[Sidenote: Foods to be used in the treatment of gastritis] In milder cases the patient should be fed after the same methods, only more of the vegetable pulp may be used, thereby increasing the strength of the diet after four or five days; or, when the patient shows signs of substantial recovery, egg whites, baked potatoes, and the ordinary fresh vegetables may be given in moderate quantities. Inasmuch as stomach fermentation is the beginning or parent cause of gastritis, the causes, symptoms, and menus given for fermentation would apply in cases of gastritis, limiting the quantity of food according to the severity of the condition. In cases of gastritis: OMIT (In severe cases) EAT (In severe cases) Coffee Baked bananas Condiments Egg whites Flesh foods Lettuce Fruit Puree of tender beans Intoxicants Puree of tender carrots Starchy foods Puree of tender corn Sweets Puree of tender peas Tea Spinach Tobacco Squash Vegetable juices In the earlier stages of acute gastritis, all foods should be omitted except, perhaps, vegetable juices. (See recipe, p. 451.) See also Fermentation and Superacidity, pp. 424 and 418. NERVOUS INDIGESTION [Sidenote: Mental effects of nervousness] There are millions of nerve fibers leading out from the stomach and alimentary tract to every part of the anatomy, so that the nervous connection, especially between the stomach and the brain, is very direct and sensitive. The stomach seems to bear the same relation to the brain that a basket bears to a balloon so far as their nervous connection is concerned. Thus it is that the irritated stomach produces an irritable temper, insomnia, forgetfulness, and a lack of ability to concentrate the thoughts. These are the milder symptoms or first warnings. NERVOUS INDIGESTION--THE CAUSE The use of stimulants or narcotics, such as tea, coffee, liquor and tobacco are most prolific causes of nervousness. These drugs act upon the body in a dual capacity: (1) They excite or raise the nervous system above normal, only to drop it below when the reaction takes place. (2) In addition to this, they irritate the stomach and the intestines by causing superacidity. Nervousness caused by sedatives and narcotics acts both upon the mental and the physical organism, and the source of such nervousness can be easily traced by ascertaining the habits of the patient. [Sidenote: Abnormal appetite for sweets and starches]