2-ozs. nut-meat.
6-ozs. raw fruit.
3-ozs. salad.
2-ozs. brown bread, biscuits or unfired bread and butter.
It is well to drink only between meals, i.e., first thing in the
morning after dressing; between first and second meal; and before
going to bed. No alcohol or strong tea and coffee should be taken.
=SOME SUGGESTIVE MENUS.=
=_Spring--(March-April-May.)_=
=FIRST MEAL.=
SUNDAY--Tomato and Onion Salad. Cheese (St. Ivel). Unfired Pudding
and Cream.
MONDAY--Carrot and Beetroot Salad. Cheese (Pommel). Dried Figs.
TUESDAY--Onions. Cheese (Cheddar). Dates.
WEDNESDAY--Seakale Salad. Cheese (Gruyère). Raisins.
THURSDAY--Salsify Salad. Cheese (Camembert). Sultanas.
FRIDAY--Celery Salad. Cheese (Wiltshire). French Plums.
SATURDAY--Batavia. Cheese (Cheshire). Dried Apricots.
=SECOND MEAL.=
SUNDAY--Cucumber Salad. Nut-meat (Jordan Almonds). Fresh Fruit
Salad.
MONDAY--Endive Salad. Nut-meat (Hazel). Apples.
TUESDAY--Spring Cabbage Salad. Nut-meat (Pine Kernels). Oranges.
WEDNESDAY--Corn Salad and Radishes. Nut-meat (Cashew). Red Bananas.
THURSDAY--Watercress and Radishes. Nut-meat (Shelled Walnuts).
Tangerines.
FRIDAY--Spinach and Mint Salad. Nut-meat (Barcelona). Bananas
(Canary or Jamaica).
SATURDAY--Cauliflower Salad. Nut-meat (Peanuts). Fresh Cape Fruit.
=_Summer--(June-July-August.)_=
=FIRST MEAL.=
SUNDAY--Tomato and Parsley Salad. Cheese (Dutch). Peaches.
MONDAY--Carrot and Turnip Salad. Cheese (Cream). Apples.
TUESDAY--Spring Onion Salad. Cheese (Cheddar). Plums.
WEDNESDAY--Endive (summer) Salad. Cheese (Half-cheese). White
Currants.
THURSDAY--Cabbage Lettuce Salad. Cheese (Stilton). Pears.
FRIDAY--Seakale Salad. Cheese (Gorgonzola). Banana.
SATURDAY--Corn Salad & Radishes. Cheese (Gloucester). Raspberries.
=SECOND MEAL.=
SUNDAY--Cucumber Salad. Nut-meat (Pine Kernels). Fresh Fruit Salad.
MONDAY--Lettuce Salad. Nut-meat (Cashew). Strawberries.
TUESDAY--Watercress and Radishes. Nut-meat (Almonds). Red Currants.
WEDNESDAY--Summer Cabbage Salad. Nut-meat (Shelled Walnuts).
Greengages.
THURSDAY--Cauliflower and Mustard and Cress. Nut-meat (Hazels).
Gooseberries.
FRIDAY--Mixed Salad. Nut-meat (Barcelona). Black Currants.
SATURDAY--Lettuce and Radishes. Nut-meat (Peanuts). Cherries.
=_Autumn--(September-October-November.)_=
=FIRST MEAL.=
SUNDAY--Tomato Salad. Cheese or Fresh Almonds. Pineapple.
MONDAY--Carrots and Celery. Cheese or Fresh Cob Nuts. Damsons.
TUESDAY--Corn Salad and Radishes. Cheese or Filberts. Apples (Golden
Nobs).
WEDNESDAY--Brussels Sprouts Salad. Cheese or Barcelona Nuts. Melon.
THURSDAY--Onion Salad. Cheese or Brazil Nuts. Grapes (White).
FRIDAY--Endive Salad. Cheese or Fresh Walnuts. Bananas.
