Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1890-02-24
We L at Too Much.

We Eat Too Much.
A recent writer in an English med
ical journal shows conclusively that,
while certain classes, owing to the
stress of poverty, cannot obtain the
nutriment they really need, the ma
jority of the people eat too much.
Fortunately a moderate degree of
over-eating does not appear to be
markedly injurious. The digestive
apparatus, though compelled to do
more work than is really necessary,
proves equal to the demands made
upon it and does not break down or
get seriously out of order. This is
but one illustration out of many that
might be given, showing how the
marvellous mechanism of the human
body adapts itself to conditions more
or less abnormal. 1t is lucky for the
average man that physiological laws
are not of Medo-Persic infexibility.
He can violate them to a limited eX-
tent without mourning the penalty,
though he finds that, it he goes be-
yond that point, the punishment is
swift and sure.
Careful Investigations prove that
the daily "destructive metabolism,
or, in plain English, the inevitable
waste and wear of the body, which is
the measure of the work it does, va
ries but little for the different occu-
patiOns. A diet of from twelve to
fourteen ounces of chemically dry
food, if the ingredients are in proper
portion and readily digestible, is suf-
fcient to keep the average worker in
good health. One part of nitroge-
nous to seven or eight parts of nom
heterogeneous food is found to be fair
combination. A very small addition
of stimulants appears to increase the
amount of possible work but mode
rately free drinking diminishes it..
Women eat less than men, after MAX
ing allowances for differences in
weight and work. Where a man eats
nineteen ounces, a woman of the
same weight and equally active hab-
its eats only fourteen or fifteen ounc-
es. This latter allowance, as will be
seen from the figures given above, is
more than enough for q Woodworking
man, even when all meat is excluded
thing, however, for a man of average
size and activity to eat double this
amount, or from twenty-five to TWEEN
ty-seven ounces of chemically dry
food in a day. In fact the writer to
whom we are indebted for these sta
| tistics does not hesitate to assert that
the majority of people in England
eat literally twice as much as they
need,
We are inclined to think that eX-
cess in eating is at least no less COM
mon in this country than IN England.
| The abundance, variety and cheap
ness of food are naturally favorable
to this over Indulgence. If we do
not Fslive to eat" we are far from
making it the law of our diet to "eat
to live The palate is tempted to
intemperance by appetizing dishes
when it would be fully satisfied with
a normal amount of plain and whole
some food. Probably there are few
| of our readers who will not have to
confess that often the appearance of
the buildings or pies Feyiyes the APP
petite which had been completely ap-
peased by the meat and its concomi-
tants in the preceding course at dim
ner. We feel that we have had enough,
but the new and savory appeal to our
love for the good things of the table
is too much for us. We have been
eating because we enjoy doing it. 1t
is not necessary, but it is ''nice. p"
Let US congratulate ourselves that,
though glHttony and intemperance
are bestial sins and cannot escape
their punishment, moderate oyer-in-
diligence in eating is, as we have
said, apparently a venial offense
against the laws of health; but let
us beware of presuming too much
upon the mercy with which Nature
tempers justice in the enforcement of
these Popular Science Ldaos.