FOODS AND FOOD HABITS 57 



is vitally necessary to us. No solid matter can be absorbed 

 into the blood; everything must be dissolved and reduced to 

 a thin liquid in order to pass through the walls of the intes- 

 tine. The water necessary for this must be present, or ab- 

 sorption cannot take place. 



If the food in the intestine is in a comparatively dry con- 

 dition, it is moved along with difficulty, and indigestion may 

 be the result. We are more likely to drink water too cold than 

 to drink it in too great quantities; if very cold, it may chill 

 the secreting surfaces, thus retarding their work and inter- 

 fering with digestion. The amount of water given off through 

 the lungs is about one pint per day, from the skin two pints, 

 and through the kidneys, in the case of an average person, a 

 little over three pints per day. Thus the demand for fresh 

 water is constant. 



As a result of the life processes, broken down products of 

 body metabolism are continually produced. This material 

 must be eliminated, and for this purpose it must be dissolved 

 in the blood so as to be carried to the excreting organs. If 

 one drinks too little water, the blood may become overcharged 

 with such waste products, some of which are poisonous. These 

 substances, when too abundant in the blood, may dull the 

 nerve centers, giving one a disheartened feeling, and leaving 

 him in poor mental condition for meeting the demands of life. 

 By drinking plenty of water the body is kept constantly 

 "flushed," as it were, and one's whole life is more vigor- 

 ous and active. The Japanese soldiers have taught the 

 world a lesson in methods of preserving health, and 

 among other things have shown the beneficial results 

 arising from drinking large quantities of pure water without 

 "stimulants."' 



There is no good reason why we should not drink water 

 freely during meals. The reason sometimes given for the 

 contrary view that water dilutes the saliva and gastric 

 no great weight. Not only is water readily ab- 



