Chapter V: Introduction (3)

Old age is the most valuable period of life. When the strife and chase is ended we stand before our fellows with accumulated knowledge, with no ambition to serve except the common good, which should be given to the world in exchange for what Mother Nature has given to us.

FEEDING CHILDREN.

The first year of the baby’s existence is the most trying and hazardous period of its life. The frightful fatality among children the first year after birth furnishes ample evidence that something is wrong. The average mother or nurse knows but little about the few simple laws that nature has framed to govern infant life. The greatest of all errors are made in reference to feeding. The nurse or mother seems to think that the least outcry or expression of disturbance is a demand or evidence that baby must be fed, and straightway the place is searched for something--something _sweet_--anything that will temporarily give employment or divert the mind of the child from its trouble, while in the great majority of cases it is caused by too much or the wrong kind of food being given.

For the first twelve months, or until all the molar teeth have appeared, a child should take nothing but liquid food. Mother’s milk if possible. If this cannot be supplied, then whole, unsterilized cow’s milk is the best substitute. The practice of boiling or sterilizing milk is positively mischievous. This subject is treated at some length in our chapter on milk.

Dried or powdered milk and all kinds of “infant foods” should be religiously avoided. Putting milk through the drying process destroys the cellular tissues of the fat globules, and the butter fat is set free and becomes very difficult of digestion. Every mother should read Dr. Fischer’s “Infant Feeding,” which treats this subject at great length in the most frank and scientific manner. Dr. Fischer gives the analysis of “Nestle’s Food,” which he terms “a farinaceous, dried milk food.” He shows that this food has not quite one-sixth the amount of fat, and only one-third the amount of proteids that is to be found in mother’s milk. Over one-half of the proteid matter has been made insoluble by the drying process. Dr. Fischer refers to “Horlick’s Malted Milk” and a preparation called “Milkine,” both of which he shows to be about the same in food value or more properly speaking, in _lack_ of food value as that of “Nestle’s.”

By the exercise of reasonable thought and intelligence a child might be raised without ever giving but few expressions or cries of disturbance or illness. To begin with, the mother-to-be should surround herself only with that which is the most pleasant and agreeable. Her diet should be selected with great care. It should not be composed of too much calcareous matter or starchy foods such as cereals, potatoes and legumes which go to construct bone and cartilage. Moderate exercise and deep breathing should be the most conspicuous part of the daily duties. She should read the best books, write and compose the best literature of which her mind is capable, she should endeavor to create something, think the best and loftiest thoughts, hear the best music, look upon the best works of art, and commune closely with nature in all its solemnity, poetry and grandeur. This will endow her child with a vivid and active imagination without which no great thing has ever been accomplished. She should live as near as possible in the æsthetic and keep her thoughts as near as possible to the domain of ethics. She should endeavor to be all that she would have her child become in character. If the unsatisfied want of a strawberry will in some strange way, through the mind, leave its impression upon the body of her child, how much more certain are the higher, nobler, grander thoughts to leave their indelible impression upon the embryotic mind and heart.

When baby comes, the first thing done is to bundle it up in three feet of foolish rags, putting its little limbs in a strait-jacket, depriving it of its liberty and right to exercise which nature so strenuously demands. When it is taken out into the air it is bundled and wrapped and rolled into more and more wool, caps and cloaks, the air only being allowed to touch a part of its face. It is propped up with pillows, and when its little spine begins to ache and curve from the unnatural weight it bears and it cries and weeps in anguish, telling in the only language it has learned of the pain affectionate ignorance is inflicting, it is given a dose of Lydia Killem’s Soothing Syrup, until from the effect of the powerful drug and sheer exhaustion it falls into slumber awakening only to suffer the same torture inflicted in the same way again and again, day after day, until from want of natural nourishment, fresh air, sunshine and exercise, its cheeks grow pale and wan, its vitality is lowered from week to week, and it passes into the great unknown from which it has just emerged--passes away like a drop of dew that reflected for an hour the prismatic colors of a morning sun, and faded forever from those who loved it most. Who is to blame? Who is responsible for the tens of thousands of little ones who come unbidden into a world and are thrust out of it by ignorance and stupidity through a veil of sorrow and tears?

Mother’s milk is preferable to all foods for a baby, and upon it often depends the question of life or death. Mother’s milk, upon which so much depends, necessarily involves the question of the mother’s diet. Good milk--good baby food, the thing upon which baby’s health, maybe its life, depends, cannot be made out of such things as tea and toast, coffee, vinegar, pickles and pastries, gravies and condiments, canned foods, greasy meats, fermented bread, wines and beer.

