indigestible for some persons, who, of course, should not eat them.

From what we have learned about foods in general and their relation
to pregnancy it is clear that the question so often asked by
prospective mothers, "Are there any special directions regarding my
diet?" may be briefly answered as follows: Under no circumstances is
the need of food increased in the first half of pregnancy. During the
last two or three months, while the most notable growth of the fetus
is in progress, there is a perceptible increase in the amount of
energy expended by the mother, and this may be readily supplied by a
glass of milk or some equally simple nourishment between meals.
Furthermore, throughout pregnancy, most women are made most
comfortable by frequent small meals; they will almost certainly
suffer discomfort if heavy meals are eaten three times a day.

The most nearly ideal diet consists of very little meat and a
comparatively rich allowance of vegetables and fruit. The food should
be chosen with regard to individual appetite and should be varied
frequently. Thorough mastication always increases the efficiency of a
diet. Thus the food will be most perfectly mixed with saliva and
broken into fragments which can be readily attacked by the digestive
juices of the stomach and the intestines.

CRAVINGS.--There is a well-known tradition that women who are
pregnant are subject to longings for one article of diet or another,
and that unless the desire be promptly gratified the child will be
"marked." In the light of what has already been said regarding
maternal impressions, this evidently is nonsense. A prospective
mother, like anyone else, does frequently desire one article of food
more than another. So long as the object of her wish is not obviously