SATURDAY--Red Cabbage. Cheese or Hazel Nuts. Pears.
=SECOND MEAL.=
SUNDAY--Cucumber Salad. Nut-meat (Almonds). Fresh Fruit Salad.
MONDAY--Chicory Salad. Nut-meat (Hazel). Grapes (Black).
TUESDAY--Cabbage Lettuce Salad. Nut-meat (Pine Kernels). Pears.
WEDNESDAY--Celery. Nut-meat (Walnuts). Green Figs.
THURSDAY--Cauliflower Salad. Nut-meat (Cashew). Blackberries.
FRIDAY--Watercress and Radishes. Nut-meat (Barcelona). Quince.
SATURDAY--White Cabbage Salad. Nut-meat (Peanuts). Apples.
=_Winter--(December-January-February.)_=
=FIRST MEAL.=
SUNDAY--Tomato and Celery Salad. Cheese or Fresh Almonds. Dried
Fruit Salad.
MONDAY--Carrots and Artichokes. Cheese or Cob Nuts. Dried Figs.
TUESDAY--Onions. Cheese or Fresh Walnuts. Dates.
WEDNESDAY--Batavia. Cheese or Brazil Nuts. Raisins.
THURSDAY--Cauliflower Salad. Cheese or Filberts. Sultanas and
Currants.
FRIDAY--Red Cabbage Salad. Cheese or Barcelona Nuts. French Plums.
SATURDAY--Mixed Root Salad. Cheese or Spanish Nuts. Dried Peaches.
=SECOND MEAL.=
SUNDAY--Cucumber Salad. Nut-meat (Pine Kernels). Fresh Fruit Salad.
MONDAY--Celery Salad. Nut-meat (Hazel). Oranges.
TUESDAY--Winter Cabbage. Nut-meat (Almonds). Bananas.
WEDNESDAY--Corn Salad & Radishes. Nut-meat (Walnuts). Grapes.
THURSDAY--Cabbage Lettuce Salad. Nut-meat (Cashew). Red Bananas.
FRIDAY--Chicory Salad. Nut-meat (Peanuts). Tangerines.
SATURDAY--Endive Salad. Nut-meat (Barcelona). Apples.
The above Menus are compiled by the Misses Julie and Rose Moore.
=USEFUL DOMESTIC INFORMATION.=
[Illustration]
A clove of garlic will give a very delicate and tasty flavour to many
soups and other dishes. For soups it is only necessary to rub the
tureen with the cut clove before the soup is poured in. For savoury
dishes and stews one small clove may be boiled (after being peeled) in
the stewpan for five minutes.
To remove the skins from tomatoes place them in boiling water for
about two minutes.
Turnips taste much better if a little cream is added to them after
being mashed.
Any cold green vegetable can be used to make a soufflé. It should be
rubbed through a sieve, and then 1 or 2 well-beaten eggs should be
added. A few drops of Tarragon vinegar may be used to change the
flavour. (See Recipe 97).
Cheese should be crumbly, as it is then more easily digestible. It is
a good plan to test it in the following manner:--First buy a small
piece and melt a portion with milk in a double saucepan; if it has a
granulated appearance it is safe to buy some more of the same cheese;
if, on the contrary, it is tough and stringy, it should be avoided, as
it will be found lacking in nutriment and will be very liable to cause
digestive troubles.
Butter should be made to look dainty and appetising by being prepared
for the table with butter pats. Small pieces can be twisted round to
form the shape of a hollow shell. It may also be rolled into marbles
and be garnished with parsley.
Parsley can be made a brilliant green by placing it in a cloth (after
chopping), dipping it in cold water, and wringing it tightly in the
hands, squeezing it with the fingers. For garnishing savoury puddings
or fried potatoes, etc., this is worth knowing.
Parsley which has been used for garnishing, or which is in danger of
going to seed, can be preserved green for seasoning purposes by
placing it in the oven on a sheet of paper, and drying it slowly in
such a manner that it does not burn; it should then be rubbed through
a sieve and put into a bottle.
