FOOD AND DIETARIES ill 



stomach waiting to be digested. For these reasons health 

 and happiness require that our eating shall be a pleasure and 

 not a disagreeable necessity. 



142. The appetite. We all have a natural liking for sweets. 

 This does not show that all sweet things are good for us, 

 for there are some sweet substances that are actually poisons. 

 But, on the other hand, a " sweet tooth " may indicate that 

 there is need for more carbohydrate than one gets regularly. 

 If the body is in good health, the appetite can usually be 

 depended upon to tell us what to eat and how much, at the 

 dinner table. If food has been poorly prepared and the bad 

 taste of it concealed with sauces and spices, the appetite will 

 become perverted and will certainly not be a safe guide in the 

 selection of food. 



Food may be attractive to the palate and yet be quite 

 unsuitable because of its indigestibility. Or food may be suit- 

 able for one person and not for another. A little attention to 

 the matter should enable every mother to find out what kinds 

 of food agree with her children and what kinds do not. And 

 a little attention should enable each one of us to find out for 

 himself what it is safe to eat and what it is best to let alone. 

 One person is always made sick by shrimp or fish but has 

 no difficulty with doughnuts or cheese. With another person 

 it is just the other way. No one can tell you whether you can 

 digest beans or not, and you cannot find it out from a book. 

 You have to find out for yourself, and then use your knowledge 

 for your own benefit. 



143. Digestibility. Aside from individual peculiarities of the 

 digestive system, however, there are some foods that are more 

 easily digested than others. For example, milk contains the 

 protein, fats, carbohydrates, and salts in a very easily digested 

 form. Meat proteins and fats of all kinds are digested with 

 comparative ease. But the proteins and fats of meat are 

 inclosed within cell walls, the material of which is not so 

 easily digested. In cooking, much of this material is broken 



