The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1873-02-14
Quantity of Food to Eat.

UuAuL4Ll VI 1 OO0 W GaHs
8 People often ask US, "What is the
proper quantity Of fOOd?n This depends
very much on what the food is, and who
1 the person is, and what his pursuits are.
J We doubt not that most people who
have the means eat third more than
\ they really need, and we venture the
assertion that if each man of good con-
stitution and health could begin at
twenty-one, having been properly fed to
/ that time, he might live to be seventy
or seventy-five years of age and not
need the aid of q doctor at all. We be-
lieve that nine out of ten could do so.
/ But just how a person should live to
avoid entirely all causes of disease, no
man, perhaps, is wise enough to pre-
scribe. 1t may be safe to assert that
most people who are healthy and hearty
eat little more at every meal than
they should. Thatsense Of fulness, that
extra heat of the face, and the inclina
tion to be sleepy after q meal, show that
IL has been too heavy. Most people eat
too rapidly, and take in more food than
they are aware Of The appitite is not
allayed, and they eat as long as they
can hold it, because the taste is good.
suppose one were to eat parched
wheat or corn; were obliged to masticate
it, moistened by the saliva, having no
coffee, tea or water "tO wash it down.
he would not be likely to eat too much
for several reasons, the chief one being,
that while eating so slowly, his stomach
would begin to appropriate the food,
some of the Juices Of the food would be
absorbed and carried into the circula-
tion and the appetite would be partially
satisfied before he had finished More
over, there would be mechanical salts
faction on the part of the stomach. 1t
would take a man perhaps three-quar-
tiers Of an hour to eat as much of that
Kind of food as would satisfy him. Then
he would get exercise enough for his
teeth, so that they would be healthy,
and all the glands of the mouth would
do their work. The stomach would
come into healthy action, and the per-
son would be satisfied as soon as he had
eaten enough. Doubtless he would eat
but little more than half as much in
that way rs he would to have the wheat
ground and made into mush, that could
be eaten without the use of the teeth,
and Il surfeit obtained before the stOm-
ach had time to respond.
Persons, generally, who are fat, and
are anxious to reduce their flesh, can do
so by eating third less of food than is
their customary habit. Some would
have to reduce the amount one-half to
bring them TO proper standard. This
/ plan would require self-denial; but peo-
1 pie undergo, through selt-indulgence,
and its consequent veXation and annoy
anee, ten times more to mitigate or rid
| themselves Of trouble than would be
necessary to avoid il altogether.
/ y lady once came to us for phrenO-
| logical description whose face was
thickly covered with pimples, fiery red
/ blotehes, like musquitO bites. Think
ing we could hardly do her a better SER
vice, we asked, at the close of our phren-
illogical description, if she would like TO
be rid of those pimDles. She started
with delight and hope, and said, "Cer
tainly; what shall l put on ?" We re-
piled, "NOthing; but eat less sugar and
butter, eat lean beef and fruit, and keep
clear of griddle-cakes and their accom-
paniments for three months, and your
face will be clear and fair" In one
month after she came i'm without pim-
pie on her face, to show us what virtue
there was i'll our simple prescription.
She had doubtless been buying eosmet-
les at a dollar n bottle for years, greatly
to the advantage of the dealer. Like
the woman of the Scripture, she became
no better, but rather worse.
We eat too much. We eat the wrong
articles of food. We have pimples, bill
iOus fevers, headaches, ,dyspepsies, kidney
complaint, liver difficulties, and rheu-
matism. The old rough statement that
"men dig their graves with their teeth"
has more truth than poetry in it. If
men would use ther teeth properly, they
could postpone the time for having their
graves dug for many years.-Herdld Of
Health