The method of taking food is of very great importance. All food should be chewed thoroughly and slowly before it is swallowed. The habit of reading and studying during meals should be discouraged in favour of bright conversation, but the reading of light literature during a solitary meal is probably beneficial. Large quantities of fluids should be avoided at meals, as they dilute the gastric juice, and prevent or retard its action on the food. A short rest after meals, before resuming work, undoubtedly aids digestion.
Comment: The bit that I find really interesting here is the recommendation to talk during meals. I recently read this article on the BBC about how it is beneficial to talk at meal times for children! I therefore wonder if these are really new research results or proofs of previously tested/hypothesised principles of good eating habits.
With regard to the times for meals, the chief points that deserve attention are regularity and the observance of a proper interval between successive meals. Very long intervals are undoubtedly injurious, but the other extreme is harmful and is far more common, especially among women. It is found that an ordinary meal remains in the stomach for about four hours, and is then passed on. This interval should therefore be the minimum one between two successive meals. Three meals are often sufficient, and more than four per day should never be taken. The best times for most people are breakfast at eight o'clock, dinner at one or two o'clock, and tea at five or six o'clock. If supper is taken, tea should be rather a light meal, but if tea is the last meal of the day it should be substantial. With regard to supper, it is difficult to make a hard and fast rule. Some people sleep well after a good supper, while others would be certain to be kept awake by indigestion if they retired to rest soon after a meal. Personal peculiarity has to be respected in these matters. Many people find that supper about 10 o'clock and bed about eleven is a convenient rule to follow.
Comment: this paragraph sounds so much like the many diet programs you read about. For example, an eating plan like this one from weightwatchers talks about four (or more) possible meals! The principle nowadays is that we should keep fueling our body at regular intervals (more than three times) to keep our metabolic rate up and to avoid it storing fats in order long periods of fast. One key point mentioned, however, in the paragraph is that of personalisation of diets. One should not take a generically formulated diet plan for granted! Everyone's body is different and therefore should be fed differently. You should really vary the quantities suggested in such plans according to what you 'feel' is right... until technology becomes cheap enough and sophisticated enough for everyone to just scan their finger on a pad or breathe in a tube and get a personalised meal plan tailored to one's physical needs, allergies, illnesses, and weight goals! I believe this is not too far away...
Also, note the British system of meals i.e., dinner = lunch and tea = dinner! It's so confusing!
Comment: The bit that I find really interesting here is the recommendation to talk during meals. I recently read this article on the BBC about how it is beneficial to talk at meal times for children! I therefore wonder if these are really new research results or proofs of previously tested/hypothesised principles of good eating habits.
With regard to the times for meals, the chief points that deserve attention are regularity and the observance of a proper interval between successive meals. Very long intervals are undoubtedly injurious, but the other extreme is harmful and is far more common, especially among women. It is found that an ordinary meal remains in the stomach for about four hours, and is then passed on. This interval should therefore be the minimum one between two successive meals. Three meals are often sufficient, and more than four per day should never be taken. The best times for most people are breakfast at eight o'clock, dinner at one or two o'clock, and tea at five or six o'clock. If supper is taken, tea should be rather a light meal, but if tea is the last meal of the day it should be substantial. With regard to supper, it is difficult to make a hard and fast rule. Some people sleep well after a good supper, while others would be certain to be kept awake by indigestion if they retired to rest soon after a meal. Personal peculiarity has to be respected in these matters. Many people find that supper about 10 o'clock and bed about eleven is a convenient rule to follow.
Comment: this paragraph sounds so much like the many diet programs you read about. For example, an eating plan like this one from weightwatchers talks about four (or more) possible meals! The principle nowadays is that we should keep fueling our body at regular intervals (more than three times) to keep our metabolic rate up and to avoid it storing fats in order long periods of fast. One key point mentioned, however, in the paragraph is that of personalisation of diets. One should not take a generically formulated diet plan for granted! Everyone's body is different and therefore should be fed differently. You should really vary the quantities suggested in such plans according to what you 'feel' is right... until technology becomes cheap enough and sophisticated enough for everyone to just scan their finger on a pad or breathe in a tube and get a personalised meal plan tailored to one's physical needs, allergies, illnesses, and weight goals! I believe this is not too far away...
Also, note the British system of meals i.e., dinner = lunch and tea = dinner! It's so confusing!
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