Overeating
105
The surplus food burdens the system, and produces morbid, fever-
ish conditions. It calls an undue amount of blood to the stomach,
causing the limbs and extremities to chill quickly. It lays a heavy tax
on the digestive organs, and when these organs have accomplished
their task, there is a feeling of faintness or languor. Some who are
continually overeating call this all-gone feeling hunger; but it is caused
by the overworked condition of the digestive organs. At times there is
numbness of the brain, with disinclination to mental or physical effort.
These unpleasant symptoms are felt because nature has accom-
plished her work at an unnecessary outlay of vital force, and is thor-
oughly exhausted. The stomach is saying, “Give me rest.” But with
many the faintness is interpreted as a demand for more food; so in-
stead of giving the stomach rest, another burden it placed upon it. As a
consequence the digestive organs are often worn out when they should
be capable of doing good work.—
The Ministry of Healing, 306, 307,
1905
[
Organs May Lose Vital Force Though No Pain Is Felt—155
]
[
God’s Workers to Practice Temperance in Eating—117
]
[
E. G. White could not ask God’s blessing on her work if she
overate—Appendix 1:7
]
[135]
The Cause of Physical and Mental Debility
219. As a people, with all our profession of health reform, we
eat too much. Indulgence of appetite is the greatest cause of physical
and mental debility, and lies at the foundation of a large share of the
feebleness which is apparent everywhere.—
Christian Temperance and
Bible Hygiene, 154, 1890
220. Many who have adopted the health reform have left off
everything hurtful; but does it follow that because they have left off
these things, they can eat just as much as they please? They sit down
to the table, and instead of considering how much they should eat,
they give themselves up to appetite and eat to great excess. And the
stomach has all it can do, or all it should do, the rest of that day, to
worry away with the burden imposed upon it. All the food that is
put into the stomach, from which the system cannot derive benefit, is
a burden to nature in her work. It hinders the living machine. The
system is clogged, and cannot successfully carry on its work. The vital