The Great Sin of Overeating (2)
The gastric and various other juices, so necessary in the stomach’s perfect work of digestion, are not supplied in sufficient quantities, nor of proper strength, when overeating is habitually indulged in. This naturally causes serious complications, for which every remedy known to medical science has been prescribed without avail, unless the causes of the condition were discovered, and removed.
Thus, you can readily perceive that these two results of overeating–the weakening of all the belt of muscles about the stomach and other vital organs that carry on involuntarily the very necessary work in connection with the digestive process, and the lessening in quantity and quality of the digestive juices–would seriously interfere with general nutrition. Not only is the quantity that could be secreted by the various glands of absorption lessened, but the quality of the secretion is poor. Every part of the nourishment absorbed under such circumstances is filled with impurities and foreign matter that the natural depurating organs have difficulty in eliminating, and the result is these impurities finally permeate every part of the entire body.
The presence of these impurities is manifested in various forms. Medical science has thousands of names for diseases that are nothing more than efforts on the part of the functional system to discharge superfluous and harmful impurities that have been brought into the body. Eruptions, boils and all skin diseases are the results of nothing but impurities being discharged through the skin. Rheumatism, pneumonia, fevers, headaches, neuralgia, etc., are nothing but impurities overburdening some particular part of the body, and the crying out of muscles and nerves against their existence; and in nearly every case whatever the so-called disease, or its nature, these im- purities are present in the system primarily because food was taken into the stomach in excess of the body’s needs, and beyond the powers of the digestive organs.
“It is generally supposed that if a man has an unusually large day’s work to perform, he must eat an unusually large breakfast and a proportionately large dinner. This is certainly an error. Large demands upon either the muscular or the nervous system for the time being detract from the power to digest. The stomach requires nervous energy to enable it to perform its function. If the nervous forces are otherwise engaged or used, they cannot be utilized in digestion. Hence it follows, theoretically, at least, that instead of giving the digestive organs an extra task in preparation for an extra effort, they should be required to perform less than the ordinary amount of labor. Experience as well as theory supports this view. Sir Isaac Newton, when employed in his most arduous labors, lived upon bread and water, and fasted for long intervals. General Elliot, the famous defender of Gibraltar, is said to have subsisted for a number of days on a little boiled rice. The wonderful L’homme Serpent of Paris, always fasted for twelve hours before attempting” to perform his marvelous feats of agility. This plan not only se- cures a higher degree of efficiency in the effort made, but prevents, in great degree, the in- jury liable to result from excessive exertion. When required to overwork for a succession of days, we have found that we were not only able to perform much more work, but to do it with less effort at the time, and less exhaustion afterward, when taking a greatly reduced quantity of food than when attempting to do the same work and still taking the usual quantity of food. I have no doubt that a neglect of this precaution is a not frequent cause of many of the sudden deaths of which we so often receive accounts, especially among politicians and public men. Overloading the stomach and overworking the brain at the same time is exceedingly dangerous. The man who over-works mentally must be temperate; he must exercise the greatest moderation in his eating, and must totally discard all stimulants and narcotics. A great share of the cases of apoplexy occur when the stomach is full. The increased clearness of intellect which results from abstemiousness will repay one for all the self-denial practiced.” — J. H. Kellogg, M.D.
