410 Our Surroundings 



who "live to eat" are sure, sooner or later, to pay for this pleasure 

 with some form of discomfort or disease. 



Too large a quantity of food eaten at a single meal stretches 

 the stomach and hinders the peristaltic, or wave-like, movements 

 of the muscles within its walls, which force the food along into the 

 intestine. Food thus delayed is apt to ferment, causing head- 

 ache, palpitation of the heart and other unpleasant sensa- 

 tions. The food may also sour and generate gases which are 

 sometimes gulped up and thrown off through the mouth, indi- 

 cating indigestion. This condition is likely to produce serious 

 stomach trouble. 



Insufficient Chewing. When food is not chewed sufficiently 

 the saliva fails to become thoroughly mixed with it, and conse- 

 quently does not perform its work well. Moreover, the supply 

 of saliva is inadequate since the process of chewing is necessary 

 to stimulate its flow from the glands in the mouth. As the saliva 

 continues to assist in changing starch to sugar after the, food 

 enters the stomach, and also aids the flow of gastric juice neces- 

 sary for the digestion of protein, the need of sufficient chewing 

 is apparent. Eating between meals and having meals at irregular 

 hours tend to increase the bad results of insufficient chewing, as 

 the digestive glands are more or less influenced in their activity 

 by habit. Every one should form the habit early in life of eating 

 slowly and chewing food until it is thoroughly broken up and 

 reduced to a pulpy mass. 



Relation of Rest to Digestion. When the body is weary or 

 the brain is worried by business or other cares, the digestive glands 

 do not respond as they should to the stimulus of food. So, when 

 tired from overwork or for any reason disturbed in mind, a quiet 

 resting time should precede eating. For the sake of good health, 

 a rested body and a calm and happy frame of mind are always 

 desirable at mealtime. Rest is also needed immediately after a 

 meal, as the stomach requires an extra quantity of blood to per- 

 form its function well. Violent exercise and close application to 

 study should not immediately follow a full meal. Some light form 

 of diversion, like story telling or games that demand only slight 

 effort, is favorable to the digestive process. 



