Finally, slow eating is a great aid in the proper choice of foods. Some suggestions have already been given as to the wise choice of foods, but no rules can be formulated which will completely insure such a choice. Even the wisest physiologist can not depend altogether on his knowledge of food values, while, to the layman, the problem is so complicated that his main reliance must be on his own instincts. Animals depend exclusively on instinct except when under domestication. Civilized man should not and can not altogether depend upon instinct, but his food instincts are far more keen and correct if he obeys the rule of eating slowly than if he bolts his food. [Sidenote: "Good" and "Bad" Foods] In the choice of foods it is as difficult to distinguish absolutely between what are "good" and "bad" foods as it is to classify human beings into "good" and "bad." All we can say is that some foods are better than others, remembering that it is usually more important to be _satisfied_, even if the foods are not "ideal," than to be unsatisfied with what in the abstract seem "ideal" foods. Among the best foods for most people are fruits, potatoes, nuts (if well masticated), milk, sour milk, and vegetables. Among the worst foods are putrefactive cheeses, sweetbreads, liver, kidneys, "high" game or poultry. But a fastidious study of foods will find some faults as well as some virtues in almost any food. The best way to help the ordinary man choose his foods is to advise him to use as much as possible of the "better" and as little as possible of the "worse" without attempting to draw a hard and fast line between the "good" and "bad." [Sidenote: Salt, Pepper, Spices] Salt, pepper, and hot condiments should be used very sparingly, if at all. [Sidenote: Sugar and Candy] A great cause of ill health is overuse of sugar in concentrated form, candy, etc., especially by the sedentary. One reason why sugar has a high food value is that it is readily utilized for combustion, and if taken between meals greatly increases the calories and may lead to _overnourishment_. [Sidenote: Water with Meals] There is, for normal people, no objection to drinking a moderate amount of water at meals--say one or two glassfuls--provided it is not taken when food is in the mouth and used for washing it down. [Sidenote: The Digestibility of So-called "Indigestible" Foods]