Function of the Brain – Part 2

“God is as truly the author of physical laws as He is author of the moral law. His law is written with His own ringer upon every nerve, every muscle, every faculty, which has been entrusted man.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, p.17.

“It is a truly as sin to violate the laws of our being as it is to break the ten commandments. To do either is to break God’s laws. Those who transgress the law of God in their physical organism, will be inclined to violate the law of God spoken from Sinai.” Ibid, p. 17.

“Our natural inclinations and appetites were divinely appointed, and when given to man, were pure and holy. It was God’s design that reason should rule the appetites, and that they should minister to our happiness. And when they are regulated and controlled by a sanctified reason, they are holiness unto the Lord.” Temperance, p. 12.

“Appetite conquers him; inclination carries him away. It is easier for him to allow the powers of evil, which are always active, to drag him backward, than to struggle against them, and go forward. Dissipation, disease, and death follow. This is the history of many lives that might have been useful in the cause of God and humanity.” CDF, p. 16.

“A continual transgression of nature’s laws is a continual transgression of the law of God. The present weight of suffering and anguish which we see everywhere, the present deformity, decrepitude, disease, and imbecility now flooding the world, make it, in comparison to what it might be and what God designed it should be, a lazar house; and the present generation are feeble in mental, moral, and physical power. All this misery has accumulated from generation to generation because fallen man will break the law of God. Sins of the greatest magnitude are committed through the indulgence of perverted appetite.” CDF, p. 43,44.

INDULGENCE

“Excessive indulgence in eating, drinking, sleeping, or seeing, is sin.” CDF, p. 44.
“Indulgence of appetite is the greatest cause of physical and mental debility, and lies at the foundation of a large share of the feebleness which is apparent everywhere.” Te, p. 15.

“Many are suffering, and many are going into the grave, because of the indulgence of appetite. They eat what suits their perverted taste, thus weakening the digestive organs and injuring their power to assimilate the food that is to sustain life. This brings on acute disease, and too often death follows.” CDF, p. 123.

“Many separate themselves from God by their indulgence of appetite.” CDF, p. 159.
“God requires of His people continual advancement. We need to learn that indulged appetite is the greatest hindrance to mental improvement and soul sanctification.” CDF, p. 45.

INTEMPERANCE

“Intemperance of any kind benumbs the perceptive organs and so weakens the brain nerve power that eternal things are not appreciated, but placed upon a level with the common. The higher powers of the mind, designed for elevated purposes, are brought into slavery to the baser passions. If our physical habits are not right, our mental and moral powers cannot be strong; for great sympathy exists between the physical and the moral.” Te, p. 12,13.

“Those who eat and work intemperately and irrationally, talk and act irrationally. An intemperate man cannot be a patient man. It is not necessary to drink alcoholic liquors in order to be intemperate. The sin of intemperate eating, eating too frequently, too much, and of rich, unwholesome food, destroys and perverts the judgment, preventing rational, calm, healthy thinking and acting, And this is a fruitful source of church trials.” CDF, p. 50.

“Intemperate men should not by vote of the people be placed in positions of trust.” Te, p. 254.
“Intemperance in eating, even of healthful food, will have an injurious effect upon the system, and will blunt the mental and moral faculties.” CDF, p. 131.

GLUTTONY

“The word of God places the sin of gluttony in the same catalogue with drunkenness. So offensive was this sin in the sight of God that He gave directions to Moses that a child who would not be restrained on the point of appetite, but would gorge himself with anything his taste might crave, should be stoned to death. The condition of the glutton was considered hopeless. He would be of no use to others, and was a curse to himself. No dependence could be placed upon him in anything. His influence would be ever contaminating others, and the world would be better without such a character; for his terrible defects would be perpetuated. None who have a sense of their accountability to God will allow the animal propensities to control reason. Those who do this are not Christians, whoever they may be, and however exalted their profession.” CDF, p. 133.

“Gluttonous feasts, and food taken into the stomach at untimely seasons, leave an influence upon every fiber of the system; and the mind also is seriously affected by what we eat and drink.” CDF, p. 132.

