A very small quantity of flesh food will nourish this person, for the simple reason that complete digestion means complete assimilation. The diet in such cases should be extremely simple, for, strictly speaking, only eliminating and energizing elements of a few ounces need be taken, after the flesh protein requirements have been fulfilled. Those that prefer a cereal protein have less risk of putrefaction or toxic exudation taking place, and I feel sure that meat-eaters would find it advantageous to use a cereal in the evening as protein instead of meat. If the protein essentials are regulated by the tongue test, it will be possible to take just sufficient for the needs of the rebuilding of the broken-down tissue and the building of any new tissue consequent on exercise. And this economy will have its repercussion in an increase in the vitality, for a tremendous amount of energy is lost when the system has to deal with an intake of protein in excess of its needs.

Energizing.

Starches, sugars, and fats provide the main energizing elements and, of course, the fuels of the body, and here again the individual must make his own selection after recorded experiments. We know, of course, that proteins in whatever form provide a certain proportion of energizing and heating elements, but if one obtained a sufficiency of these elements from proteins, a great excess of protein would have to be taken, with the toxic effect already referred to. Pure energizing and heating elements are contained in butter, and for this reason, wholemeal bread with butter constitutes a very wonderful and simple food. The addition of ripe fruits and raw green vegetables to this combination makes an ideal diet for the establishment of perfect health, and its concomitant endurance and physical excellence, provide that correct proportions are used.

Tissue Purification.

I am sure that raw green vegetables are essential for the elasticity of the vascular system. But these vegetables must suit the gastric requirements of each individual. When cooked vegetables are taken a good deal of the bulk is rendered valueless. So long as this is in a form that stimulates peristalsis and so assists in the “sweeping” of the intestines, little harm will be done by this wasted residue. But when the raw vegetable is taken, the elements so necessary to the purification of the tissues and the resilience of the arterial and veinous walls are retained, and thus the green vegetable becomes one of Nature’s medicines and a real health-bringer. The use of “dead” foods creates a dull appearance to the skin and eyes. The ripe fruit, which is the natural medicine of the intestines from the standpoint of elimination, should be taken in bulk, as it were.

Tom’s Food – Jack’s Poison.

Be careful, however, in your selection of fruit. As a simple warning I will say that the juice of unripe lemons is liable to cause acidity in the person whose secretion of hydrochloric acid is high, while a person with a low secretion of hydrochloric acid can take it without discomfort, and much benefit. The medicinal value of the lemon is proverbial. The orange is poison to certain individuals whose livers are inclined to be sluggish. This statement will probably be fervently contradicted by many persons who can take orange-juice by the quart, but I can bring evidence to prove that the juice of two oranges taken by a certain thoroughly healthy individual will produce severe headache and vomiting a few hours later. Yet I am fully aware that in the average person the orange is of definite and direct benefit to the action of the liver. Just another proof of individual idiosyncrasy that is beyond understanding, and although scientific explanation may be given, the fact remains, and cannot be altered. But to know oneself is to know the secret of health. And you are the one person that can discover which foods suit you and which do not, and armed with this knowledge you can then ascertain which of the simple foods develop energy, and which assist you to a full development of muscular or pure tissue.

Sleep Requirements.

Second in importance to diet is a proper amount of rest, for even a lazy man may remain fit, while an overworked man may become unfit, ill, or even a victim to nervous disease. The amount of rest required by the individual cannot be estimated by his output of work. Here again we find the most extraordinary differences in the requirements of individuals. But I am sure that to err on the side of an excess of sleep is to err on the safe side. Provided that a man keeps himself fit by work, exercise, and intelligent dieting, excess of sleep will not harm him. In growing youth, the more time spent in sleep the better. Whatever the medical opinion may be in regard to this, it is agreed that it is only during sleep that true assimilation takes place. Consequently, it is only during sleep that the benefit from exercise can be consolidated. For the full potential bone and muscle-growth to be gained, an abundance of sleep is absolutely necessary.

Exercise.

Finally, the question of exercise arises, and here we encroach on very difficult ground. It is the simplest thing in the world for a trainer or teacher to prescribe appropriate exercise for one engaged in a clerical and sedentary occupation, assuming that the hours of work are reasonable. There is little physical output in such professions, and all exercise within reason becomes enjoyable. Consequently the trainer has merely to arrange an all-round scheme, working first on the less developed parts of the body and concluding with a comprehensive routine that will maintain the interest. Such a man will get the habit of exercising within his limit; for he is not generally a physical culture enthusiast. But the results he gets are sometimes extraordinarily good. He is the example of economy being a great revenue, for his economy of effort becomes a great revenue to his vitality, and his reserve vitality builds his physique up to its full potentiality. And this is why so many of the clerical workers who exercise for health’s sake and are not athletes, become so beautifully developed physically, and so enduring when it comes to tests.

Counteraction of Fatigue.

But when the trainer or teacher is dealing with the man engaged in heavy manual labour or one of the gruelling occupations, such as coal-mining, he is faced with a very difficult problem, if he is to bring that man to full potential physical development. There must be a due understanding of the actual effect of the occupation on the muscular system, the nervous system and the skeleton. And there must be an appropriate prescription of loosening exercises that will counteract the effect of the really heavy part of the work, and a scientific avoidance of overlapping of work in the exercises. These men may be poor as far as the world’s goods are concerned, but they are rich in courage and sound in philosophy. That is why, in spite of their enormous disadvantages, they often attain wonderful physical proportions and even reach the full physical potentiality that every man worthy of the name must so fervently desire.

Health and Strength – June 11^th 1932

Many thanks to Christine Waldron for re-typing this article