Importance of Water
Water, although not a food in the sense of yielding fuel value to the body, is a most important agent in all the various chemical processes taking place in the tissues.
Water is the universal solvent; and because of this property, it carries both food and waste to and from the tissues. The average person needs from three to five quarts a day, a part of which is taken as a portion of the food eaten. This leaves from three to five pints to be taken as a drink. Good drinking water should be colorless, odorless, and of an agreeable taste; should be free from organic matter, poisonous metals, and the bacteria of disease; and should be low in nonpoisonous mineral salts—that is, should be reasonably soft.
There are three common classes of water that are used for drinking purposes; namely, rain water, surface water, and ground water. Rain water is the purest if properly collected. Surface water—water from lakes, streams, etc.—is most likely to be contaminated with organic matter and bacteria. Ground water—that is, water from springs and wells—is likely to be the hardest, but is usually free from bacteria of disease unless there is some contamination from the surface. To take a fairly good quantity of water between meals is better than to drink too freely at the meal hour.
Great care should be taken in selecting the supply of drinking water, as when contaminated, it is a very fruitful means for the transmission of diseases, particularly such diseases as typhoid fever. If not certain of the purity of a water supply, one can be sure to destroy all the disease-producing bacteria by boiling the water for a few minutes, then cooling, and drinking as usual.
Simple Dietetic Principles
1. Food should be pleasant to the sight and the taste.
2. Eat slowly. Masticate thoroughly.
3. Do not wash down your food with water or any kind of beverage.
4. Cheerfulness is an important aid to digestion. The mind should be free from care, and the surroundings pleasant.
5. Avoid overeating.
6. There should be between five and six hours' interval between meals, and no food should be taken during this interval.
7. Make your list of foods balance up with about ten per cent protein, twenty-five to thirty per cent fat, and sixty to sixty-five per cent carbohydrate.
8. Eat few kinds of food at a meal, but vary the menu from day to day.
9. Food should be properly cooked to get the best results.
10. Do not eat late at night. The evening meal should be the lightest.
11. Eat green vegetables frequently in season.
12. Fresh fruits are very helpful in the diet.
13. Combine fruits, grains, and nuts.
14. Fruits and coarse vegetables are not a good combination.
15. It is better not to take large quantities of cane sugar and milk together.
16. Do not eat rich and complicated mixtures of food.
17. Flesh meats are expensive, they make the protein high, and are second-hand foods. Their place may easily be supplied by other foods.
18. Avoid excessive amounts of salt.
19. Do not use pepper or other irritating condiments and spices in seasoning your food.
20. Tea and coffee are not foods, and should be entirely dispensed with.
21. Alcohol is a poison, and should be entirely eliminated from the menu.