood of taking 

 a diet which consists too largely of cooked or dried foods, 

 with consequent deprivation of vitamin c, justifies our 

 emphasizing the importance of including in each day's 

 ration some article known to contain vitamin c, the anti- 

 scorbutic principle. This is especially important in the 

 feeding of infants whose milk supply is pasteurized, because 

 pasteurization destroys practically all of the vitamin c. 

 The regular administration of fruit juices, especially orange 

 and tomato juice, has practically caused infantile scurvy 

 to disappear in the United States. In out of the way places, 

 especially during the winter, potato juice, cabbage juice, 

 or turnip juice are often to be had and form an excellent 

 substitute for orange or tomato juice. As has already been 

 said, certain foods canned by modern processes are also a 

 fairly good source of vitamin c. Reduced to the simplest 

 possible terms, the best advice as to how to insure an 

 adequate daily diet is as follows: The daily diet should be 

 built up around the consumption of approximately one 

 quart of milk a day. This will afford about 800 calories of 

 energy and will constitute from ^^ to J-^ of the total energy 

 intake of most individuals. There should be one serving of 

 leafy vegetables such as cabbage, spinach, Brussel's sprouts, 

 cauliflower or other greens, and two servings of salad each 

 day. It would be logical to always eat these at the end of 

 the meal because of the detergent properties of raw lettuce, 

 celery, apples, cabbage, and other raw fruits or vegetables 

 which may constitute part of the salad. This custom would, 

 however, be difficult to establish. The salads are of special 

 importance in furnishing vitamin c. After these simple 

 regulations are complied with the rest of the diet may be 

 selected to satisfy the appetite and may include any of the 

 refined cereal products, sugar-rich foods, etc. 



In general the greatest amount of injury through mal- 

 nutrition results from a diet which is poorly constituted 



