Why? The Science of Athletics

322 WHY?-THE SCIENCE OF ATHLETICS Fruit, like vegetables, is coming into Fruit ever greater favour with first-class coaches who really take the trouble to make them– selves masters in every branch of their profession. The athletes, too, have contributed their quota to the sum total of our present knowledge. In this connection, I often think that an insufficient tribute has been paid to Paavo Nurmi; Jor the great Finnish distance runner, in my opinion, the greatest runner the world has ever seen, did far more both before and during the heyday of his great career than to establish the principle of distance runners running to time schedule. He had very definite notions of his own concerning diet, and I well remember on his first visit to the United States how he horrified the crack American coaches by coming out to run in an/attempt on a record-a successful attempt, I would hasten to add-munching a large apple, with the utr;nost unconcern. To get back to the question on hand, fruit should undoubtedly figure prominently in the diet of the athlete, who, since he is all the time striving to build muscle and replace tissue-wastage, must be regarded in much the same way as one regards a growing child, to whose health fresh fruit daily is essential. · The main value · of fruits lie in their fruit acids (malic, citric, oxalic and so on), sugar, vitamins, and mineral matter. Fruits contain a high percentage of water, a reasonable proportion of carbohydrates, and a certain amount of starch and cellu– lose. The proportion of fat and protein which occurs in some fruits is almost negligible. It is best to eat fruit raw, because cooking lessens the high vitamin value. Fruit sugar is readily absorbed and assimilated and is easily digested. The most nutritive fruits, those containing the highest sugar content, are bananas, apples and grapes, among fresh fruits, and in the dried v'ariety, figs, dates and prunes. All fresh fruit must be ripe, or the acids and cellulose will be present in too great quantities.