Many people at the ages of sixty and seventy still lead an active life, while others retire from activity at forty-five or fifty. Therefore, the food should conform to the person's mental and physical requirements. If the teeth are poor and the digestive powers weak, the food should be light, consisting mainly of well cooked cereals, baked potatoes, rice, cooked greens, a small amount of meat, raw fruits and raw greens in combination with fatty foods, as salads, milk and buttermilk, toasted breads and soups.
The total fuel requirement depends upon whether the individual leads a quiet or active existence. For a person who lives mainly indoors, and makes little use of the muscles of the arms, shoulders and trunk, 1000 to 1200 calories is sufficient for twenty-four hours. If more food is eaten than the body requires, the excess will manifest itself by the development of chronic ailments and obesity, or feeble-mindedness.
The morning and evening meals should consist of fluid and semi-fluid foods, or of toasted breads and salads. Meats, eggs (except the yolks), cheese, beans, peas and nuts should be eaten only during the middle of the day in small quantities. One can cut down his amount of food greatly by thoroughly chewing each morsel. The demand for protein at this period is small, while the amount of fat should be increased.
WHAT SHALL WE DRINK WITH OUR MEALS?
This question is often asked. It depends entirely on the quality and combination of food which is eaten.
A diet consisting of a variety of solids and vegetables with excessive fluids gives the stomach nothing to do; the contents pass at once into the intestines. Such mixtures are ingested instead of being digested; they cannot be fully utilized because stimulation upon the drainage of the body is lacking.
If dry foods are eaten, such as sandwiches, rice, macaroni, potatoes or dry cereals, without the addition of fruits, vegetables or soups, a small amount of liquid should be taken. Such simple foods do not form a perfect meal, therefore milk or broths are preferable to water. Water is best taken from five to fifteen minutes before the meal or from one to two hours after meals.
Note: These pages are not a perfected plan of right eating to be slavishly followed. Each man is a law unto himself, and with a little self-study and practical application this book may be worth its weight in gold to the true student of natural laws.