There are numerous changes food must undergo before it can be absorbed by the cells and utilized for growth, heat, and power.

Penetrability is the underlying principle which makes possible the change from plant life to man life.

If it were not for the difference in density which causes Penetrability there could be no change in matter at all.

The first factor in the change from plant life to man life is Suction.

Without Suction there would be no way to draw food into man and no means to distribute it to the different parts of the system.

The heart of man is the center of Suction, but there are numerous subordinate Suction stations scattered throughout the system which work in connection with the heart. The mouth is one of them.

The mouth is the first Suction point that food reaches as it is drawn toward the center of Suction of the body and thence distributed throughout the system as needed.

As soon as food enters the mouth Suction begins to draw the life out of it and rearrange the substances for absorption.

In order that solid food can be made penetrable, nature furnished three pairs of salivary glands which secrete saliva that moistens the food and changes it into a liquid form.

One pair of these glands is located beneath the tongue, another pair under the jaw and the third pair just below and slightly in front of the ears.

These glands are connected with the mouth by ducts which allow the saliva to be drawn into the mouth by Suction.

Although Suction constantly draws saliva through these ducts for the purpose of keeping the mouth always moist, the flow of saliva is increased largely by increased Suction caused by extraneous matter being drawn into the mouth.

All food is more or less absorbent and capable of drawing into itself extraneous substances of liquid or gaseous forms. But the Suction of the mouth accelerates the movement of food by drawing saliva back and forth through it until the elements of solidity are disunited and take their place in the liquid combination that follows.

The teeth are a big factor in the disuniting of solid food as they tear apart and mash up the solid matter as it enters the mouth so that all particles of it can be thoroughly mixed with saliva.

As gastric juice acts only upon the outside of each piece of food after it enters the stomach it is very important that food should be thoroughly masticated while in the mouth and so saturated with saliva that it may enter the stomach in a watery state.

Food sent to the stomach in a partly chewed condition forces the digestive organs to work inefficiently and causes dyspepsia and other stomach and intestinal troubles.

To obtain the best nutritive results, foods should be taken into the mouth in a hard, dry state. This will give the teeth needed exercise to keep them in good condition and also allow the food to absorb a generous supply of saliva.

The longer the food is kept in the mouth and the more it is chewed the better it is arranged for absorption.

The more work man puts into the chewing of his food the less work he will have to put into his daily life to make a success of it.

If food is swallowed quickly two parts of the human machine are thrown into disuse; the teeth, which need the exercise and the salivary glands which furnish the saliva that should be mixed with the food. These are drags upon Equaeverpoise that start to break down the system.

Habits that are formed, such as chewing gum, or tobacco, stimulate a flow of saliva that is wasted instead of being mixed with food for digestive purposes, and is, therefore, a useless and harmful practice.

Swallowing quantities of saliva that are not mixed with food has a bad effect upon the digestive organs.

To hasten food into the stomach with the aid of drink before it is thoroughly chewed and mixed with plenty of saliva is a very injurious habit to acquire.

The only method of digestion that will develop man properly is to make all organs do their own work without any aid whatever.

Taking work away from one organ puts excessive work and a strain upon some other organ. This causes injurious complications to arise throughout the entire system.

Drinking with meals should not be indulged in at all. The secretive organs must be given a chance to do their work thoroughly.

Milk is a food and it should be taken into the mouth and mixed with saliva slowly and separately to give good results.

So-called artificial aids to digestion are not aids at all, but are drawbacks to natural digestion.

The so-called predigested foods are a positive danger to the human system, because if those elements that make the digestive organs work are eliminated from foods the digestive organs will soon lose their power of action and become useless altogether.

With the weakening of the digestive organs nutrition decreases, the cells of the system are underfed, and it is only a question of time when absorption will cease entirely, and vitality will pass beyond recall.

Action will keep all of the Suction points in good working order. The mouth, teeth, and salivary glands are functions that need action.

With the proper quality and quantity of food placed in the mouth and the maximum action given to the teeth at least one-half of the way has been gone towards perfect physical life.

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