All boiled puddings should be allowed room to swell, or they may prove
heavy when served.
Instead of chopping onions, a coarse nutmeg grater should be kept for
the purpose, and the onion should be grated like lemon rind. This
saves much time and labour and answers better for flavouring soups,
gravies, or savouries of any kind.
The addition of some bicarbonate of soda to the water in which onions
are boiled will neutralize the strong flavour of the oil contained in
them, and prevent it from becoming troublesome to those with whom it
disagrees.
Freshly cut vegetables are more digestible and wholesome than those
which have been lying about in crates or shop windows. They also cook
more quickly. The water in which vegetables have been boiled should be
saved for stock for soups and gravies (except in the case of
potatoes).
To prevent hard-boiled eggs from becoming discoloured, they should be
plunged into cold water as soon as they are removed from the saucepan.
Those of my readers who wish to use unfermented and saltless breads
and cakes can obtain the same from the Wallace P. R. Bakery. The
purity of goods supplied from this factory can be depended upon.
When it is difficult to obtain pineapples for making fruit salads, the
same enhanced flavour can be secured by adding some of Dole's Hawaiian
Pineapple Juice.
To prevent the odour of boiled cabbage pervading the house, place a
piece of bread in the saucepan.
Flaked nuts, if sprinkled over puddings, custards, trifles or jellies,
greatly improve the flavour and appearance.
In the preparation of soups, stews, &c., the preliminary frying of the
vegetables improves the flavour and dispenses with any insipidity. The
oil should be fried until it is brown.
=HOW TO COOK VEGETABLES.=
=Artichokes= should be boiled until tender only. If over-boiled they
become dark coloured and flavourless.
=Asparagus= should be cut into equal lengths and tied into bundles.
These should be stood on end in a deep stewpan, leaving the tops about
an inch above the water. When the stalks are tender the tops will be
cooked also. This plan prevents the tops falling off through being
over-cooked.
=Cabbage= should only be boiled until tender; if over-cooked it is
pulpy and flavourless. Boiling too fast causes the unpleasant odour to
be given off which is sometimes noticeable in a house when this
vegetable is being cooked. The lid of the saucepan should not be used.
=Cauliflower= must not be boiled until its crispness is lost. It must
be only just tender enough to eat. It can be served 'au gratin' (120),
or as in recipe No. 121.
=Carrots= should be steamed, not boiled. The skins should then be
wiped off and they should be served with a white or brown gravy. They
are also nice if scraped, sliced and stewed in haricot broth (recipe
239). The smaller the carrots the more delicate will the flavour be.
=Kidney or Haricot Beans= need to be carefully trimmed so that all
stringy parts are cut away. They should be boiled until tender, and no
longer, and served with thin white sauce. The smaller and greener
they are the better.
Old pods should remain unpicked until nearly ripe, when the solid
beans can be used for haricot soup or entrées. The 'Czar' bean is the
best to grow; it is the giant white haricot, and the seeds are
delicious when picked fresh and cooked at once. There is the same
difference between fresh and dried haricots, as between green and
dried peas. Dried Haricots must be soaked in cold water for twelve
hours before being cooked. They can then be stewed until tender--the
water being saved for soup or stock.
=Vegetable Marrow= should be steamed or boiled in its jacket. The
flavour is lost if this is removed before cooking.
=Mushrooms= should be fried very slowly in a small quantity of butter.
They should be stirred during the process, and the heat employed must
be very moderate indeed or they will be made tough. They can also be
stewed, and served in the gravy when thickened with arrowroot.
=Potatoes= should be cooked in their jackets. To boil them in the best
way, the water in the saucepan should be thrown away when they have
been boiled for 5 minutes and cold water should be substituted. This
plan equalises the cooking of the interior and exterior of the
potatoes. When cooked they should be drained, a clean cloth should be
placed over the pan and they should stand on the hot plate to dry.
