Medicine: Soul for Dinner

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Candlelight, flowers and wine at mealtime are good for the stomach as well as the soul. Aside from their esthetic value, they lead to proper eating habits and good digestion, reported Chicago Physiologist Frederic Theodore Jung in Today's Health.

Mealtimes should be pleasant and should not be "misused for the reporting of symptoms, the airing of grievances or the transaction of disagreeable business," wrote Dr. Jung. "Physiologists have [measured] the increase in the rate of secretion of saliva when food is being enjoyed, and have been able to show that the secretion of digestive juices in the stomach is affected in the same way. It pays to have an atmosphere of security and quiet at mealtime. Contentment favors normal digestion . . . Sometimes, it is better to eat alone in peace than to sit where one must listen to the complaints of dyspeptics about their food."