Dietary guidelines do not change much

Studying the daily news, one can easily get the idea that dietary advice changes frequently. But this is not really so. 

In a recent article on her “Food politics” website, Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, refers to guidelines produced in 1861 at the start of the American Civil War. They are from a monograph by army surgeon John Ordronaux entitled “Hints on the preservation of health in the armies: for the use of volunteer officers and soldiers.” This 150-year-old guidance states: 

•    Soldiers should be fed a mixed diet of animal and vegetable substances.

•    A variety of foods are needed to avoid monotony and increase assimilation.

•    A healthy diet must conform to the physiological requirements of the season with less animal fats in the summer dietary, and more starch, vegetables, and fruits.

•    Fresh fruits are always preferable to dry or preserved ones.

•    Farinaceous vegetables are more

Callie Jones

•    The best soldiers in the world are fed on dark coloured bread.

•    French army dietaries provide nutritious soups made with meat or vegetables.

•    The woody fibre of the vegetable provides bulk as well as nourishment.

•    Each company should have at least one educated cook.

•    Beans, unless thoroughly

cooked, are only fit for horses. When half-cooked, they will provoke indigestion and diarrhoea.

•    Ardent spirits are not necessary for health and the soldier is better off without them.

•    Soldiers must be well fed to bear the fatigues of marching, to encounter unaffected the changes of climate, and to develop a high muscular tone.

As Professor Nestle comments, basic nutritional advice has not changed all that much. Fresh fruit and vegetables, fibrous grains and bread, with some meat, if liked, remain the cornerstone of dietary guidance. People preparing the food should do so knowledgeably, understanding what is in it and how to provide meals that are both healthy and tasty. Perhaps the biggest change to our food supply both here and in the US since 1861 is the increase in ready prepared and processed foods of all types. Chosen carefully, with regard to labels and portion sizes, these can make a contribution to a healthy and more varied diet than was available in 1861. Yet, as our increasingly overweight and sedentary population demonstrates, it is all too easy to eat too much energy dense food of all types, some of which may be relatively unprocessed.

What appeals to me about this 1861 guidance is its basic nature. It was developed for people who could afford to consume more energy than most of us today. Indeed, they needed to be well fed to bear the fatigues of marching.

In the absence of work-based “marching”, the unfortunate truth for most us is that we need to eat less and move more. But the spirit of the 1861 guidance holds up well 150 years later.