They should be lifted out separately, and should be unbroken and
floury. Sodden potatoes ought to be regarded as evidence of
incompetency on the part of the cook.
Potatoes baked in their jackets are considered by many to be
preferable, and, as it is almost impossible to spoil them if this plan
is adopted, it should be employed when the cook is inexperienced.
Fried potatoes, cooked in the Devonshire fashion, are nice for
breakfast. It is best to remove some from the stewpan when half cooked
on the previous day. These should be cut up in a frying pan in which a
fair amount of butter has been melted, and the knife should be used
while they cook. In a few minutes the potatoes should be well packed
together, so that the under-side will brown; an inverted plate should
then be pressed on them and the pan should be turned upside down while
the plate is held in position with one hand. A neat and
savoury-looking dish will thus be made, but over-cooking must be
avoided previous to the browning process, or they will look sloppy.
Potatoes can be mashed with a little milk and butter. They should then
be packed into a pretty shape and garnished with chopped parsley
(109).
Another way of cooking them is to use the frying basket and dip them
in very hot Nutter. They should either be cut into thin fingers
previously, or else be half boiled and broken into pieces. This
latter plan is perhaps best of all, and they are then termed "potatoes
sauté," and are sprinkled with chopped parsley before being served.
A very savoury dish can be made by boiling some potatoes until nearly
tender, and then putting them in a pie dish with small pieces of
butter sprinkled over them; they should then be baked until nicely
browned.
To make potatoes _white_ when cooked they should be steeped in cold
water for two hours after peeling.
=Peas= should be placed in a covered jar with a little butter, and
should be steamed until tender. No water is required in the jar. The
pods, if clean and fresh, should be washed, slowly steamed, rubbed
through a colander, and added to any soup or other suitable dish in
preparation. Another method is to boil the peas with mint, salt, sugar
and a pinch of bicarbonate of soda added to the water. Small young
peas should always be chosen in preference to those which are old and
large.
=Spinach= should be cooked according to the directions given in
recipes 90 to 92, or 103.
=Beetroot= should be baked in the oven instead of being boiled. By
this method the flavour is improved and the juices retained.
=LABOUR-SAVING APPLIANCES.=
Domestic work in the kitchen may be very much simplified and lightened
if proper utensils are employed, and those who are able to do so
should obtain the following appliances, in addition to those which are
generally used:--
=The 'Dana' Nut-Mill.= This is used for making bread crumbs from
crusts or stale bread; for flaking nuts and almonds, etc., so as to
make them more easy of digestion, and nut-butter so as to make it mix
more conveniently with dough when employed for making pastry and
cheese--rendering it more readily digestible. This nut-mill may be
obtained from G. Savage & Sons, 33, Aldersgate Street, London, E. C.,
and from Health Food Depôts (price 7/6). It serves the same purpose as
a sausage machine as well.
=A Frying-Basket= is necessary for letting down rissoles, croquettes,
cutlets, fritters, potato chips, etc., into the stewpan which is kept
for frying purposes. The stewpan should be four or five inches deep,
so as to avoid the possibility of the Nutter or vegetable fat bubbling
over and catching fire upon the stove. Aluminium or nickel are the
best metals.
=A Raisin Stoner.= It enables one to stone a large quantity of fruit
in a very short time. Most ironmongers stock these machines.
=A Potato Masher.= Necessary for flaking potatoes and preparing
haricot beans, peas, etc., for admixture in rissoles or croquettes. By
this means the skins can be easily removed after they are cooked.
=A Wire Sieve= (about 1/8th-inch mesh). Useful for preparing spinach,
and in many other ways which will suggest themselves to every cook.
=A Duplex Boiler.= For scalding milk by means of a steam jacket. It
prevents burning, and boiling over. The =Gourmet Boiler= is a valuable
cooking appliance of the same sort. Failing these a double saucepan is
necessary.
