Several
years ago, as I was sorting through the books at a shop of old treasures
near Santa Fe, New Mexico, I found a 1939 book titled "Nutrition
and Physical Fitness" (3rd edition, W.B. Saunders). Written by noted
nutrition scientist, L. Jean Bogert, the book was not intended as
a textbook, but rather, for the "adult with at least average intelligence,
a fairly wide non-technical vocabulary, and a desire to have useful
facts presented in the most direct manner."
In
other words, this book was targeted for the lay public — long
before the shelves of bookstores were lined with diet and nutrition
books.
Because
nutrition is a relatively young science, this 69 year-old book is
a potent reminder of how far nutrition knowledge and research has
evolved. The B complex vitamins (there are 8) were lumped together
as one "Vitamin B." What we now know as the vitamin riboflavin was
classified as "Vitamin G." Several minerals, including zinc, selenium,
chromium, and others, had not been identified as essential nutrients
yet.
No
mention was made of cholesterol and heart disease, the link between
nutrition and cancer prevention, antioxidants, or trans fats. Instead,
great attention was paid to Iodine deficiency and goiter (those
were the pre-iodized salt days), vitamin
D deficiency and rickets, and an almost obsessive concern with
digestive difficulties, including an entire chapter devoted to correcting
constipation!
THE
MORE THINGS CHANGE . . .
More
striking than the differences though, are the uncanny similarities
of the issues and practices that continue to affect nutrition in
2008. Bogert expressed great concern regarding "the alterations
in the character of the national diet."
"The
machine age has had the effect of forcing upon the peoples of the
industrial nations (especially the United States) the most gigantic
human feeding experiment ever attempted," she wrote.
She
saw the results as disturbing, mentioning specifically the over
reliance on highly milled cereal grains, the high proportion of
sugar in the diet, more highly refined foods, the decline in consumption
of dairy products, eggs, fruits, and vegetables, and, in her words,
"too prominent a place given to muscle meats."
Her
predictions, we now realize, have largely come to pass. Bogert's
words are sobering in light of the chronic diseases that continue
to disable and kill Americans. The so-called "diseases of modern
society," such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high
blood pressure, and cancer, all have a nutritional basis. It's no
coincidence that current dietary guidelines urge us to return to
a diet that features more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat
dairy and lean protein foods.
ADVICE
FOR CHILDREN
In her "Diet for Children" chapter, Bogert again offers advice
which rings true today. Years before the Recommended Dietary Allowances
(RDA) were established, she recommended children take in 880-1000
milligrams of calcium each day. (The most recent RDA for calcium
advises 800 milligrams for 4 to 8 year-olds and 1300 milligrams
for ages 9-13). She also came close in her recommendation for iron,
a nutrient that continues to concern modern-day kids. She advised
6-15 milligrams of iron per day for children, which corresponds
closely to today's RDA, which ranges from 8-15 milligrams per day,
depending on age and gender.
Today's
youngsters should count their blessings that dairy products are
fortified with vitamins A & D. According to Bogert's recommendations,
children of yesteryear relied on daily doses of cod liver oil for
these essential nutrients - yum!
Bogert
also recommended that children eat plenty of fiber and drink enough
water. "Fiber is best obtained as an integral part of foods...in
the form of fruits, vegetables, and whole grain foods... ," she
wrote.
The
current thinking on feeding kids is not really so new, after all.
Bogert eludes to the importance of parental role modeling in the
following passage:
"Adults
should be careful not to make disparaging remarks about certain
foods before children. If everyone is accustomed to eat cheerfully
at least a small amount of all the foods which come on the table,
a better esprit de corps and saner attitude toward food will prevail.
One will be surprised in such an atmosphere to see how food prejudices
are gradually overcome and what it is possible to accomplish in
learning to like many useful foods."
And,
she also addresses the issue of allowing a child to decide how much
to eat:
"The
safest general rule for normal children seems to be: make sure the
diet contains plenty of the tissue-building materials and vitamins,
and then to let the appetite take care of the quantity consumed."
A
HOLISTIC APPROACH
Long before the terms "holistic" or "wellness" were coined,
Bogert understood that nutrition was only one aspect of total health.
With words that ring true for today - written in yesterday's language
- Bogert pretty much sums up our present-day lifestyle:
"Strain,
worry, too little exercise and fresh air, lack of sunlight, hurry
in eating, eating when tired, irregular habits, and insufficient
rest are all such familiar evils that we fail to appreciate their
significance and are inclined to accept them as inevitable. We need
to recognize the fundamental importance of such factors in nutrition,
and to endeavor to substitute favorable conditions for the present
unfavorable ones."
Note:
This article originally appeared in the June 1996 issue of the Feeding
Kids Newsletter. It has been updated and revised to reflect current
dietary guidelines.
