FOOD HABITS 117 



1. The selection of food 



a. For nutrition and balance. 



b. For digestibility. 



c. For palatability. 



d. Proper preparation. 



e. Proportion of coarse, indigestible elements and bulk. 1 



f. For laxative elements. 



g. For suitable quantities. 



2. The avoidance of food materials that are personally undesirable, 



however suitable they may be for others. 



3. The avoidance of special sauces and spices as stimulants to 



the appetite. 



4. The observance of fairly regular hours as to eating. 



5. Leisurely attitude toward the meal. This would include the tak- 



ing of a few minutes of rest before eating, when tired, as well 

 as the avoidance of rushing off to work or to play after eating. 



6. The establishment of a pleasant frame of mind for the meal, as 



well as other agreeable surroundings, whenever possible. 



7. Thorough mastication of the food before swallowing. This 



does not mean counting the number of bites that you put 

 into every mouthful ; it means having the habit of chewing 

 until the mass in the mouth is in a nearly fluid condition, so 

 that it fairly " swallows itself." 



8. Drinking plenty of water, before meals, between meals, as 



well as at meals, and before retiring, but never using it 

 (or any other liquid) to " wash down " food in the mouth. 



9. Where outdoor work with the large muscles is not a part of 



the regular program, exercising (out of doors if possible) a 

 certain amount every day. 



1 Experiments made in a European army many years ago, with a view to 

 finding, if possible, a concentrated ration that contained a maximum of nutri- 

 ent and a minimum of indigestible and nonusable substance, resulted in show- 

 ing that people cannot maintain their health on such a diet. The reason for 

 this is that the intestines can be stimulated to do their muscular work only by 

 the mechanical pressure of a mass of substance on the inside. When food is 

 refined to the point where it contains no refuse, or very little, the muscles of 

 the intestines cease their activities. We must therefore have a certain amount 

 of bulk in the food, as well as the nutrients. This bulk is supplemented by 

 the vegetables we eat, especially green vegetables, which contain a relatively 

 small proportion of nutrient and a relatively large proportion of cell walls. 



