St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1909-01-09
THE SIMPLE DIET
Copyright, BY Joseph B. Bowles.1

To return to nature is not always
easy, even when we know what nature
would have us do. Habit, it has been
said, is second nature, and nowhere
is this more true than in eating-the
Oldest habit. But if Improvement is
desirable it must be most desirable in
eating. which underlies all life proc
esses; and yet change should be made
only after careful consideration, and
then with all due deliberation.
Beef is digested chiefly in the stom~
ach by the action of the gastric fluid.
When reduced to fine pulp by mas
tication before entering the stomach
it tends to pass out before being prop.
erly digested, for the pylorus tends to
open when the food is sufficiently re-
duced by the movement of the stom-
ach and the action of the gastric fluid.
Hence many authorities say that meat
should be bolted as the dog swallows
his meat in large Jumps. This is
scientifically correct, but the very op'
posite is true Of bread and potatoes.
Flesh digests in from three to five
hours; rice remains in the stomach
about one hour. When flesh and rice
are eaten at the same meal, there is
a conflict. The meat and rice are COM
pletely mixed by the movement of the
stomach. If now the homogeneous
mass is retained four hours, the rice
undergoes fermentation. IL the meat
is carried into the intestines within
two hours it's digestion must be imper-
feet, failing to receive the proper sup
ply of gastric fluid-an error which
cannot be fully corrected by further
digestion in the intestines.
Much as this important phase of die
tetics has been neglected by the med
ical profession invalids are never
put upon a bi-diet, much less upon
mixture of several foods, however cas-
lily digested. Beef is one of the COM
monest invalid diets, because it is al
most pure proteid, digesting easily in
the stomach Rice, IS per, cent.
starch, is common invalid's diet, but
meat and rice would not be prescribed
to be eaten together.
Proteid foods (meats, eggs, beans,
etc. digest principally in the stom
ach; carbonaceous foods (fruits, po-
tatoes, cereal foods, etc), principally
in the intestine When these classes
of foods are mixed, there is conflict
which must have disquieting effect
upon the nervous system.
1t is natural to suppose that a
hungry animal under natural condi-
tons would conf1ne itself to one kind
of food. Neither man nor the pig is
naturally omnivorous. Acorns are the
natural food of the pig, which, like
man, becomes prey to an almost In
finite variety of diseases when he be-
comes by force of circumstances ON
nivorous. A high authority on the dis
eases of the pig says that they are due
to its being fed upon the waste hui
man foods from our tables.
1t is a peculiar fact that the di-
gestive organs of the pig very closely
resemble those Of man. Acorns and
few roots are the natural food of
the wild pig. In his natural state
there is no healthier animal; and in
his domesticated state none more pitt
fully diseased, except, perhaps, man.
Lucretius, the Latin poet, says:
Soft acorns were mans first and chiefest
food,
And those red apples that adorn the
wood.
The nerves that Joined their limbs were
firm and strong:
Their life was healthy, and their age was
long.
Returning years still saw them in their
prime;
They wearied cen the wings of measur-
ing Time:
Nor colds, nor heats, nor strong diseases
wait,
And tell sad news of coming hasty fate
| Nature not yet grew weak, not yet be-
gan
To shrink into an inch the largest span
Pavlov, the Russian physiological
chemist, has shown that the system
adapts itself to the digestion of the
food while it is in the mouth, the
character of the digestive fluids Sc
creted varying with the food. How
bewildered it must be by a ten-course
dinner offering perhaps so different ar
ticles of food!
| Considering these facts, we mus
conclude that serious injury is done
to the system by eating variety o
foods at the same meal. Perhaps We
may find here the hitherto unaccount
able reason for the shortness of hu
man life. And if this be the cause, W,
must find all the noted cases of Ion
gevity among those people whose die
is the simplest. Netchnikoff ha
found the largest percentage of cen
tenarians among the Hungarian peas
ants, living largely on black bread
Among the Irish peasantry, 1ivini
chiefly on potatoes, centenarians ar
numerous. The noted cases of Ion
gevity in England were all among tn
peasantry, living on very simple diet
The most noted of centenarians, Coz
marc, the Venetian, prolonged life
years by restricting his diet to a UNI
form quantity of eggs and unferment
ed wine, almost exclusively.
! Several monodiet tests recent
made under the writer's directio
showed, as would naturally be expec
. ed, If the principles above stated ar
true, remarkable results Edgar Brobs
foundryman, eating only beans 70
, &c days, gained eight pounds
weight, working Sundays, two night
and several evenings extra during tn
J period. On 40 days diet Of oatmes
/ there was gain of three pounds an