Omaha daily bee., 1917-01-24
Why Do We Eat?
Literary Digest

Most persons would answer the question,
why do we eat?" by replying astutely Because
we are hungry" This is only a partial answer,
according to Miss Minna {. Denton OF Ono
State university, who writes on The Desire OF
Food in Man. in the Scientific Monthly New
York, December). Two great motives, accord
ing TO this writer, cooperate to bring about ana
maintain the desire to eat-motves having oil,
ferent physioliogc basis and different modes OF
action. These motives are hunger and appetite
Hunger, we are told is unpleasant while appetite
is pleasant. Hunger is due primarily to contrac-
ton OF the stomach muscles, while appetite de-
ponds on changes in its lining membrane and in
that OF the mouth. Hunger appears to be extra
ordinarily independent of environment and educa-
ton, while appetite is susceptible to the influences
of both. Appetite may induce one to eat, even
when not particularly hungry. The writer goes
on:
mot all food materials are valuable to the
body in proportion to the appeal which they
make to the appetite. For example, the flavor
substances in foods which stimulate the olfactory
and gustatory nerves, and thus give rise to appe-
tite, not ordinarily the substances upon which
the body depends for its fuel, nor tor the great
bulk of its building material For instance, in
the use Of boiled meat appetite leads US to prefer
the BROTH which contains most OF the flavor
bodies except those who may have escaped into
the air with the steam, but which has practically
no nutrive value, unless quite greasy; and to
reject the tasteess meat, which contains 90 per
cent of the protein; very likely we also skim the
soup to remove most of the fat, which is highly
concentrated form of fuel
Besides the fact that not all food materials
are valuable in proportion to the appeal which
they make to the appetite, we must consider the
great and often irrational variations to which this
faculty is subject. No other bodily sensibility,
perhaps, is so easily influenced by habits and
customs and conventions, by personal idiosyn-
Grassy and prejudice, by connotating circum-
stances, by suggestion of every sort by the emo
tonal complexion of the monetary mood; none,
rule, so highly susceptible of education.
Racial sectional, religious, social, family expert
ences-they all have vote in determining my
ideas Of what should have to eat. So, too, does
the historical era, the geographical area, in which
| live. The skilfulness of my cook may have the
largest say of all; if she does not prepare vege-
tables so that they appetizing, | shall prob
ably eat more meat, bread or fruit though none
of these is all interchangeable substitute for any
other. Convenience, the cost of living and food
legislation sometimes large factors city life
does not conduce to hearty luncheons nor even
breakfasts: rich country cream on my oatmeal
adds ninety calories to my breakfast over the
IS per cent fat by order Of the health department.
cream that l usually get at my city boarding
house. Varying physiological conditions may act
irrationally, as on the hot summer day when
take ice cream Every likely more concentrated
food than meaD solely for its cooling effect; or
when in the midst Of the afternoons shopping |
buy tea and cakes in order to get chance to sit
down for half an hour,
1T is evident that many of these factors men,
toned above have no conceivable relation to my
bodily requirement for food, which is determined
chiefly by my age and stature, the amount of
muscular work l do, my general nervous and
muscular tone, my exposure to cold Digestl-
bility OF food materials and conditions which
favor good digestion are essential. Yet it ap-
pears that the importance of the enjoyment of
food to secure favorable psychic influences has
been considerably overestimated, since men fore
ing themselves for experimental purposes to live
upon diet so monotonous to be repugnant
in the extreme digest it in normal fashion; and
similar results usually obtain with forced feeding
of animals"
How far, under these circumstances may we
trust our natural instinct" or normal appetite"
in the selection of food? The writer warns u.s.
in the first place, that normal" or natural"
demands are intended for man in state of nature
from which we have Travelled far. Every fat man.
for instance, is an abnormality, and the punish
ment for abnormal nutrition is often delayed and
comes suddenly, in the form of disease. Again,
in "a state of nature" the voluntary muscles use
about Is per cent of the bodily energy. In mod
ern man, these muscles are largely dsused We
need less food Hunger may be diminished in
consequence; but appetite remains, and we
overeat.