EATING AND WEIGHT CONTROL: FOOD FADS

Vegetarian diets

There are three types of vegetarian diets: (1) the strictest, which excludes all animal products in addition to the flesh and organs of all animate creatures; (2) the intermediate, which permits the eating of such animal products as milk, cheese, eggs, etc.; and (3) the mildest, which permits, in addition, the eating of fish and shellfish. Vegetarian diets, particularly of the first type, can be inadequate and even harmful because they lack sufficient protein.

Doctors have been unable to find any virtue in vegetarian diets except for the fact that people who adhere to them are apt to be lean, which is usually a good thing. For every vegetarian who attributes his healthy old age to his diet, we have seen an even older person who gives credit to something else.

Diets as cures

We constantly hear about diets that will prevent acid or alkaline stomach, cure constipation, skin disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and tooth decay, or increase virility and guarantee long life.

Some special diets are sound. For example, a special diet is essential in diseases such as diabetes. Other diets may be helpful in constipation, anaemia, acne, and so on.

Nevertheless, I would not think of saying that everyone with a poor complexion should cut out sugars, starches, and fats, or that people with a low haemoglobin count should eat additional portions of liver. Before I recommended such diets, I would find out what was causing the condition. The anaemia could be due to the constant loss of blood from haemorrhoids (piles), and the poor complexion might be an allergic reaction to some scented soap.

If you need a special diet, your doctor will tell you so, making certain it is good for you and not just for a possibly imaginary symptom. The diets outlined on page 31 provide everything the normal person needs to maintain good health. Do not try anything else without consulting your physician.