“What a thought! Gluttons in heaven! No, no; such will never enter the pearly gates of the golden city of God. Such will never be exalted to the right hand of Jesus, the precious Saviour, the suffering Man of Calvary, whose life was one of constant self-denial and sacrifice. There is a place appointed for all such among the unworthy, who can have no part in the better life, the immortal inheritance.” CDF, p. 126.

“The sin of this age is gluttony in eating and drinking.” CDF, p. 409.
“Gluttony is the prevailing sin of this age. Lustful appetite makes slaves of men and women, and beclouds their intellects and stupefies their moral sensibilities to such a degree that the sacred, elevated truths of God’s word are not appreciated. The lower propensities have ruled men and women.” CDF, p. 32.

OVER-EATING

“Overtaxing the stomach is a common sin, and when too much food is used, the entire system is burdened. Life and vitality, instead of being increased, are decreased. This is as Satan plans to have it, Man uses up his vital forces in unnecessary labor in taking care of an excess of food.

“By taking too much food, we not only improvidently waste the blessings of God, provided for the necessities of nature, but do great injury to the whole system. We defile the temple of God; it is weakened and crippled; and nature cannot do its work wisely and well, as God has made provision that it should.” CDF, p. 131.

“Overeating, no matter what the quality of the food, clogs the living machine, and thus hinders it in its work.” CDF, p. 131.
“What influence does overeating have upon the stomach? It becomes debilitated, the digestive organs are weakened, and disease, with all its train of evils, is brought on as the result. If persons were diseased before, they thus increase the difficulties upon them, and lessen their vitality every day they live. They call their vital powers into unnecessary action to take care of the food that they place in their stomachs.” CDF, p. 101.

CUSTOM

A major cause of overeating is custom. “Custom has decreed that the food should be placed upon the tables in courses. Not knowing what is coming next, one may eat a sufficiency of food, which perhaps is not the best suited to him. When the last course is brought on he often ventures to overstep the bounds, and take the tempting dessert, which, however, proves anything but good for him. If all the food intended for a meal is placed on the table at the beginning one has opportunity to make the best choice.

“Sometimes the result of overeating is felt at once. In other cases there is no sensation of pain; but the digestive organs lose their vital force, and the foundation of physical strength is undermined.

“The surplus food burdens the system, and produces morbid. feverish conditions. It calls an undue amount of blood to the stomach, causing the limbs and extremities to chill quickly. It lays a heavy tax on the digestive organs, and when these organs have accomplished their task, there is a feeling of faintness or languor. Some who are continually overeating call this all-gone feeling hunger; but it is caused by the overworked condition of the digestive organs. At times there is numbness of the brain, with disinclination to mental or physical effort.

“These unpleasant symptoms are felt because nature has accomplished her work at an unnecessary outlay of vital force, and is thoroughly exhausted. The stomach is saying, “Give me rest.” But with many the faintness is interpreted as a demand for more food; so instead of giving the stomach rest, another burden is placed upon it. As a consequence the digestive organs are often worn out when they should be capable of doing good work.” CDF, p. 134.
“The brain nerve energy is benumbed and almost paralyzed by overeating.” CDF, p. 63.

IMPOVERISHED DIET

“Our physical health is nourished by that which we eat.” Te, p. 15.
“But what about an impoverished diet? I have spoken of the importance of the quantity and quality of food being in strict accordance with the laws of health. But we would not recommend an impoverished diet. They subsist upon a cheap, poor quality of food, prepared without care or reference to the nourishment of the system.” CDF, p. 198, 199.

“Poor food cannot be converted into good blood. An impoverished diet will impoverish the blood. The body must have sufficient nourishment. CDF, p. 199.
In a later issue we will go into more detail about the impoverished diet.

CONCLUSION

This is only one part about bad food or even good food damaging our brain, due to overeating, but remember one first has to pay attention to their physical condition. If the physical condition is bad this will affect all other areas of our life and health -including the brain. Also remember that if one organ is diseased, all others suffer and they will take vital power from the brain. The stomach and brain are in a very close relationship.