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CAUSE (4) Number of Mentis :—
There is a proverb current in our country/ which
says,. J He who eats once a day is a yogi, he v/ho
eats twice a day is a bhoQi (one who is after
pleasure) and he "who eats thrice a day is a rogi
(sick man }/ This statement is true to the letter.
When we are eating three or more than three
meals a day, the digestive organs are not afforded
any rest at any time in the day. Before the stomach
can finish with one meal, it has to get ready to
digest the second. The difficulty is worsened by
the fact that people who eat three times in the day
pass stools only once in the day- This leads to
stagnation and this stagnation both directly and
indirectly restricts the free passage of food through
the digestive tract. A vicious circle is thus set up.
A person who eats only twice in the day cannot
give sufficient rest to all his digestive organs at the
same time, but he can give rest to each one of them
in turn. Thus when the food is in the stomach the
intestines may be resting and vice versa.
The best plan for fully grown adults is to eat
only twice in the day, once in the forenoon and
a second time in the evening or night; of the two
meals one should be a light one* Old people can
keep fit only if they are content to live on only one
substantial meal in the day; apart from that they
may just have a drink. In this case, for a few hours
every day, the whole digestive canal will remain
empty. For children two substantial meals and one
very light one should be sufficient. For boys and
girls one substantial meal and two light ones should
be the rule.
CAUSE (5) Snacks between meals:—
Women are perhaps the worst offenders In this
respect. I do not object to the taking of sweets
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