There is no period in life when diet is so important as when it is taken second-hand in the form of mother’s milk. The diet of the mother should consist of pure, clean, wholesome, nourishing foods such as fresh, unsterilized milk, cream, nuts, fresh ripe fruits, fresh green vegetables, and newly laid eggs, all of which can be taken without cooking, without devitalizing them with fire.

If the above foods are partaken of by the mother, it will stimulate the secretions of the breast and purify its contents so that baby ills, especially such ailments as “three months’ baby colic,” would never be known.

A mother should never nurse her baby when she is in the least over-heated or chilled with cold or laboring under any great emotion, such as grief, sympathy or anger. Fear and anger change the milk of the mother to a poison. Children have been thrown into spasms and known to die from nursing just after the mother had undergone these conditions.

It is customary to begin feeding children at the age of nine months such things as oatmeal, crackers, and white bread. It would be very difficult to select anything in the food line more mischievous than these articles. They are composed very largely of starch, which the infant stomach cannot digest, and none of its intestinal organs can assimilate.

The making and selling of penny confections ought to be prohibited by law. The man who makes the all-day sucker and other cheap filthy candies and confections to give to innocent children for their pennies is a criminal, and ought to be deprived of his liberty, and put out of business. It is not uncommon for children at the age of ten, especially in cities, to be afflicted with well-developed cases of acute indigestion, which stunts the growth of both body and brain, from the baneful effects of which they never can recover.

It looks incredible indeed that from the great faculties of teachers, in no institution of learning in this land has there ever come one suggestion--one hint, as to what kind of material would make the best blood, build the best body and brain. It seems as if the thought would sometimes come to these instructors of the youth of the land that the brain of the children with which they are so industriously laboring depends entirely for its size, quality and activity upon the body, and the body depends entirely upon the material out of which it is constructed. Some day the professors will begin to think along these lines, and the food question will become a part of the school and college curriculum.

FOOD VALUES AND TABLES.

The following tables were compiled from analyses made by government experts in the Agricultural Department at Washington.

We give a table on flesh foods, not because we endorse or recommend them, but because it affords an opportunity of comparison, which is the best means of acquiring knowledge:

The superiority of nuts in every life-giving property will be noticed at a glance--for instance, the fuel value of pork-sides, the meat which contains the greatest amount of fat, and but little else, is only about 2,500 heat calories per pound, while all the shelled nuts given in the table except one show a fuel value in excess of the fattest meat, while most of them run above 3,000, or from thirty to fifty per cent. greater than meat as a fuel or heat producing article.

The thing, however, that makes nuts such an excellent article of food is that their nutritive elements are almost perfectly proportioned; that is to say, a normal body requires so much water, proteins, carbohydrates, mineral salts and fat to sustain it healthfully each twenty-four hours, and in nuts these elements are found more correctly proportioned according to the requirements of the body than in any other article of food known to science:

