San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1880-11-25
when TO Take Food.

The time Of taking food is impor
tant. This is true even for adults
Many find it out by experience. Ir.
regular and frequent eating in infan.
cy and childhood is particularly
harmful. We have often said that
the s. o,nach is compose OF muscles,
and, Ike other muscles, needs rest
The heart lungs, liver and other in.
ner organs may toll continually, but
the stomach resents the harm arising
from over action. No organ ID
abused SO much as the gastric sack.
The necessity Of rest in it is not ap-
preciatcd, and so food is hurried into
this sack at irregular periods OF
time-food OF various sorts, often q
mixture of fresh food with that
which has been partially digested.
Experience has already determined
how long the intervals between
meals should be. 1t has been found
that different kinds require different
periods for digestion, but four hours
is time short enough for the prop.
er digestion Of any food, and two
hours form none too long period
for the digestive forces to rest and
regain strength for executiny their
proper duties. Regular meals, then,
should recur not oftener than once in
five hours. Infants who live on milk
can digest it in two hours, and the
stomach needs one for rest 80 that
feeding them once in three hours
satisfies their needs and promotes
their growth. Older children are
also growing and need food enough
to retain the substance they already
have and enough to promote their
growth and increase their strength.
They are usually active-their di-
gestive powers act rapidly, so that
they not only need food every fifth
hour Of their waking and active life,
but often simple lunch between.
One rule experience teaches, name
~, that health, growth, and comfort
imparatiyolyV demand that food
sb0uIi. bo taken at regular intervals
OF five, hours OF less. according to the
age, exercise and digestive powers
Of each person. The regularity is
more important than the length of
the Intervals Ono meal should be
fully digested before another is be-
gun. Mothers make great mistake
when they feed their infants at
shorter intervals than once in three
hours.
Exercising tho muscles eompels
the blood to flow more freely and 30
supply to them the means of growth.
Moving the muscles destroys the
particles Of which they arc CON-
posed and augments the need OF
food. In this way exercise Of the
body increases the desire for food.
The exercise. of the stomach, in di
geNion brings into its substance an
increased amount of blood. Exer-
cisirg the limbs and body at tho
time we exercise the stomach in the
process q digestion, lessons the ease
and complete action of the latter,
teaching that exercising at once al
ter eating is not wise. Nature gives
us the same lesson. All animals, af-
ter eating full meal, lie down and
rest. intellectual effort after
square meal, lessons the digestive
forces Of the stomach. Experience
and observation teach us that we
should rest alter partaking hearty
meal, or, at any rate, that we should
avoid great mental or bodily exer-
ton after eating freely. Ease Of
body and quiet Of mind contribute
largely to good digestion.
A very similar principe appears
before eating. Excessive exercise
exhausts the body, of which the
stomach forms an essential part 50 |
that they who labor hard should rest
awhile previous to eating much. !
The stomach as well as tine other
are more or less exhausted
by their special functions.-prdr.e
Farmer.