THE PILLARS OF HEALTH by William S. Sadler, M.D.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Feb 27, 1907

THE PILLARS OF HEALTH

By William S. Sadler, M.D.

By WILLIAM S. SADLER, M. D.

II. MODERATION IN EATING.

THERE can be little question that the great majority eat too much. That is, they take into their bodies each day, even tho it be good food, an amount in excess of that which is required to repair the body losses and recuperate the daily expenditure of strength.

Many eat until they are halted by a sense of gastric fulness, or other physical discomfort. Under ordinary circumstances this is an indication that the stomach has been overloaded.

Especially is there a tendency to eat too much proteid, or nitrogenous food, such as meat, beans, cheese, etc. Recent investigations and discoveries in the realm of dietetics have shown that man needs only about one-half the amount of proteid substance that he was formerly thought to require.

Personally, we do not believe in hard and fast rules for diet. Some people need more food than others, owing to the nature of their work, exposure, digestion, etc. But it is a fact that the great majority eat too much food. More than this, those who eat a normal weight of food, as a rule eat too much proteid, and this accounts for so much sick headache, indigestion, constipation, billiousness, etc., among people who are temperate livers, and who are, generally speaking, careful in their diet.

Each individual should find out for himself the amount of food required to enable him to do his daily work, to feel well, and at the same time, not to lose in weight. This would be an ideal diet for any one; and no one is as competent to find that out for you as yourself. In all dietetic experiments in which you are endeavoring to cut down the amount of your food, it is important that you should be weighed regularly so as not to lose in weight, unless in some cases the patient is obese.

Especially will those who are troubled with sick headache, billiousness, languid feelings, tired out in the morning on waking, and various other symptoms of indigestion, be benefited by reducing the amount of proteids in their food down to normal. As said before, we can not undertake in an article of this kind to give general rules, but simply call attention to the universal error of eating too much nitrogenous food; and then, with the precautions which we have mentioned about watching for loss in weight, it ought to be easy for persons of average intelligence to examine into their own dietetics without inflicting harm upon themselves.

In this connection we would emphasize that it is the duty of every intelligent man and woman to become familiar with food tables, so that they know the heat and strength-producing qualities of the different foods, as well as the various elements that compose the ordinary foods which they eat.

To be practical, take your potatoes, your bread and butter, your beans, or whatever food you eat, and find out their constituent elements, and how many heat units they contain.

In our next article we will give further instruction on food values, also tables of common foods, showing the number of heat units they contain, etc.

[Dr. Sadler will answer all proper questions thru the SIGNS. Those writing him should inclose stamp. Editor.]