Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-08-07
FOOD AND WORK.
WE SHOULD EAT ACCORDING TO OUR
EMPLOYMENT.

In 1t" to Any Extent-Vegetables of Many
Kinds Recommended
In this era of over stimulation, with the
interests Of life so vast and the standards
of perfection in every calling and profess
sion constantly rising, so that incessant
effort is demanded in order to keep up
with our rushing progress, it is little won
der that overstrained humanity is con-
stantly dropping out Of the ranks, and that
q great cry of remonstrance has arisen
against this overwork which is killing or
worse than killing people
Now, as matter of fact, it is not so
much overwork that is doing the mischief
as it is tho way the work is done and the
consequent rules Of health that are violat-
ed in the doing of it. This is truth wor-
thy of the deepest consideration, and one
that involves farreaching effects for good
or evil.
The prime cause of trouble in MAORI
ty of cases is an error of diet and failure
TO recognize the necessity Of adapting the
fuel supplied to the human machine to its
special needs. AS a rule, women and girls
are more judicious in their diet than men,
and, especially among those whose labor
is physical, the error is frequently that of
undertaking, often the motives of econo-
my or because it is too much trouble to
prepare the food, not giving the body suf-
Gcient nutriment to repair the waste. We
seldom hear of physical labor wearing out
man, unless that labor is performed I'M
der unhealthful conditions, for he usually
eats all the food he requires and instinct
lively chooses that which contains most
nutrimcnt. Moreover, his constant exer-
else keeps his organs of digestion in an &C
tive state, which enables them to perform
any work within reason that is imposed
upon them.
All who are engaged in physical labor
should have an abundance of highly nitrog-
enous foods and can vary their diet by
combinations of all healthful dishes that
are obtainable. Underdone beef and well
cooked mutton are the meats they need.
Pork should be eaten only by those who
have constitutions of iron, who work hard
in the open air and who never know what
an ache or a pain is. There is not dis
ease that human flesh is heir to which
pork may not cause nor pain which it
may not produce. A well known New
York physician, referring to pork, has
said, ''It is the parent Of dyspepsia, neu
ralgia, headache, sleeplessness, biliousness,
constipation, hypochondria and every 9TH
er physical i'll. If 1t must be eaten be
sure that it is thoroughly cooked.
The red and dark meats are more slim
ulating and more readily assimilated than
white meats owing to property called
osmazone contained in their fbrin. 1t
is that principle which gives to meat soups
their aroma and taste, and the darker the
meat the more osmazone is present. 1t is
almost absent from veal and all young
meats and from the white flesh Of poultry.
1t is law Of nature, established by the
experience of the majority of people in
normal health, living under the highest
civilization, that variety of foods taken
at the same time are more easily digested
than only one or two kinds This, OF
course, does not mean immoderate indul-
gence in large quantities of different
things, but judicious selection, according
to the cravings Of appetite. While not all
things which we relish are good for us,
1t is very certain that what we eat with
repugnance or distaste does not satisfy the
varying needs of the body. Very many
substances enter into its composition, and
to repair its waste an imperative demand
is made that like shall supply like We
do not often err in following the dictates
of natural taste which prompt us to COM
bine vegetables with meat, dry foods with
LIQUID substances and the sweet with the
sour.
All the vegetables that bountiful nature
provides us with can vary the diet of those
employed in manual labor, onions cab
bage, baked beans, turnips, carrots and
peas being especially good for them They
can eat all the cereals, but should choose
corn and rye bread in preference to wheat,
and should be sure to eat aperient fruits,
as apples, oranges, figs, dates and berries
with all cereals to counterfeit the clogging
effect of their starch, which it must be
borne in mind is not digested at all in the
stomach. The so called aperient fruits
stimulate the flow of intestinal juices and
ore sure means of overcoming constipa-
ton, a malady which excessive use of &C.
reals greatly encourages and often pro-
duces.
White bread is much more healthful
when cut in thin slices and toasted brown,
as that process transforms the starch into
dextrin and thus saves one Of the labors
of digestion. 1t has yet to pass through
another chemical change into glucose be-
fore it can be assimilated. An interesting
fact that ought to be widely known is this:
Common dried figs contain GO per cent of
glucose, which, when eaten, is exactly
the condition which the starch of cereal
foods attains only after a prolonged and
nerve wearing tax upon the digestive or
gans. The changes of tissue in the brain
that take place during study and thought
are very important and very rapid; 1t has
been estimated that three hours Of brain
work cause as great an exhaustion Of
the forces Of the body as an entire day Of
manual labor. This waste must be re-
placed by abundant food but its selection
requires careful consideration and often
self denial, for many things which the
physical worker can eat with perfect i'm
punity are slow poison to the brain work
er, who exercises the brain at the expense
Of the body and rarely gives the latter
sufficient exercise to counteract the mental
strain and keep it in a condition to resist
disease. Bear in mind that while the
waste of the body is much more rapid its
deprivation of physical exercise encourages
torpidity Of the voluntary functions and
renders them sluggish in eliminating
these wastes; therefore it is of the utmost
Importance that the tasks imposed upon
them should be light. Brain workers re-
quire the most concentrated and easily di-
ges6ed foods; they should eat fresh beef
and mutton, fish, eggs-cooked in many
forms 1,ut Onvar hard hOilad or fripd-