POODS AND FOOD HABITS 51 



When a person is in health the appetite is a tolerably safe 

 guide as to the amount he should eat. This is true only pro- 

 vided he distinguishes between a real desire for food and a 

 desire to please the taste, as for example, when eating candy. 

 I If he should continue to eat and drink after his appetite is ap- 

 | peased, he will do himself an injury. He who mistakes the pleas- 

 ure of gratifying his taste for that of satisfying his appetite be- 

 comes intemperate and is almost sure to lay the foundation for 

 digestive troubles. 



Since the appetite is the guide that most people follow 

 each person should be particularly careful not to abuse 

 it by improper habits. If he lives upon good, wholesome, 

 plain food and drinks water, he may rely on his appetite; 

 but if he pampers it with rich, highly seasoned foods, or 

 if he injures it by overeating or by so-called alcoholic 

 stimulants, he cannot depend upon it. If one leads a 

 sedentary life, his appetite is likely to fail and he should 

 arouse it by exercise rather than tempt it with rich, highly 

 flavored dishes. 



VEGETARIANISM 



Some people believe that a meat diet should be avoided 

 and that a vegetable menu is conducive to better physical 

 health. These people are called vegetarians, although they 

 eat freely of eggs and drink milk. Most vegetables contain a 

 very limited percentage of proteid; some, like cabbage, lettuce, 

 tomatoes, beets, turnips, spinach and fruits, contain practically 

 no proteids, and while they are of value in stimulating the di- 

 gestive tract they do not furnish much nutriment. 



The body is constantly demanding proteid, and while 

 some vegetable foods, such as potatoes and cereals, contain 

 large amounts of starch, they contain relatively smaller 

 amounts of proteid than do meats. Experiment, too, has shown 

 that the proteids of vegetables do not nourish the body as well 

 as equal amounts of animal proteids. One could in time gather 



