The minimum amount of animal protein required per day for the adult is contained in approximately half a pound of meat or two pints of milk or a quarter of a pound of cheese or three-quarters of a pound of fish. It will be seen, therefore, that large amounts of protein are not really necessary for health, and the man who takes porridge and milk and bacon and eggs or fish for A diet on these lines, though simpler than many people are in the habit of taking, is obviously a fairly full one. In an emergency an even lower protein diet can be taken without harm. Plimmer quotes the experiments carried out by Professor Hindhede in Denmark during the last war, when rationing had to be introduced in that country owing to the Baltic blockade. In his diet there was very little meat, but there were plenty of vegetables, including potatoes, and milk, cheese, whole-meal bread, and whole-grain cereals. There was a little sugar allowed and some margarine. Health did not suffer, but it is emphasized that in such a restricted diet it is essential to use whole meal cereals, In removing the germ and bran the mineral salts, vitamins, and proteins are largely removed too. denuding cereals of much of their value. In normal times, with people who usually take a varied diet, the eating of white bread solely may be a minor matter, but not when the balance of the diet is otherwise disturbed. More use could also be made of peas, beans, lentils, and nuts, from which many appetizing dishes can be made. On analysis, people who eat meat or fish two or three times a day would probably find that the animal protein they consume exceeds the amount described by dietitians, which is half animal and half vegetable protein.
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