The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-03-24
home HEALTH CLUB
edited by DR.. David H. Reeder, Chi

letters asking, why am I so thin al
though my appetite is good or why
am so fleshy though I do not eat
great dea1?'' Several years ago dis
cussed that subject in series of ar
ticIes and pointed out that food in
order to be properly ass1m1lated
should first be properly mast1cafed. II
is safe to state that as rule food
must be chewed until it becomes a
liquid in the mouth and thus thor
oughIy incorporated with the saliva
before it is ready for the stomach
| One of the foremost opponents OF
advocating thorough mast1cat1on Is
the late Horace Fletcher who has
probably done more than any other
individual to bring this subject be-
fore the people. His method IS popu-
1arly known as F1etcherism- The fol
lowing are some points taken from a
pamphlet published several years ago
and wherein Prof. F1etcher's theories
are brought out plainly and quite full
1y. They will interest many Home
Health Club readers today as they did
years ago.
"Do not take more than one-fourth
| to ione-ha1f teaspoonfuI of food into
the mouth at one time, especially for
the first week or two. Ih you take
larger amount of food you will
have much more difficulty in learn
| ing F1etcherism.
Do not take any more food into the
mou until this has been swallowed.
chew the food industriously. Some
FIetcherites take about two motions
of the jaws per second.
All particles of food should be brok-
en- up and reduced to a liquid or Ii
quilted form. Learn to return the
food from the back part of the mouth
for further chewing before swallow
ing. Do not swallow the food until
it loses it's original taste. This does
not mean that the food should Jose
its taste or flavor entirely, but 1t
should be chewed until it loses its ORR
gina1 taste.
Do not try to swallow at all. just
keep chewing the food and enjoy it
until it disappears by involuntary
swallowing itself. If you do not have
time to chew your food properly it
is better to eat smaller amount or
not to eat at all until you do have
sufficient time.
Soft, mushy foods should be chewed,
and insa1ivated almost as thoroughly
as solid foods, to insure good diges-
ton. If a. piece of whole wheat bread
or shredded wheat biscuit or baked
potato is chewed long enough it will
become as sweet as sugar by the ac-
ton of the saliva in the mouth The
last taste of. the food is. the best
The habits of a life time cannot be
changed in day, you must have
perseverance and determination if you
wish to succeed.
Do not read the papers or think
about business or engage in CONVEX
satioh so as to engross the attention
when you are learning F1etcherism. If
you were engaged to run a steam en-
CINE or a complicated machine you
would give it considerable study and
attention; 50 you must give proper
study and attention to your own nu-
triton if you wish to obtain good
results.
Do not be so greedy as to swallow
your food prematurely. Do not be too
lazy or Indifferent to masticate your
food properly. Do not eat when not
hungry the food will not be absorbed
and assimilatedl readily and hence
poison toxins will be thrown off into
to blood. Do not be afraid to wait
a day or two longer If necessary for
a good appetite. If you do not have
will power enough to skip a meal at
first, then take only little ripe fruit
juice when not really hungry at meal
time. Some F1etcherites do without
breakfast entirely as a rule, or take
only a little ripe fruit, say half of a
banana or a little fruit Juice at break
fast time.
Do not eat between meals. If hun
CRY between meals take a drink of
water. Quit eating promptly when
your appetite seems satisfied. Do not
eat something more just because it is
there and might have a good taste to
1t. In case of eating dessert it is
better to have this at the beginning or
middle part of the meal. If you first
eat until your appetite is satisfied and
then eat the dessert extra you will
thereby violate the principles of Flet-
cherism and you will not feel so well
Do not eat to keep up you strength,
your natural appetites will attend to
that in due time. Highly seasoned and
spiced foods are likely to overstim-
ulate the appetite sense of. taste,
causing you to eat too much. Taking
large quantities of food into the mouth
at one time will overstimu1ate the
taste buds, causing an abnormal or
unnatural appetite. Most people, eat
entirely too much. Fletcherites often
thrive and grow fat on one-ha1f the
You derive strength not from the
amount you eat, but from the amount
you aSsimi1ate.
When the food is reduced to a Ii
quid in the mouth the work of the
is cut in two. When you be-
come thoroughly accustomed to F'let-
cherizing you will require little or no
more time for a meal than you for
merly required when you bolted your
food. Do not use your mouth as a
funnel to deluge your stomach at
mea1time.
not take more than one-ha1f teaspoon
full at a time, retain this in the mouth
until the chill is taken off of it. Do
not drink or glasses of water at
one time. Do not drink much water
for half an hour before meals or for
an hour or two after meals.
Be master of yourself. do not be-
come a slave to wrong habits
Personally will add few remarks
to the above. Many fleshy readers
will perhaps think that by Fletcheriz-
ing they will grow more fat, but the
reverse will occur to those who are
over-burdened with fIeshiness. Obes-
ity is disease brought on by inpro-
per eating and this disease is cured
by properly preparing the food for the
stomach. At the same time those who
are thin will find above methods ex-
ceptiOnalIy beneficial and will great