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Counsels on Diet and Foods
they feel a sense of faintness, as though hungry, will eat a lunch or
fourth meal. By indulging this wrong practice, it has become a habit,
and they feel as though they could not sleep without taking a lunch
before retiring. In many cases, the cause of this faintness is because
the digestive organs have been already too severely taxed through
the day in disposing of unwholesome food forced upon the stomach
too frequently, and in too great quantities. The digestive organs thus
taxed become weary, and need a period of entire rest from labor to
recover their exhausted energies. A second meal should never be eaten
until the stomach has had time to rest from the labor of digesting the
preceding meal. If a third meal be eaten at all, it should be light, and
several hours before going to bed.
But with many, the poor, tired stomach may complain of weariness
in vain. More food is forced upon it, which sets the digestive organs in
motion, again to perform the same round of labor through the sleeping
hours. The sleep of such is generally disturbed with unpleasant dreams,
and in the morning they awake unrefreshed. There is a sense of languor
and loss of appetite. A lack of energy is felt through the entire system.
In a short time the digestive organs are worn out, for they have had no
time to rest. These become miserable dyspeptics, and wonder what has
made them so. The cause has brought the sure result. If this practice
be indulged in a great length of time, the health will become seriously
impaired. The blood becomes impure, the complexion sallow, and
eruptions will frequently appear. You will often hear complaints from
such, of frequent pains and soreness in the region of the stomach,
and while performing labor, the stomach becomes so tired that they
are obliged to desist from work, and rest. They seem to be at loss
to account for this state of things; for, setting this aside, they are
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apparently healthy.—How to Live 1:55-57, 1865.
The Cause and Cure of that All-Gone Feeling
Those who are changing from three meals a day, to two, will at first
be troubled more or less with faintness, especially about the time they
have been in the habit of eating their third meal. But if they persevere
for a short time, this faintness will disappear.
The stomach, when we lie down to rest, should have its work all
done, that it may enjoy rest, as well as other portions of the body.