=A Chopping Basin=--a wooden bowl with a circular chopper which fits
it. This prevents the pieces from jumping off and lessens the time
occupied. It is also less noisy and can be used while the operator is
seated.
=A Vegetable Slicer.= The best appliance for this purpose is a
combination tool--made so that one can slice carrots, etc., to any
size and thickness, and also core apples, peel potatoes and perform
other functions with it.
=A Metal Frying Pan.= A nickel, aluminium, or steel frying pan is
almost a necessity. Enamel chips off very soon and is dangerous, as it
may cause appendicitis.
=MEDICINAL AND DIETETIC QUALITIES.=
As it is important that those who adopt a reformed diet should know
something about the dietetic and medicinal value of the articles they
consume, the following information may prove helpful:--
[Illustration]
=Apples= purify the blood, feed the brain with phosphorus, and help to
eliminate urates and earthy salts from the system. As they contain a
small amount of starch, and a good proportion of grape sugar combined
with certain valuable acids, they constitute a most desirable and
hygienic food for all seasons. They should be ripe and sweet when
eaten. People who cannot digest apples in the ordinary way should
scrape them, and thus eat them in _pulp_ rather than in _pieces_.
=Bananas= also contain phosphorus, and are consequently suitable for
mental workers. They are easily digestible, and nutritious, being
almost a food in themselves.
=French Plums= are judicious food for persons of nervous temperament
and for those whose habits are sedentary; they prevent constipation,
and are nutritious. They should be well stewed, and eaten with cream,
Plasmon snow-cream, or Coconut cream (see recipe 224).
=Strawberries= contain phosphorus and iron, and are therefore
especially desirable for mental workers and anæmic invalids.
=Tomatoes= are good for those who suffer from sluggish liver. The
popular fallacy that they are liable to cause cancer, which was
circulated by thoughtless persons some few years since, has been
pronounced, by the highest medical authorities, to be unsupported by
any evidence whatever, and to be most improbable and absurd. In the
Island of Mauritius this fruit is eaten at almost every meal, and
Bishop Royston stated that during his episcopate of eighteen years he
only heard of one case of the disease.
=Lettuce= is soothing to the system and purifying to the blood. It
should be well dressed with pure olive oil and wine vinegar (2
spoonfuls of oil to 1 of vinegar, well mixed together, with a pinch of
sugar). A lettuce salad eaten with bread and cheese makes a nutritious
and ample meal. The thin and tender-leaved variety (grown under glass
if possible) should always be chosen.
=Figs= contain much fruit sugar which can be rapidly assimilated, and
are very nourishing and easily digestible; when they can be obtained
in their green state they are specially desirable. They may be
considered one of the most valuable of all fruits, and are most
helpful in many cases of sickness on account of their laxative
medicinal properties.
=Dates= are very similar to figs, and are both sustaining and warming;
they are easily digested if the skins are thin.
=Gooseberries=, =Raspberries=, =Currants= and =Grapes= are cooling and
purifying food for hot weather; but, if unripe, they will often upset
the liver. This type of fruit should not be eaten unless _ripe_ and
_sweet_.
=Walnuts, Hazel and Brazil Nuts= contain a considerable amount of oil,
and are consequently useful for warming the body and feeding and
strengthening the nerves. Vegetable fat in this form is emulsified and
more easily assimilated than free animal fats, as in butter, etc. Nuts
are also rich in proteid matter. Where people find that they cannot
masticate nuts, owing to impairment of teeth, the difficulty may be
removed by passing the nuts through a 'Dana' nut-mill. When thus
flaked and spread between thin slices of bread and butter, with honey,
they make delicious sandwiches for lunch. A pinch of curry powder
(instead of the honey) makes them taste savoury.
=Chestnuts= contain a larger proportion of starch, but are digested
without difficulty when boiled in their jackets until fairly soft. If
eaten with a pinch of salt they make a nice dish.
