Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-05-08
What Shall We Eats
BY S. AUGUSTA WORLD, NJ. D.

BY S. AUGUSTA WORLD, NJ. d.
VARIErY-The physical structure of
man shows that he cannot be classified
exclusively with either the carnivorous or
the herbivorous animals-that he should
not be confined wholly to the food upon
which either class subsist. Human be-
ings require variety. By variety do not
mean that at every meal we should seek
to accommodate all the various kinds of
meats, vegetables, pies, buildings, fruits,
etc, which are set before us. We should
try to be temperate i'll the variety as well
as in the quantity of what We eat. For
instance, at breakfast take one kind Of
meat, two varieties of vegetables, graham
or oatmeal porridge, and graham bread
For dinner, meat, not more than three
kinds of vegetables, one of ripe fruit,
with plainly-boiled, unspiced rice, tapioca
or corn starch, and graham bread. The
last meal of the day should consist of
fruits, canned or stewed, graham bread,
with sponge or other plain cake, If de
sired.
We should refrain from exhausting the
stomach by causing it to act on too great
a variety Of food. Again, we should not
eat that only which is easily digcsted as
the stomach thereby deprived Of a proper
~,
QUANTITY-For this there can be no
rule. Food is necessary to repair loss of
substance from eXcrtion, whether of part
greater the amount of exercise, the larger
the quantity needed 1t should be lessen
ed when the digestive organs are weak
ened or diseased
Persons sometimes say, mo matter how
much | cat, | never feel satisfied" In
such cases the digestive apparatus is either
debilitated, or there is too much intiam-
nation to allow the gastric and other
fluids to be poured out to digest the great
quantity taken. No more food should be
eaten than is sufficient to satisfy the natu-
raj desire-tO meet the demands of the
system.
Milk, the first food of every human be
ing, is often hastily put aside with the say
ings, Il don't like it. 1t makes me bilious.
[ never have been able to take it since |
was child" The chief reasons for all
these are, that now you take it, either
when the stomach is crowded already with
more than it can digest, which makes you
bilious; the system is too exhausted to
take anything, or something acid is sWal-
lowed in connection with it, both together
forming an indigestible mass, upon which
the digestive organs must work hard and
painfully before it is ready to be taken up
and changed into blood Milk is the
most nutritious and digestible of all food.
1t Yields all the essential elements neces-
sary to form blood, after passing through
different processes in the system. Again,
it is most easily acted upon by the gastric
juice, and hence quickly absorbed.
Sugars and fats are very nutritious
and valuable as articles of human food on
account of the amount of carbon they con
tain. This supplies the waste of eleven
ounces daily, which we are constantly I'M
dergoing by oxidation, In this climate,
however, the deficiency is easily made up
from the sugars and fats in other food We
have rather to guard against the tendency
to use them to excess. In health, these
two articles of diet should be taken spar
inglv, as sugars, in too large quantities,
are apt, by decomposing, to furnish the
digestive organs with too much acidlty,
often causing the common trouble, sour
stomach" This acidi is liable to separate
again into the gases of which it is com
posed, and cause fatulency. Fats, when
taken in excess, add many impurities to
the blood, and form one of the great causes
of eruptions and biliousness. OF the fats,
those derived from beef and mutton are to
be preferred to butter, which, being liable
to so many changes and impurities, should
always be dispensed with in connection
with meats.
Butter, even when freshly made, should
be taken sparingly. In too large quanti
ties it furnishes the system with more
nourishment than it can absorb. The ex-
cess, by decomposition, renders the blood
impure, disorders the digestive organs,
causing headache, lassitude, nausea, and
sometimes diarrhea
Fruits, especially when fresh, should be
largely eaten, but generally at meals.
Then the stomach, having performed its
work is allowed to rest awhile and gather
strength, that when the time for action
comes again, its work may be done thor
oughly.-HearM and Home.