The Art of Eating.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 208, 6 September 1904, Page 4

The Art of Eating.

Mr. E. Wake Cook contributes to the Comlemporary Review a good article on what is known in America as the " Fletcher System " of diet. The essence of tills system is to eat less, to masticate with extreme tliorouhjness, and even to drink everything, except pure water, slowly. Mr. Fletcher's system proved so success'iul in his own case that he had, without training, beaten professional athletes in feats of endurance, and the American military authorities have tested the system, with Hie result that 23 members of the Hospital Corps maintained their weight on one-third, of their usual quantity of food, and gained greatly in mental and physical vigour. Mr. Fletcher condems breakfast as a superfluity. Ho discovered by accident that the early morning meal is quite superfluous for adults, that the 'body has no real need of food until midday : "Mr Fletcher begins his work about four o'clock on summer mornings and ait daylight in winter, and by noon he has done a goad day's work, and has earned his appetite and his meal. Until he has ' worked himself out' hie has not the slightest desire for food ; then he takes what would he called breakfast, a light one, and later a very light dinner. Somehe only takes one meal a day, and that not a heavy one. But—and here is the secret—he utterly outGladstones Gladstone in the matter of mastication'. He chews each morsel of food until it is thoroughly dissolved and insalivated, and slips down the throat by involuntary swallowing like the syrup from a sucked sweet, and he allows nothing to enter the stomach until it has received this preparation. The consequence is that nearly the whole of it is assimilated ; otie-tkird to anehal'f of the ordinary quantity suffices; he gets tenfold the enjoyment, is immune from disease, and gains a great increase of physical and mental vigour, has no sense of fatigue, but an exhilirating sense of happiness and well-being !" Food should be masticated until it attains the consistency of cream ; and notliing should bo eaten during times of mental excitement or anger. "1 long ago discovered," he says, "that any mental disturbance instantly arrests my digestion, and gives me the only neuralgic twinges I ever have. These investigations- show the necessity of abstaining from food, or greatly lessening its amount, when suffering from anger, worry, or depression."