Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1906-07-18
DRINK WHEN YOU EAT
TAKE AS MUCH WATER AS YOU
WANT WITH YOUR MEALS.

| Is Claimed, "a Neither Gastric juice
Nor Pepsin Work Properly Unless
Largely Diluted with water.
How much water shoSld we drink
md when should we drink Il are Ques-
tions so simple that Mt first sight their
discussion seems superduous One
would naturally answer, Drink all the
water You wish when you are thirsty"
but authorities say. Drink more than
You wish when you are not thirsty"
for they recommend that a gallon or SO
be drunk between meals. which Is
more water than we need and the very
time the system least demands It. Us
ually we experience thirst during or
directly after eating.
Inasmuch as 81 per cent OF the whole
body is water. which Is. Of course be-
ing used up every moment. there IS no
question that we should drink Of this
element copiously, but It is n serious
question whether we should refrain
from water at mcals-the time VIC par
tieularly desire IT,
There is n class OF persons. ever
growing more numerous. that believes
that whatever is IS wrong. For the
natural and simple they would substl-
tute the artificial and complicated. To
drink water while or directly after eat
ing Is natural instinct Give n dog
his dinner, putting Il bowl Of water
near it, and observe that ne Will first
eat all he can and then Immediately
drink. Wild animals look for stream
pccking at seed TO peck at water. Chill
dren have perpetual thirst. and l
have seen babies that. unlike young
Oliver. have refused 20 eat more when
denied water after every few mouth
fuls
1t is especially important that babies
be given what water they wish and at
the time they wish il. which is usually
Mt table.
The thinner food is the more easily
and thoroughly Is Il digcsted: I'm fact.
II cannot bc digc stcd until it has been
made liquid 10y the gastric and intesti-
nal juices. Indigestion is caused often
hy food that Inns not been sufficiently
moiStened 10y the digestive socretions.
There are sound Physiological rea-
sons for our craving water with meals.
Water Is the solvent that constitutes
% per cent of the gastric Juice. Now.
when one eats n hearty meal and docs
not drink. the amount OF water I'm the
stomach Is not sufficient thoroughly 20
moisten the great quantity OF food.
and this makes digestion difficult. ON
the other hand. when enough water IS
lngested with the food the latter IS
well moistcned and broken up. the di-
gestihle particles being then readily
acted on by the gastric Juice and after
ward absorbed Again. when the par
TALLY digested food (chyme) passes into
the intestines IL is most important that
II be very moist, particularly as water
is constantly absorbed from the chyle
In the large intestine. Bad cases Of
constipation are caused by dry chyle
remaining In the intcstines. where II
sets up an Inflammation that some
times proves fatal, dry faeces. of
course. resisting peristaltic action. The
eNcrement of persons suffering from
constipation is always dry ana hard
and is n potent cause of appendicitis.
The idea that water drinking ut
meals unduly dilutes the gastric Juice
Is nonsensical. water being not Sc pal
otable that one is apt TO drink mere
than his digestive functions require.
AS matter of fact water generally
facilitates the digestion of albuninous
substances. In this connection DR.. 4
jacob in his work on Infant Diet"
page 81. says:
In experiments upon digestion OF
albumen with gastric juice obtained
from the stomach Of animals II was no
ticed that after certain time the proc
cSs began to slacken, but was renewed
merely by the addition of water. Tho
gastric juice became saturated with
the substance It had dissolved and
ceased TO act upon what remained IN
I'll il had been diluted In the living
stomach this dilution is Of even greater
Importance. for ii permits of the i'm
mediate absorption of the substances
soluble In water and which do not re- /
quirc the specific action OF the gastric
juice Neither the gastric Juice nor |
pepsln has any true digestive action /
unless they be largely diluted with wa |
ter.
IL goes without saying that It is not /
the food that Is lngested, but that |
which is digested. that does good. and /
this principle holds good with water
which Is practically n food. Now.
when one resists the perfectly natural
desire TO drink while eating ne may be
not thirsty several hours afterward.
but he Is advised nevertheless to force
himself to drink at that time. But if
he drinks then, the water. having no
FOOD to mix with It, will go through
him, as 1t were-that Is, 1t will do no Ii
good
The Importance of water to the I'M
man economy may be Inferred from
the various purposes it subserves.
First 1t softens and dissolves solid
foods. thus facilitating their mastica-
tion and digestion; second, 1t main
tains due bulk of blood and the
structures OF the body; third. II keeps
substances In solution or suspension
while moving in the body; fourth. II
supplies clements In tine body's chem.
zeal changes; fifth, 1t makes easy the
elimination of waste material: sixth n
discharges superhuous heat by tran
'piratlon through the skin and by ennis
SION through other outlets. and. sew 7
'nth, 1t supplies In convenient form
neat 10 or abstracts heat from tho i
BODY. Some of these functions are
performed By water In its LIQUID state
mo others IN state Of vaDor