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One of the most prevalent forms of waste is over-eating—almost all
of us, whether rich or poor, eat too much under the erroneous idea that
man can feed up his strength.
Now what does over-feeding do? It leads to excessive bacterial
decomposition in the bowel, absorption of toxins, metabolic disturbances,
and lessening of health, vigour, and happiness. The amount of food
required is determined by the energy output of the body, and to put in
more is as useless as pouring petrol into the already filled tanks of a car.
There would not be an underfed child in the land if the overfeeders
yielded up their excess, and the increased number of good-tempered and
happy, healthy people would be astonishing. Many of the children of
the rich are nowadays really starved by over-indulgence. Four meals
a day and sweets and food between meals set up in them a chronic
derangement of the digestive organs which leads to malnutrition. It is
as easy to starve the body by ill-feeding as by deficient feeding ; the
chronically unclean tongue and disturbed nutrition are the precursors of
the decay of teeth. If the immunizing mechanism of the mouth is to
be efficient the stomach must be in perfect order, and long fasting
periods must intervene between meals. Three meals a day is the right
rule, and every man should rise from table not satiated but wishing to
eat more. His appetite should be as keen and the tongue as clean as
that of a well-kept dog.
If we have to consider the ways and means of cheapening food our
first thought should therefore be " let us eat more wisely."
Home-made Bread.
Although the making of bread at home is capable of effecting a
great economy, the art has been for a long time on the decline in this
country. Home-made bread is more nourishing and palatable, and will
keep fresh much longer than the bread that is purchased from the baker.
These advantages, combined with the saving of the bakers' profits,
make the present an opportune time for the revival of bread-making
at home.
Already wheaten bread is too dear as a staple article of food,
especially amongst the poor, who consume large quantities of it. It
may, therefore, interest some to study the following recipes extracted
from one of our health pamphlets for making bread at home :—
Wheat Bread.
Ingredients—1 peck of flour, 2 ozs. of compressed or distillery yeast,
l½ozs. of salt, 3 quarts of water.