Dieting for Health

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Feb 27, 1879

Dieting for Health.

DIETING for health, says Hall's Journal, has sent many a one to the grave, and will send many more because it is done injudiciously or ignorantly. One man omits his dinner by a herculean effort, and thinking he has accomplished wonders, expects wonderful results, but by the time supper is ready he feels hungry as a dog, and eats like one, fast, furious and long. Next day he is worse, and "don't believe in dieting" for the remainder of his life.

Others set out to starve themselves into health, until the system is reduced so low that it has no power of resuscitation, and the man dies.

To diet wisely, does not imply a total abstinence from all food, but the taking of just enough, or of a quality adapted to the nature of the case. Loose bowels weaken very rapidly, total abstinence from all food increases the debility. In this case food should be taken, which, while it tends to arrest the disease, imparts nutriment and strength to the system. By resting on a bed, and eating boiled rice, after it has been parched like coffee, will cure three cases out of four of common diarrhoea in a day or two.