=Pineapples= are valuable for cases of diphtheria and sore-throat, as
the juice makes an excellent gargle. This fruit is considered to aid
digestion in certain cases.
=Cheese= is very rich in protein--far more so than lean beef. If well
chosen, and new, it is a most valuable article of diet, and feeds
brain, nerves, and muscles; but as it is a concentrated food it should
not be taken in excessive quantity. Half a pound of cheese is almost
equal to a pound of average flesh meat. The best varieties are
Wenslet, Gruyère (very rich in phosphorus), Port Salut, Milk (155),
Wensleydale, Cheshire and Cheddar.
=Protose, Nuttose=, and similar malted nut-meats, are more than
equivalent to lean beef--minus water, waste products, and disease
germs. The International Health Association first invented these
valuable substitutes for animal food, and has an able advisory medical
staff, therefore they may be regarded as results of modern dietetic
research. Protose contains 25% protein and 14% fat.
=White Haricots= are rich in protein (far more so than lean meat), and
should be eaten in moderation. Brown haricots contain iron in addition
to their large percentage of protein.
=Lentils= are almost identical in composition, but are more suitable
for those who do not have much physical toil.
=Peas= are slightly less nitrogenous than lentils and haricots, but
otherwise very similar; they are best when eaten in a green form, and
when young and tender. When they are old the peas should always be
passed through a potato masher, as the skins are very indigestible.
=Macaroni= contains starch and a certain amount of the gluten of
wheat. Some of the best varieties are made with eggs as well as flour.
Tomato sauce is the best accompaniment to it, with Parmesan or grated
and melted cheese (see recipes 66 to 71).
=Rice= as usually sold consists chiefly of starch, but if unglazed and
_once milled_, it is much more nourishing, as the cuticle of the
cereal (which is rich in gluten and protein) is then left on it. The
addition of cheese or eggs, makes it a more complete food (see recipes
72 to 80).
=Potatoes= consist principally of starch and water, with a certain
amount of potash. Their dietetic value is not high.
=Wholewheat Bread= contains, in addition to its starch, much vegetable
albumen, and a large supply of mineral salts, such as phosphates, etc.
It is, therefore, when light and well cooked, of high dietetic value
both for flesh-forming and nerve feeding. Physical workers should use
it as a staple article of food, and mental workers will also find it
most helpful. The coarser the brown flour, the more laxative is the
influence of the bread. This is point worth noting.
=Eggs= are nutritive chiefly on account of the albumen which they
contain in the white portion, but they are liable to cause digestive
trouble, and they must not be taken too freely by those who are
subject to biliousness and constipation. Such persons often find it
advantageous to have them boiled quite hard.
=Emprote= (Eustace Miles proteid Food) contains the proteids of wheat
and milk (35%), with digestible Carbohydrates (45.2%), fat (6.6%), and
assimilable salts (7.9%). It makes a good addition to soups,
beverages, and dishes lacking in protein.
=Nuto-Cream Meat= is a modern substitute for white meat and poultry,
containing 19.7% protein, 48% fat, and 23% Carbohydrates. It is made
from nuts and corn, and is useful for invalids and young children.
=Milk= contains nearly all the elements necessary for repairing bodily
waste. It should be scalded for half-an-hour in a double saucepan--to
destroy tubercular and other germs. If then allowed to stand for 12
hours, clotted cream can be skimmed off (as in Devonshire) and the
milk can be used next day. It keeps much longer after being thus
scalded. Dried milk is now procurable in such forms as 'Lacvitum' and
'Plasmon.'
=Celery= is a useful blood purifier, and is valuable in all cases of
rheumatism, gout, &c. Celery salt is a valuable addition to soups and
savoury dishes, and is preferable to common salt.
=Spinach= contains a considerable quantity of iron in a readily
assimilable form, and is, therefore, good for anæmic persons.
