Chapter 20—Condiments, Etc.
Part 1—Spices and Condiments
555. Condiments, so frequently used by those of the world, are
ruinous to the digestion.—
Letter 142, 1900
556. Under the head of stimulants and narcotics is classed a great
variety of articles that, altogether, used as food or drink irritate the
stomach, poison the blood, and excite the nerves. Their use is a positive
evil. Men seek the excitement of stimulants, because, for the time,
the results are agreeable. But there is always a reaction. The use of
unnatural stimulants always tends to excess, and it is an active agent
in promoting physical degeneration and decay.
In this fast age, the less exciting the food, the better. Condiments
are injurious in their nature. Mustard, pepper, spices, pickles, and
other things of a like character, irritate the stomach and make the
blood feverish and impure. The inflamed condition of the drunkard’s
stomach is often pictured as illustrating the effect of alcoholic liquors.
A similarly inflamed condition is produced by the use of irritating
condiments. Soon ordinary food does not satisfy the appetite. The
system feels a want, a craving, for something more stimulating.—
The
Ministry of Healing, 325, 1905
557. Condiments and spices used in the preparation of food for
the table aid in digestion in the same way that tea, coffee, and liquor
are supposed to help the laboring man perform his tasks. After the
immediate effects are gone, they drop as correspondingly below par
as they were elevated above par by these stimulating substances. The
system is weakened. The blood is contaminated, and inflammation is
the sure result.—Extracts from Unpublished Testimonies in Regard to
Flesh Foods, 6, 1896.
Spices Irritate the Stomach and Cause Unnatural Cravings
558. Our tables should bear only the most wholesome food, free
from every irritating substance. The appetite for liquor is encouraged
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