ix HYGIENE OF DIGESTION AND ABSORPTION in 



Poor digestion frequently comes from nervousness, 

 when the stomach is not diseased at all, because nerve 

 strain, from whatever source, shows itself first of all in 

 disturbing the appetite and the nutrition. A decayed 

 tooth, defective eyes and ears, and even an irritating 

 corn on a toe may be the remote cause of indigestion. 

 If the true cause of the trouble could be removed, it 

 would not be necessary to make any changes in the 

 diet 



88. Hygiene of Eating. What a person eats is gen- 

 erally determined by what he likes and can get. As a 

 rule taste is a safe guide, but by forming bad habits of 

 eating, an unnatural craving for foods neither digestible 

 nor nutritious may result. We should form a taste for 

 good, wholesome foods that agree with the digestive 

 organs and avoid all that are harmful even if they are 

 palatable. 



Food should be taken at the same hour each day 

 and at regular intervals of from four to five hours. If 

 this is done, it will not be necessary to eat between 

 meals and so deprive the stomach and the glands of the 

 rest they should have. Loss of appetite and indigestion 

 are often caused by eating at all hours. It is a good 

 thing to rest a few minutes from physical and mental 

 work just before taking a full meal. That will aid 

 digestion very much. Severe exertion immediately 

 after a full meal is equally injurious because physical 

 and mental exercise drain the blood away from the 

 stomach and glands, where it is needed to properly 

 digest the foods. We should form the habit of eating 



