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1. OPpresse not your sto∣mack with immo∣derate or unseason∣able eating or drink∣ing. If you be in Health, do not eat or drink unlesse you have an appetite to it, and bee sure that you have an empty sto∣mack before you eat, and to eat to fulness and overcharging of the sto∣mack is not good. It is better to rise from Table with an appetite to eat more, then to sit down to Ta∣ble without an appetite.
2. Judg those meats most agree∣able
to your body, which you desire most, and digest best, without any trouble to you; but eschue those meats as hurtful to you, which you have eaten upon an empty stomack being in health, if after the eating of them, they cause soure and ill savo∣ring belchings, with heaviness in your stomack.
3. Observe this order in eating, if you have several dishes before you, first eat that which is of easiest dige∣stion, and then eat that which is of harder digestion.
4. If any do ch••nge their course of Dyet which they have used for a long time, as they who by high feed∣ing and continual fulness, come to have a very fat and gross body, they resolve to use a more sparing Diet; or they who have been accustomed to a very sparing and low Diet, if on a sudden they come to have ful∣nesse and variety of Dyet; or they who have much used any thing, as
Tobacco, &c, which they resolve to forbear, let them observe these following
Cautions: 1. Not to do it suddenly, but by little and little; for all sudden changes are hurtful to nature.
2. That they do it not, but in time of perfect health, because they are then best able to undergo such change.
3 That they do it not when they are much disturbed with businesse or otherwise; because when the mind is much disturbed, Nature is easily drawn to irregulate working to cause Diseases, and especially by a sudden change from that which hath been accustomed.
4. If a man hath accustomed himselfe to any thing the most part of h••s life time, howbeit this custome is bad, yet he cannot safely begin a change in his old age.
5. Fasting from meat and drink in some cases is good, as in the increa∣sing of acute Diseases, or if there be much crudity in the stomack; but
fasting unadvisedly used is hurtful; as to those who have melancholick or cholerick dry bodies, much fasting is very injurious; but to those who are phlegmatick, plethorick, fat, full of moist humours, temperance in their Diet, with often and seasonable fasting is very good. Likewise those who drink so much as to be distem∣pered thereby, if they eat before that drink be well digested, they undoub∣tedly wrong their bodies: and how∣beit they are not then sensible of it, having a strong Constitution; yet certainly this will be a foundation of the decaying of nature. Extraordina∣ry drinking doth very much dimi∣nish the strength of Nature; and much more, if you add eating to ex∣cessive drinking. Experience maketh it appear to us daily in many, that excessive drinking or eating doth op∣presse Nature, and causeth the decay of Nature even in the strongest con∣stitutions. This is certain, that ex∣cessive
fulnesse, or too great want of what we should have, or any thing else which is not according to the course of Nature, is hurtful.
6. Some use only one meal in a day, which is not to be commend∣ed, unlesse their digestive faculty be very weak and slow in its operation. Some use two meals in a day, others take three meals in a day, the which custome, as it is most generally recei∣ved, so indeed it is most to be appro∣ved of, if it be done with Discreti∣on; viz. if you take such things as are most agreeable to you, and so much at a meal as may be easily di∣gested before the next meal. It is a good rule of Diet, to eat often and little at a time, not to let the stomack be long empty, nor to eat again be∣fore it be empty; for to eat or drink (when we have meat in our stomack half digested, or almost digested) before the digestion be finished, it doth much disturb the digestive fa∣culty,
pervert its operation, and so is the cause of many Diseases: but to keep the stomack alwayes in work∣ing, and to give it that whereupon it can work most easily, and to give it so much work as it can quickly per∣forme: this doth encourage Nature to follow its work, it strengthneth the digestive faculty, and preserveth it in its strength. By this rule, every one may order their own Diet well, if they rightly consider their strength and constitution, and condition of life. As those who stir much may feed oftner then they who use a fit∣ting life; and those who have hot, cholerick, slender bodies, may feed oftner then those who have gross, fat or phlegmatick bodies. For they who have gross and ful bodies ought to use a sparing Diet, & to use such meats and drinks which are of little nou∣rishment and of a drying faculty. But if you would know what time of the day you may feed most largely. I
answer, In the forenoon or in the morning, if you purpose to sup at night, that it may be well digested before supper time; for they who dine largely at noon, it is not pro∣bable that their dinner can be wel di∣gested before Supper time, unlesse they be of a cholerick, hot constituti∣on, for such have a quick digestion, and cannot eat much at a time. Now whereas many p••t the question, whe∣ther it is better to sup largely or dine largely? or if it be better to dine largely, and not to sup at all, where∣as the common custome is to dine largely, and to use a light supper. I answer, If your stomack be not emp∣ty, if that which you have eaten be∣fore be not well digested, it is better not to sup at all, for the reasons alrea∣dy mentioned: but if your stomack be empty, and you have a good ap∣petite to your supper, you may sup as largely as you may dine, so as you refrain from going to bed three or four hours ••fter.
