(2.) The superior attractions of varied over monotonous food: 



(3.) The connection between the individual and the food he takes. 



Let us consider these facts more closely. 



(1.) WHY WE EAT MEALS. 



The body requires daily a given an/bunt of food. Were this to be eaten all 

 at once, the result, apart from other discomforts, would be extreme drowsiness 

 and inactivity after eating, such as we notice in a dog after he has gorged himself, 

 or such as is observed among uncivilized men, whose habits in this respect 

 resemble those of certain animals. By the judicious division of his daily portion 

 of food into three portions, eaten at different times, civilized man has found he 

 can prolong his hours of effective work and equalize his energy. 



THE NEEDS OF THE BODY ARE MET 



by " stoking its furnace " with moderation at regular intervals. Its activity should 

 be quickened, not checked, by a well-chosen meal. Where sleepiness succeeds eating, 

 more food than is necessary has probably been taken, or food of an unsuitable 

 character. 



THE DAILY MEALS OF AN ADULT 



consist, in most countries, of a fairly light breakfast and lunch, with a more 

 substantial repast in the evening, when the day's work is over. For children, who 

 should be early in bed, the heaviest meal must be at midday, or a store of digestive 

 disorders will be laid up for the future, as a result of overtaxing their digestive 

 systems in the evening. Remember in this as in other connections that 



YOUNG HUMAN NATURE IS VERY OBLIGING; 



it will endeavour, and to all appearance succeed in the endeavour, to adapt itself 

 to the demands so ignorantly made upon its powers. Only after the lapse of 

 years will the result of these demands make their appearance. Errors of diet 

 in youth are responsible for much of the ' disappointment in respect of health, 

 attainments, or success in later life, of which the true cause is usually unsuspected. 



ABSOLUTE REGULARITY OF INTERVAL 



should be the rule for family meals; because all the workings of the body proceed 

 in health with machine-like precision; if this be interfered with by irregularity in 

 the hours of eating, disordered digestion and poor nutrition are bound to follow. 

 There are excellent reasons for this assertion. The process of digestion is 

 a prolonged one; not only must it be completed before more food is eaten, but the 



RULE OF NATURE, 



that work and rest succeed each other, must also be respected. After the work of 

 dissolving, absorbing, and circulating food material has been performed, all the 

 organs concerned require a period of repose. If this rest is denied them their 

 work is of poor quality and " indigestion " is the result. 



A longer or shorter respite from activity is necessary for every gland concerned 

 in the manufacture of the fluids which digest food or in the other processes of 

 assimilation, in order to recruit energy; whether these glands are situated in the 

 mouth, stomach, pancreas, liver, or intestines. A tired person performs poor work, 

 so do weary organs. 



(2.) THE LENGTH OF THE INTERVAL BETWEEN MEALS 



depends upon the character of the food eaten at the meals. An ordinary dinner 

 leaves the stomach in from four to five hours; whereas milk, lightly cooked eggs, 

 (stale bread, crackers, toast, or steamed or boiled white fish are digested in about 

 half that time. The body requires an hour or two after awakening in the morning 

 to "warm up" to its daily work; so it is a sound instinct which guides us to 

 prefer a not too heavy breakfast. 



