RULES FOR DYSPEPTICS
Dyspepsia, or indigestion, is coming to be so general as to demand serious attention. The following rules will be found valuable to those suffering with this complaint:—
1. Eat slowly, chewing the food very thoroughly, even more so, if possible, than is required in health. The more time the food spends in the mouth, the less it will need to spend in the stomach.
2. Avoid drinking at meals; at most, take a few sips of warm drink at the close of the meal, if the food is very dry.
3. In general, dyspeptic stomachs manage dry food better than that containing much fluid.
4. Eat neither very hot nor very cold food. The best temperature is about that of the body. Avoid exposure to cold after eating.
5. Be careful to avoid excess in eating. Eat no more than the wants of the system require. Sometimes less than is really needed must be taken when the digestion is very weak. Strength depends not on what is eaten, but on what is digested.
6. Never take violent exercise, either mental or physical, just before or just after a meal. Do not go to sleep immediately after eating.
7. Do not eat more than three times a day, and make the last meal very light. For many dyspeptics two meals are better than more.
8. Avoid eating two meals too close together, as this is one of the most prolific causes of indigestion.
9. Observe regularity in eating; do not eat between meals.
10. Never eat when very tired, whether exhausted from mental or physical labor. Rest first.
11. Never eat when the mind is worried, or the temper is ruffled, if possible to avoid doing so.
12. Eat only food that is easy of digestion, avoiding complicated and indigestible dishes, and taking from but one to three kinds at a meal.
13. Omit a meal occasionally, or fast a day. This will give the stomach time to rest and recuperate, and will be found beneficial.
14. If the stomach or bowels feel weak or tender, apply hot fomentations over them.
15. Most persons will be benefited by the use of oatmeal, Graham flour, cracked wheat, whole wheat flour, and other whole-grain preparations, though many will find it necessary to avoid vegetables, especially when fruits are taken.