352 DIET IN DIFFERENT STAGES OF LIFE. 



distention and constipation, and to retard those physiological 

 changes which take place after parturition. 



The nursing motfier should abstain from whatever disagrees 

 with herself or may be productive of discomfort to her infant. 

 She should feed well, exercising discrimination in her choice of food, 

 but not over-feed herself. Her meals should be regular, mastication 

 .complete, and natural appetite satisfied. If she be a small woman 

 and be habitually a small eater and have small children, she will 

 not require so much as a larger and more robust mother. Highly 

 seasoned or indigestible food, late dinners or heavy suppers, strong 

 wines and spirits should be avoided. It is by 110 means necessary 

 that a very sparse and limited diet should be adopted, but there 

 should be a judicious abstinence from whatever would disagree 

 with herself or deteriorate her milk. Some self-denial must be 

 practised for the sake of the child ; while such kinds of food as 

 goose, duck, salted meats, shell-fish, rich dishes and pastry should 

 not be taken, good meat, fowl, game, farinaceous vegetables and 

 puddings may be eaten. To provide good milk, nothing is better 

 than cocoa, cow's milk or milk and water ; to satisfy thirst, barley- 

 water, toast and water or plain water should be taken. 



Diet for Travelers A common error of ordinary travelers 

 is to eat and drink too much. For want of occupation, and under 

 the excitement of traveling, more is eaten than is demanded by a 

 healthy appetite, more than the stomach can properly digest, and 

 more than the system actually needs. In the course of a long 

 journey it is sometimes necessary to time the refreshments by the 

 stopping places at which they can be obtained, but as nearly as pos- 

 sible the ordinary periods for taking meals should be observed. Sand- 

 wiches, or some other light repast, will allay the appetite and meet all 

 the requirements of the system in a state of repose and when no 

 physical or mental demands are made upon it. Warm coffee or 

 tea is much to be preferred as a beverage to beer or whisky. The 

 warmth is grateful to the consumer in cold weather and the per- 

 spiration induced is cooling in hot weather, care being taken in the 

 latter case not to sit in a draught. The stimulating effect of 

 alcoholic drinks is undesirable for the drinker, while the exhalations 

 therefrom are obnoxious to other travelers. 



INVALID TRAVELERS are more in danger of eating too little than 

 too much. They have to guard against the exhaustion of fatigue 

 as well as to maintain the tone of a system already enfeebled, and 

 they are often so injudicious as to tax their powers of endurance to 

 the utmost by attempting too much in the course of a day. In 

 traveling to some distant locality the eager haste to reach the end 

 of the journey often results in needless, injurious fatigue. The 

 day -journeys are often too long, the night-rest is often too short; 

 and if the invalid travels by " easy stages," he is often guilty of the 

 indiscretion of attempting a little sight-seeing, incompatible with 

 the conservation of strength which is really needed. Too much 



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