Too much of a good thing

Title

Language

English

Year

1939

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

1!The evils of eating. TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING POSSIBLY few sayings have influenced humanity as much as the well-known "Eat, drink and be merry.'' None has done more to produce illness and reduce efficii;ncy. Overeating puts a great strain on the organs of digestion and elimination. If we pause to think a moment we will easily realize that the process of digestion makes great demands upon the heart. The digestive juices can be produced only when the glands that manufacture them receive an ample supply of blood from the heart. Thus the more there is to digest. the more gastric juices are needed and the more the heart has to work. If we consider the function of elimination we arrive at the conclusion that the more we eat the more residue remains. Which of the organs must bear the greatest burden? The kidneys, of course. For perfect functioning the kidneys require a good blood supply. This supply can come only from the heart. It is not at all strange to find that heart afflictions and kidney troubles frequently head the list of diseases that cfecimate the ranks of humanity. Overeating will inevitably produce APRIL, 1939 useless, fatty tissue that will impose an even greater burden upon the heart. It is amazing what a small quantity of food is necessary to keep the body healthy. It is not sufficient to be guided by the appetite since very frequently it has been made unreliable by previous excesses. Often we are concerned with the quality of the food we eat, its vitamin and mineral content, but how many stop to think of the quantity? It is wrong to think that the more we eat the healthier we will be. Excesses are always dangerous. Let us imagine a healthy stomach rebelling against too much work. Let us consider the kidneys frantically attempting to free the system of too much residue. Let us think of the heart deprived of its valuable reserves. It is dinner time and Mr. X is not hungry, but the clock has struck seven and he must eat. Wearily he sets about his task without considering that his three best friends, his heart, kidneys and stomach, have only recently finished disposing of a heavy lunch. These three organs decide to rebel and go on strike. Mr. X heedlessly pro23 ceeds with his dinner but the results of the strike become obvious. His stomach flatly refuses to accept any more work. Naturally, this catastrophe has not come without warning. The heart had already given notice that it planned rebellion by producing an unpleasant heavy feeling in the midsection after every hearty meal, accompanied by palpitations and sharp pains in the chest. Finally, it was not necessary to consume a heavy repast to produce these danger signals. Heart, stomach and kidneys now balked at even a small meal. Let us not forget our fat friends who loudly protest, "I scarcely eat a thing." Truly they eat very little at table, but they forget the snack that ''keeps me from getting too hungry" from one meal to the next. Why resist the temptation to nibble a piece of cake, @hinese and (]jankees or refuse ice cream on a warm day? Of what importance is a piece of chocolate? Or a glass of milk to make one sleep? After such practices is it any wonder that the appetite grows weary and fails to make known any iegitimate desire for proper nourishment? Concentrated foods such as sweets, pastries and spices are diges~ed with difficulty, even in small quantities. The process of digestion takes from four to five hours. Therefore, while the other organs of the body are resting for their next day's work, the heart and stomach are busy working overtime. It should be borne in mind that frequently heart trouble is the result of an impractical diet. Therefore the best advice is: Be moderate in your eating habits. -Dr. Alfredo R. Martinez, condensed from Viva Cien Anos, Bu.•nos Aires. WHEN IN AMERICA, Dr. Wu Tingfang, the Grand Old Man of the Chinese diplomatic service, was questioned l!lweetly by an American. 24 "What 'nese' are you-Japanese, Javanese or Chinese?" After replying that he was Chinese,. he asked in turn, "And what 'kee' are you-monkey, donkey or Yankee?" -Shanghai Post-Mercury. PANOP.AMA

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