Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1908-12-17
WHAT DO YOU
EAT AND WHY?
tCopyright, by Joseph b. BowIes)

II eat what ! like" would be the
answer OF the average person scan
ming the bill OF fare in the average
restaurant And to eat what you like
because you like It, is the best pos
sible reason To eat what one doesn't
like Is good for nobody II has been
shown In the laboratory that "appe-
tite juice" Is the first requirement for
good digestion.
Animals in their natural state never
eat when they are not hungry and
they never eat what they don't like
and this together with abundance OF
fresh air. water exercise and normal
mental conditions, inhibts sickness,
except by accident while man is al
ways ailing more or less. And the
chief cause Of all the ailments, not
mechanical or mental 10 which flesh
is heir is wrong eating.
It IS generally admitted that most
sickness, temporary and chronic,
originates in the arrangement Of the
digestive system, autointoxication,
that is, selfpoisoning induced by alb
sorbing into the blood the poisons
produced 10 the food tube by fermen-
tation resulting from eating too much
from hurried eating, from eating too
many kinds of food at the same meal
Many Of the most advanced students
OF the cause OF disease now believe
that tho one cause Is the retaining OF
waste matter IN the system, which is
a necessary result OF wrong feeding.
OF course these abnormal conditions
are traceable In the last analysis, TO
wrong thinking, and they can be set
right only by changing the thought.
And It is a happy sign Of the times
that the study OF the food question is
receiving so much attention
II eat what ! can get This would
be the answer OF many an unfortun-
ate but whether his case is worse
than that Of him who can get what he
wants TO eat. IS doubtful Is the for
elgner who comes TO America and
changes his diet from black bread. a
few vegetables, apples and grapes TO
an abundance OF highlyseasoned
foods. meat fine white bread pickles
and pie--is he fortunate, in the mat
ter Of diet? The statistics say No
It Is n peculiarly interesting fact that
the mortality from cancer is much
higher among foreignborn Germans
Irish and some other nationalties IN
this country than among the Ameri-
can born OF those races. Cancer In
the opinion OF the late Or Nicholas
Sem and other eminent authorities
is disease OF overlndulgeuce, and
we believe indulgence In flesh meat
The italians, Greeks, Bohemaus and
others who continue 10 live on the
simple diet of their home countries
show a low rate OF death from these
diseases. The foreignb born Irish and
German peasants sooner fall victims
TO cancer and tuberculosis when they
adopt the eXtravagsnt mixed diet OF
the average American family. because
they are more susceptible than those
who have become habituated TO a GER
tain degree, 20 the more eNtrayagant
diet OF the new country
II has been said that we are ma
ton OF dyspeptics and the cause is
easily found Certainly. the natural
way Is 20 eat what one likes. Hut
unfortunately, many. II not all Of us
are not natural In eating as IN many
other things How, them can We de
pend upon our inclinations 20 tell us
what 10 eat? Nearly everybody now
admits that intoXican,s are necgs
sarily injurious. yet man. have de
sire for them Shall they follow IN,
inclination 10 drink what they like
merely because they like 1t, or, shall
they not rather govern the appetit,
by reason? And does not the sam,
argument apply. IN some degree a
least, 10 eatingg
This line OF inquiry leads 10 thu
question, What shall we eat 10 Sc
cure thc greatest enjoyment OF life
what shall we eat 10 enjoy the great
est degree OF health, the most wgoy
Gus, happy and useful life?
These questions cannot be answers
finally by laboratory investigation
alone Only actual test OF the effect
OF foods with careful allowance 10
personal factors aud varying amor
NAL conditions. can lead TO wise cor
illusions And in my next article
shall give the result OF my own ex
perimeuts,
Why DO YOU eat? Because
like 10 eat II IS one Of the pleasure
of life" This will be your answer
n you are an average reader II no
YOU are abnormal TO be good mar
one must FIRST be q good animal an
the hrst requirement in good ANNA
is 70 be good feeder.
II is a well-establIshed principle Il
psychology that we do best what VI
do uuconsciously What must becom
Of man who Is so conscious OF hi
digestion that he must take SO man
chews for each mouthful and eat coi
tain prescribed foods Is Il not pos
slhle that he may find Il necessary Z