The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1909-04-10

having the principal meal In the eve
ming is that digestion is the principal
business of physical life and the eve
ming is the best time to attend to it.
MANY omit the evening meal, eating |
only morning and noon. because. they
say. they feel most like eating In the
morning and least in the evening, and
besides that they can sleep better on |
an empty stomach and that they re-
gard sound sleep undisturbed by the |
stress of a heavy meal, as being OF
prime Importance
Undoubtedly the omission of the
evening meal makes for gain In
sleep, but it requires heavy meal IN
the morning with the digestion OF
which ones work must more or less
| interfere.
Many eat a light meal at noon. be-
! cause it is not always convenient for
them to get at noon what they call
"a square meal" 1t must be admitted
| that IL soup and meat and pie and half
| a dozen other dishes are necessary to
a good meal, there Is some force In
this argument. Those who take this
| position think they must have a sub
stantial morning meal. because they
cannot have another square meal"
till the evening In cases where the
time for lunch Is very short and the
afternoons work heavy, this may be
the best plan. Then few apples only
may be eaten, even without leaving
ones post or while taking needed ex-
ercise in walking.
We know that violent emotion stops
digestion completely. Appetite always
leaves one on the advent Of extraor-
binary fear or joy. Mental activity OF
any kind is evidently inconsistent with
good digestion. Now when one eats
full meal in the morning and pro-
ceeds to work theoretically, 1t is UNI
reasonable to suppose that, for in
stance, a breakfast of fried eggs, pork
chops and fresh bread would be COM
pletely digested by IL or l o'clock.
when the noon lunch is taken. When
another meal is added to the burden
of the digestive system, followed by
strenuous afternoons work. 1t is un-
reasonable to suppose that normal d.
gestive conditions should follow-or
good work. 1t is generally admitted
that the best brain work can be done
in the morning, and the eating Of q
heavy breakfast retards brain work.
When the stomach Is filled with
food, especially IL 1t be of food dificult
to digest, there is a flow of blood to
: that organ with a corresponding dow
|. $o~ S,f
digestion. This necessarily implies q
depletion OF the brain. The man who
eats a breakfast of pancakes. coffee
!. and bacon. must not expect to do his
best mental work.
have found hundreds who have &C
cidentally discovered that they feel
better, work better and altogether en-
joy better health by emitting break
! fast.
!. The most frequent objection, BY
those who try emitting breakfast, Is
that they have a severe headache OF
! a distressing feeling of emptiness dur
ing the forenoon, followed by a raven
!. GUS appetite. If the digestive system
were normal such feelings would not
exist, even after the omission of sew
eral meals, as experience with pro
! tracted fasting proves. Natural hunger
: is a persistent desire for food, not un
pleasant when there is q prospect o
satisfying II, but 1t produces no head
: ache, no pain. Abnormal appetite ma.
be suppressed by eating. but the ah
= normal condition it indicates is no
a thus changed. To eat very slowly, a
fixed hours, of few articles, with III
4 tie liquid and dry food. viii aid Il
: overcoming abnormal appetite.
= Having decided to adopt the two
meal plan, the best course is t
. change gradually, as advised In al
! other cases In which q change is {
!. be made Reduce the third meal i
: amount, gradually. till drink is finall
J. substituted for solid food Thus SUI
= pose you are in the habit Of eating a
ordinary breakfast, eat only a fe'
slices of toast or a little fruit o
: cereal fakes, and reduce the quantit,
. gradually, till q warm drink Of ceres
n. coffee, weak cocoa or lemonade, swee
:. ened with saccharine rather tina
n sugar, is finally substituted.
~ Having adopted a definite cours'
" pursue it systematically. Fix
Il mind the thought that the chang
e you are making Is a good on
,s and entertain no regrets at M
n having the accustomed depressing. di
- ease producing meal Fix the min
ON something else than the mes
be Don't stay in the dining-room; go o.
= into the morning air. to the library
n the ONCE. The necessity Of catchir
~ an early train regularly has cure
~ many of the habit of eating heaS
AZ. breakfast.
en- The cases in which the two-me