Obesity And Emaciation

If you are overly fat or excessively thin your energy is apt to have a low evaporation point. Excess weight takes extra energy to move it around. On the other hand, the very thin person may have too little fuel stored in the body to keep the machinery running for hours at a time without rest and recharging.

Obesity should be corrected if present. Do not be surprised if your energy is diminished while you are actively losing weight on a reducing diet. When you get to the desired weight and maintain a new balance you will find new energy.

But suppose you are too thin. If you are thin because of dieting and you have no energy, try gaining a few pounds - it usually is not too difficult - and see if you do not gain vigour as well. If you have always been thin, it is probably of no importance, but no harm will be done by consulting your doctor. On the other hand, if you are losing weight without any good reason, you should see your doctor at once.

The Distribution Of Your Meals

We have already mentioned the breakfast problem. For most people, getting some real food energy three times a day is a minimal requirement - not met by microscopic breakfasts and lunches followed by a huge dinner. Personally, we have no objection to the programme of five meals a day which is customary with many industrial workers, but unless you are doing an unusual amount of physical work this means five small meals. It is desirable to distribute daily food to avoid great ups and downs. But whether you eat three or four or five meals a day, make sure that each is an occasion for a little quiet relaxation. The proper distribution of meals and rest can do much to keep your average energy level high.

The Kind of Food to Eat The kind of food you eat is at least as important as when you eat it. It is not true, as was sometimes taught, that we must get our energy from carbohydrates. You get energy as fuel from all the major nutrients - proteins, fats, and carbohydrates - and you need the vitamins contained in good foods to convert the food energy into your own bodily energy.

Protein foods, besides providing energy at an even rate, are necessary for general well-being in other ways, and they tend to be associated with generous supplies of many of the vitamins. The chief reason for not advocating a diet made up mainly of so-called protein foods is that most of them are actually very high fat foods. And this book is dedicated to help people who are determined to avoid excess fat.

A balanced diet is needed, with as generous a supply of protein as you can get without overloading with fat at the same time. Skim milk and cottage cheese are wonderful foods in this respect. For meat, choose lean cuts, trim and discard the fat, and control your appetite for gravies and sauces rich in fats and oils. You will, of course, be sparing of "empty calories" - the refined sugars and fats and oils that provide only calories for you without giving other nutrient values.

A balanced diet is needed for energy, plenty of proteins and vitamins in natural foods, a minimum of the refined sugars and fats and oils, just enough calories to keep you at the right weight, and a maximum of eating pleasure to help you relax and renew your psychological as well as physical energy. In short, we think the menus and dietary scheme of this book will do everything possible that diet can do for your energy.