Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-14
SLOW CHEWING NOW
Amateur Champion Tells How
and What to Eat.
FRUIT BREAKFAST PLAN
ADOPT NEW IDEAS IN A LEISURE
LY WAY.
Sudden Changes Of Any Kind is Likely
to Cause Inconven-
fence.
FRUIT BREAKFAST PLAN


How extremely hard II is for many how
extremely unpleasant. sometimes almost
heroic. to refuse meat OF fowl or fish at
an ordinary meal. A person may feel that
his heaviness after a meal, and indeed his
general unfitness at most times. is due to
mistakes in diet but he has not the
strength of mind. or 1t may seem like the
heartiessness toward his family to decide
on giving up that which may be disagree
ing with him And, even if he does give
1t up. he is very likely to go wrong by omit
ting that which would take the place of
the nourishing flesh foods. Is there any
way out Of the difficulty?
There are apparently two ways out OF
the difficulty, though personally ] should
| urge that the trial of the fieshless foods
with some proper substitute for meat.
which must never be forgotten) is best
worth an experiment in every case.
Many readers will remember that Mr..
Horace Fletcher urges every one to eat
everything slowly, and even to chew what
he drinks to swallow nothing voluntarily.
as We usually swallow things, SO long as
there be any taste in them.
One great advantage of this slow chew
ing plan is that it excites a large amount
of saliva. This will go down into the stom-
ach and help TO digest not only the starch.
but probably also every article Of food
ticleS or to what extent. The saliva will
give necessary sense of fullness. which
perhaps the same meal eaten fast would
never give.
Need of Alkalis Today.
The saliva is alkaline in its tendency. AS
| rule. our blood is acid under modern con-
ditions. 1t is full of waste products. And
generally acidity shows itself, not only in
| the blood. but also In the faces and man
| ners of ordinary people. There is some
thing extremely vinegar-like in city life.
The alkaline saliva will help to counterfeit
this. Saliva is much more wholesome than
the Inorganic carbonate of soda.
Slow eating will undoubtedly increase the
self-control and its effect will be good upon
the manners generally Cor surely slow eat
ing Is good breeding); it will also, undoubt-
eddy. increase the sense of taste. Instead of
| missing nine-tenths of the fiavor of each
food, shall get full pleasure from 1t.
and the taste will become to a faithful
sentinel. There are certain things which
it will refuse to pass; and generally we
shall get an instinct in Our choice of foods
which We may safely trust Mr.. Fletcher
finds that he can trust his taste instinct
absolutely.
His instinct leads him to eat less than be-
fore because he digests practically all
that he does eat. And thus he saves money
and nervous energy. energy which other
wise would be wasted. to digest the nour-
ishment and excrete the excess and the
waste products: and he saves time also.
Very few Of US. l imagine. give up only
thirty-five minutes day to our meals and
are ready to work or take exercise imm edi-
ately after eating. Mr.. Horace Fletcher
can do this, although he is over fifty years
of age and in early life was by no means
healthy man.
Desire for Stimulants May Depart,
There is another important point to which
he called my attention at Cambridge; he
has no particular desire for stimulants. He
can take them without appreciate discom-
fort. and even with some enjoyment. He
takes them for their taste rather than for
their effects. Confess: Which do you take
them for chiefly? l should doubt there be-
ing many people who take alcohol for its
taste rather than for its effects. He also
says that the experience of those who have
tried his plan has been that any tendency
toward undesira bic imaginations disappears.
There comes an increasingly noticeable free
dom from worry, fear, anger and the I'M
wholesome feelings in general. He thinks
that in his plan lies one of the solutions of
the great problem of impurity.
Dewey's No-Breakfast Plan.
There is another way in which it is pos
sible to avoid the giving up of the flesh
foods. That way has been called the no.
breakfast plan. 1t does not interfere with
the social evening meal DR.. Dewey. an
American, may be called the inventor OF it
among western peoples. He urges every one
to adopt it. and he has hundreds of success
full followers already. 1t is probable that
it Is most likely to be successful If the
last meal be taken somewhat late in the
evening before.
The theory, which We must carefully dis
tingulSh again from the results in any
gwen case, Is that long time is needed
for digestion and assimilation. Many ia
bles of digestion are given, but they only
tell how long it takes for the food to be
digested within the stomach. The stomach
Is not the only organ in which the food has
to be digested. Nor is the food assimi-
lated at the moment when it has been d.
gested. 1t might be nearer to the mark 10
say that complete success will take nearer
to i've hours than to two or three in the
case of many articles of food. DIR. Dewey
says that if we allow between each meal
and the next such an interval that we may
never be dealing with two sets of food at
the same time. then two meals a day will
be ample for us. We shall use up less en-
ergy in digesting and absorbing our food
and in getting rid of the waste. We shall
therefore have more energy for muscular
work or brain work or both. In the early
morning. he says, We should do our best
work The day is fresh, and We should be
fresh also.
We should have a store Of energy ready
after the night of rest. and that energy we
should use for our regular occupation. Why
should We use it for digestion. especially
"LeH we IefHeiNDtr tfldl none or the food
may be ready for actual service in the
body till hours after breakfast? 1t is found
that laborers can get through their morn
ing's work without breakfast as well as
sedentary business men. and he notes from
the bible: Unhappy art thou, oh land
when thy princes eat in the morning.
The Persians at their best used to eat no
breakfast. The main meal. he holds should
be at II or 1. At that time some work has
already been done; we have more time to
give up to a careful enjoyment of the
luncheon. we have better appetite, and we
have saved some expense by Iessening one
meal. We will also have saved some ex-
pense by lessenfng the amount at each
meal.
The result" says DR.. Dewey, will be
all-around improvement" He maintains
that there Is no disease which cannot be
removed. or at least be benefited by the
plan. Indigestion will disappear; so will de-
preston and heaviness: In fact, all sorts of
illnesses have been found to give way to
this treatment.
First Failures.
I tried the no-breakfast plan twice with
out much success: but at last on the third
attempt. 1 found that 1t suited me- though
I was unable to 90 without food la+ar +tax