Athletics and Football (extract)

TRAINING 169 them, they forma pleasing change, awnhde,re heaalthy man has aanppetite for any food, oncean pretty safsealy thaht e is able to digest it. Fish lisght andutritious, and may judici­ ously be taken at any meal in the day. Soup is, oubtless, not so strengthening as meat, nd not sgoood for the windbut;if a man is fondof soup, he is much better withthan hweould be invainly attempting to relish the muttoonf which he isick. In facta,s longas thefood pislain ansdimple, naenidther too much of it istaken nor too littlet,he athleties notlikely to go far wrong. Eggs, when not hard-boiled, are both light and wholesome, but to takethem upon the topof a heavy meal of other things usisually maistake, and lea s thoe usual result of over-feeding—biliousness. The morisgtid othfe trainerosf the presendtay give chops or steaks aengdgs for breakfast beef; or mutton again, with watercress, &c., anvdegetables for lunch an;d beef or mutton again in the evening, together with stewed fruit or rhubarb, and blancmange or rice-pudding. This is a good sample of diet, we haveno doub;t butvariety is pleasing, and as soonas any foodh,owever healthy, begins to pall, it shouldbe changed for somethingwhich, althoulgehss digestible, will please, and therefore reinvigorate the train e. As regardesatables, ordinary common sense can tell aman that heavy pastry, ' ostrodgy' sweet puddings, or highly spiced dishes, anroet healthy foaond, that the lestshat is takenof them the better for the athlete ; but, at the same time, one requisite for a healthydiet is that a man shoulidke it.Por­ ridge makaens admirabledish for breakfast, but not to aman who doesn't like it. Pepper and mustard may possibly be deleterious (as we have heardto) thecoats tohfe stomach, and tea without sugar may possibly be healthier than tea with sugar ; but if a mandislikes bheiesf without mustard, or his teawith­ out sugarh,e had much better use these condiments than go without them, anhed willdo weltlo have kidneys baancdon (which after alrle not poisonous) for breakfast, rather than to force down his throat tahdemirable porridge wheich may not