=Onions= have a wonderfully improving effect upon the skin and
complexion if eaten raw, and they act powerfully as diuretics.
=HYGIENIC INFORMATION.=
[Sidenote: =How to Keep Young.=]
Old age is accompanied by the accumulation in the body of certain
earthy salts which tend to produce ossification. The deposit of these
in the walls of the arteries impedes the circulation, and produces
senility and decrepitude. Flesh-food accelerates this process, but the
juices of fruits, and distilled or soft water, dissolve out these
deposits. The older one becomes the more freely should one partake of
fruit and soft water.
The more juicy fruit we consume, the less drink of any kind we
require, and the water contained in fruit is of Nature's purest and
best production.
Frequent bathing and the occasional use of the vapour bath also help
to eliminate these deposits, and those whose skins are never made to
perspire by wholesome exercise in the open air must cause this
healthful operation to take place by other means--or pay the penalty
which Nature exacts.
[Sidenote: =Food and Climate.=]
Vegetable oils and fats produce heat and build up the nerves. We
require a much larger amount of food containing fat in cold weather
and in cold climates than in warm weather and in warm climates. By
producing fruits in profusion in the summer-time Nature provides for
the satisfaction of our instinctive desire for such simple and cooling
diet when the temperature is high. But in winter-time more cheese,
butter, olive oil, or nuts, should be eaten every day.
[Sidenote: =Cancer and Flesh-eating.=]
The latest declarations of some of the principal British medical
authorities on 'Cancer' are to the effect that people become afflicted
with this disease through the excessive consumption of animal flesh.
The alimentary canal becomes obstructed with decomposing matter, toxic
elements are generated and absorbed in the system, and cancerous
cellular proliferation ensues. It is noteworthy that fruitarians are
scarcely ever afflicted with this disease, and that a strict
fruitarian dietary (uncooked) has often proved curative. See pages 133
and 166.
[Sidenote: =How to avoid Dyspepsia.=]
If the digestive process is unduly delayed by overloading the stomach,
or by drinking much at meal-times so as to dilute the gastric juice,
fermentation, flatulence and impaired health are likely to result. Raw
sugar if taken very freely with starch foods is also apt to produce
fermentation.
It is a mistake to mix acid fruits and vegetables by eating them
together at the same meal. Fermentation is often thus caused, as
vegetables take a long time to digest. A very safe rule to observe,
and one which would save many from physical discomfort and suffering,
is this--only eat fruits which are palatable in the natural uncooked
state. Before Man invented the art of cooking, he must have followed
this rule.
Those who suffer from dyspepsia will, in most instances, derive
benefit by taking two meals a day instead of three--or at any rate by
substituting a cup of coffee or of hot skimmed milk and a few brown
biscuits for the third meal. Hard workers are the only persons who can
really get hungry three times a day, and we ought not to take our
meals without "hunger sauce." Fruit alone, for the third meal is
better still.
The last meal of the day should not be taken after seven o'clock at
night. Disturbed rest and the habit of dreaming are an almost certain
indication of errors in diet having been committed, or of this rule
having been infringed.
Probably the most valuable prescription ever given to a patient was
that given by Dr. Abernethy to a wealthy dyspeptic, "Live on sixpence
a day and earn it."
Constipation can nearly always be cured by adding stewed figs, French
plums, salads, etc., to one's menu, by eating brown instead of white
bread, and by taking less proteid food.
Tea is detrimental to many persons. The tannin contained in it
toughens albuminous food, and is liable to injure the sensitive lining
of the stomach. China tea is the least harmful.
[Sidenote: =Rest after Meals.=]
Those who work their brains or bodies actively, immediately after a
solid meal, simply invite dyspepsia. The vital force required for
digestion is diverted and malnutrition follows. The deluded
business-man who "cannot spare the time" for a short rest or stroll
after lunch, often damages his constitution and finds that he has
been "penny wise and pound foolish."
