Men who work hard, or who work long hours, insist that they require large quantities of food to meet their needs. They insist that they need foods that "stick to the ribs." They work hard and can't live on hay. Men who work hard need more food than the idlers. Men who do physical work need more food than those who do mental work. But the differences in the food needs of these two classes are not as great as they suppose. The fact is the men who so loudly proclaim their need for so much food are food drunkards. They habitually eat two, three, and four times as much food as they actually use.

They reduce their energy by their overeating and poison themselves thereby at the same time. When they miss their accustomed food stimulus and feel weak, dizzy, or have pains, they mistake these morbid symptoms for an indication that they need the great quantities of stimulating foods they actually eat. They are enervated and toxemic from overeating and mistake the symptoms of these for the normal demands of the body for nourishment.

These people suffer much, age early and die prematurely because of their overeating. Heart diseases, arteriosclerosis, diabetes, Bright's disease, cancer, etc., finish them off years before they would reach the end if they ate prudently. These are the endings of those who live by "the belly's gospel of three squares plus and go by your appetite." These people should bear in mind Graham's words: "A drunkard may reach old age, but a glutton, never."

Food As A "Pick-Up"

Food is often used as a "pick-up." Stimulation and nutrition are confusedly identical in the minds of almost everybody. Unless the meal is too heavy, a "pick-up" of energy follows immediately upon eating. To eat when there is no actual need for food merely for its stimulating effect is a misuse of food.