7. To eat of one sort of meat only at a meal, is best; but if you eat of several dishes, let them be such, as are neer of a Nature: for to eat of se∣veral dishes of disagreeing Natures, as to eat fish and flesh at the same meal, &c. it overthroweth the dige∣stive faculty, filleth the body with discordant humours, and produceth strange bad Effects.
8. To drink too sparingly at meals doth very much hinder concoction, to drink great draughts and seldom, doth weaken the stomack, which then is in concoction, and driveth down the meat too hastily, and cor∣rupteth the whole body with over∣much moisture and crudity; where∣fore it is best to drink often at meals and little at a time, and to swallow it down, not hastily, but leisurely; for the drink being mixt with the meats, by divers little draughts leisurely ta∣ken, tempereth them wel both for concoction and distribution. Ordi∣nary
Beere is best at meals, and at the ending of your meal take some strong drink, viz. Wine or strong Beere to help concoction. Drink not betwixt meales, if you can possibly forbeare it, unlesse great thirst and drought of the stomack require it, and then only a little is to be taken.
As for that custome commonly used, to drink fasting in the mor∣ning, it is not good for any but those who have a hot and dry consti∣tution, or subject to obstructi∣ons, to allay the drought of the stomack, and to cleanse away slimy or obstructive humours, whieh are in the Stomack, Liver, Veines or Reines.
9. It is a common custom and commendable, to set first on the Table bread and salt, and to take them last away, thereby shewing the necessary use of them at meals; and indeed they are to be reproved
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who use not (as some do) bread or salt at their meals. For Salt helpeth concoction much, and pre∣venteth the crudities of the sto∣mack, and therefore it is good to eat much salt with fresh meats, or to have your meats powdered.
As for Bread, we may very well give it the first place at meales, for it yeildeth a nourishment very familiar to our Natures. Let your bread be of the flower of the best Wheat, let it be fitly leavened: for so it is more easily digested, and yeildeth better nourishment; but if it be too much leavened, it is of heavy digestion, and of no commendable nourishment. Let it be temperately seasoned with salt, let it be light, well wrought, well baked, and eat it not over new, nor too stale. When you eat flesh, eat twice so much bread as flesh. When you eat fish, eat thrice so much bread as fish, especially if
the fish be of the moister sort, that the superfluous moistnre of it may be tempered by the driness of the bread; for they who eat little bread with their meats, common∣ly are troubled with windy cru∣dities, watrish and impure sto∣macks.
10. That you may know what kind of meats is best for you, take this general rule, use such meats as are most agreeable to the constitu∣tion of your body, to your age, and season of the year. Those who are of a hot cholerick constitution, should use meats of a moistning cool∣ing nature. Those who are of a cold, dry, melancholick constitution, should use meats and drinks of a moistning and heating faculty. Those of a phlegmatick constituti∣on, should use meats and drinks of a heating and drying faculty. Those of a sanguine complection, should
use a Diet of a temperate nature. And to those who have strong sto∣macks, meats of strong nourish∣ment, and of slow concoction are most agreeable: but to them who have weak stomacks, as old or sick∣ly people, &c. meats of lighter sub∣stance and of easier concoction are best.
In respect of the season also, you must alter your Diet; in the Spring and Summer use a more sparing Diet then in Harvest or Winter. In the Summer use meats and drinks of a cooling and moistning faculty, in the Winter let them be heating and drying; in the Spring let them be of a temperate nature, and not too nourishing; in the Harvest, let them be moistning, and moderate∣ly heating.
I cannot here shew you parti∣cularly what things are cooling, or moistning, or heating, &c. because
I must be short being in a Preface, and I refer you to those who have treated largely of these things; viZ. Muffets Improvement of Health.