If the brain or body has been severely taxed, an interval of rest
should be secured before food is taken. It is not _what we eat_ that
nourishes us, but _what we are able to assimilate_. Recreation,
occasional amusement, and an interest in life are necessary. Thousands
of women die from monotony and continuous domestic care; multitudes of
men succumb to mental strain and incessant business anxiety. Chronic
dyspeptics should reflect on these facts.
Abstainers from animal-food who get into any difficulty about their
diet should seek advice from those who have experience, or should
consult a fruitarian physician. The local names and addresses of
doctors who both practice and advise this simple and natural system of
living, will be supplied upon application to the Hon. Secretary of The
Order of the Golden Age. Such are increasing in number every month.
[Sidenote: =Physical Vitality.=]
The human body is a storage battery consisting of millions of cells in
which the vital electricity that produces health, and makes life
enjoyable, is accumulated.
Every manifestation of physical and mental power depends upon the
force stored up in this battery. The more fully charged the cells the
higher the voltage, and, consequently, the greater the physical
vitality and power. This voltage is always fluctuating. Expenditure
of force lessens it; recuperation, through rest, sleep, the
in-breathing of oxygen, and the assimilation of vital uncooked food
increases it.
Fruits, nuts, and root vegetables contain electrical potency--they
will deflect the needle of a highly sensitive Kelvin galvanometer. But
when cooked, their vital electricity is destroyed--they become
_lifeless_, like flesh-food.
The accumulation of vital force is a possibility if natural and vital
food is selected.
[Sidenote: =The Great Healer.=]
All the medicines in the world are as the small dust of the balance,
potentially, when weighed against this Life-force--which "healeth all
our diseases and redeemeth our life from destruction." Its therapeutic
phenomena are truly wonderful.
When our bodies are invaded by malevolent microbes, the defensive
corpuscles within us, if in fit condition, destroy them. But if not
fed with those elements which are needful for their sustenance, they
soon "run down"--just as we ourselves get "below par." We are then
liable to become the prey of those ceaseless microscopic enemies that
are ever ready to pounce upon the unfit.
If our corpuscles are weaker than the invading foes, no drugs can save
us--we are doomed. Hence the importance of keeping ourselves and our
nerve centres well charged and in vigorous condition.
[Sidenote: =How to Accumulate Vitality.=]
To accumulate vitality our food must contain all the chemical elements
which we need. None must be permanently omitted. If, for instance, we
entirely exclude organic phosphorus from the food of a man of great
intellect, he will, in due time, be reduced to imbecility. This is
obtained in such foods as cheese, milk, wholemeal bread, peas, apples,
strawberries, and bananas.
We must live by _method_, and take some trouble. Nature's greatest
gift is not to be obtained without thought or effort. We must eat,
breathe, and live wisely; and the closer to Nature we get, the better
it will be for us.
The habit of deep breathing, like that of living much in the open air,
yields important results. The atmosphere consists of oxygen and
nitrogen--the very elements of which our bodies are chiefly
constructed. Life and vigour _can be inhaled_, but few persons have
learnt the art.
Cheerfulness tends to promote the assimilation of food. Exercise--of
an intelligent and healthful sort--is needful to make the life-current
pulsate through our tissues. Without it our organs do not get properly
nourished and rebuilt: stiffness and atrophy set in. Worry and care
must be banished, and unwise or excessive expenditure of nerve force
avoided; for these things deplete the human storage battery of its
vitality.
Mankind is slowly gaining greater knowledge of vital, mental, and
spiritual truth. Ultimately, "Life more abundant" will become the
heritage of the many instead of the few.
Self-emancipation from weakness and disability is an achievement that
will repay much effort on the part of each one of us; and we can all
render beneficent social service by exemplifying the art of living
wisely.
By promoting hygienic and humane education, we can prevent much
suffering, and greatly increase the sum of happiness in this world!
[Illustration: =Finis=]
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