===================+======+=====+=======+====+======+=======+========= | | | | | |Ash or | Fuel | | | | | |Mineral| Value FLESH FOODS |Refuse|Water|Protein|Fat |Carbs | Salts |per lb. -------------------+------+-----+-------+----+------+-------+--------- | Per | Per | Per |Per | Per | Per | | Ct. | Ct. | Ct. |Ct. | Ct. | Ct. |Calories -------------------+------+-----+-------+----+------+-------+--------- Loin of beef, lean | | | | | | | edible portion | | 70.8| 24.6 | 3.7| | 1.3 | 615 Loin of beef, total| 23.0 | 54.6| 18.8 | 3.0| | .9 | 475 Porterhouse steak, | | | | | | | edible portion | | 60.0| 21.9 |20.4| | 1.0 | 1.270 Porterhouse steak, | | | | | | | total | 12.7 | 52.4| 19.1 |17.9| | .8 | 1.110 Round steak cuts, | | | | | | | edible portion | | 70.0| 21.3 | 7.9| | 1.1 | 730 Round steak cuts, | | | | | | | total | 8.1 | 64.4| 19.5 | 7.3| | 1.0 | 670 ===================+======+=====+=======+====+======+=======+========= Loin of veal, | | | | | | | edible portion | | 73.3| 20.4 | 5.6| | 1.2 | 615 Loin of veal, total| 22.0 | 57.1| 15.9 | 4.4| | .9 | 480 Shoulder of veal, | | | | | | | edible portion | | 73.4| 20.7 | 4.6| | 1.3 | 580 Shoulder of veal, | | | | | | | total | 18.3 | 59.9| 16.9 | 3.9| | 1.0 | 480 Leg of lamb, | | | | | | | edible portion | | 63.9| 19.2 |16.5| | 1.1 | 1.055 Leg of lamb, total | 17.4 | 52.9| 15.9 |13.6| | .9 | 870 Leg of mutton, | | | | | | | edible portion | | 67.4| 19.8 |12.4| | 1.1 | 890 Leg of mutton, | | | | | | | total | 16.8 | 56.1| 16.5 |10.3| | .9 | 740 ===================+======+=====+=======+====+======+=======+========= Pork ham, | | | | | | | edible portion | | 60.0| 25.0 |14.4| | 1.3 | 1.075 Pork ham, total | .9 | 59.4| 24.8 |14.2| | 1.3 | 1.060 Pork head, | | | | | | | edible portion | | 45.3| 13.4 |41.3| | .7 | 1.990 Pork head, total | 68.4 | 13.8| 4.1 |13.8| | .2 | 660 Pork loin (chops), | | | | | | | edible portion | | 52.0| 16.6 |30.1| | 1.0 | 1.580 Pork loin (chops), | | | | | | | total | 19.7 | 41.8| 13.4 |24.2| | .8 | 1.270 Pork sides, | | | | | | | edible portion | | 34.4| 9.1 |55.3| | .5 | 2.505 Pork sides, total | 11.5 | 30.4| 8.0 |49.0| | .5 | 2.215 ===================+======+=====+=======+====+======+=======+========= Chicken, broilers, | | | | | | | edible portion | | 74.8| 21.5 | 2.5| | 1.1 | 505 Chicken, broilers, | | | | | | | total | 41.6 | 43.7| 12.8 | 1.4| | .7 | 295 ===================+======+=====+=======+====+======+=======+========= Turkey, | | | | | | | edible portion | | 55.5| 21.1 |22.9| | 1.0 | 1.360 Turkey, total | 22.7 | 42.4| 16.1 |18.4| | .8 | 1.075 ===================+======+=====+=======+====+======+=======+========= Black bass, | | | | | | | edible portion | | 76.7| 20.6 | 1.7| | 1.2 | 455 Black bass, total | 54.8 | 34.6| 9.3 | .8| | .5 | 205 Blue fish, | | | | | | | edible portion | | 78.5| 19.4 | 1.2| | 1.3 | 410 Blue fish, total | 48.6 | 40.3| 10.0 | .6| | .7 | 210 Flounder, | | | | | | | edible portion | | 84.2| 14.2 | .6| | 1.3 | 290 Flounder, total | 61.5 | 32.6| 5.4 | .3| | .5 | 115 Lobsters | | 77.8| 18.1 | 1.1| .5 | 2.5 | 390 Oysters | | 83.4| 8.8 | 2.4| 3.9 | 1.5 | 335 ===================+======+=====+=======+====+======+=======+=========

================+=====+=======+====+============+=======+========= | | | | |Ash or | Fuel | | | | |Mineral| Value DRIED FRUITS |Water|Protein|Fat |Carbohydrates| Salts |per lb. ----------------+-----+-------+----+------------+-------+--------- | Per | Per |Per | Per | Per | | Ct. | Ct. |Ct. | Ct. | Ct. |Calories ----------------+-----+-------+----+------------+-------+--------- Dates | 15.4| 2.1 | 2.8| 78.4 | 1.3 | 1.615 Figs | 18.8| 4.3 | .3| 74.2 | 2.4 | 1.475 Prunes | 22.3| 2.1 | | 73.3 | 2.3 | 1.400 Raisins | 14.6| 2.6 | 3.3| 76.1 | 3.4 | 1.605 Apples | 28.1| 1.6 | 2.2| 66.1 | 2.0 | 1.350 Apricots | 29.4| 4.7 | 1.0| 62.5 | 2.4 | 1.290 ================+=====+=======+====+============+=======+=========

================+=====+=======+====+============+=======+========= | | | | |Ash or | Fuel | | | | |Mineral| Value GREEN VEGETABLES|Water|Protein|Fat |Carbohydrates| Salts |per lb. ----------------+-----+-------+----+------------+-------+--------- | Per | Per |Per | Per | Per | | Ct. | Ct. |Ct. | Ct. | Ct. |Calories ----------------+-----+-------+----+------------+-------+--------- Cabbage | 91.5| 1.6 | .3| 5.6 | 1.0 | 145 Celery | 94.5| 1.1 | .1| 3.3 | 1.0 | 85 Sun-cooked corn | 15.5| 12.5 | 5.0| 66.0 | 1.0 | 1.150 Cucumbers | 95.4| .8 | .8| 3.1 | .5 | 80 Lettuce | 94.7| 1.2 | .3| 2.9 | .9 | 90 Onions, fresh | 87.6| 1.6 | .3| 9.9 | .6 | 225 Potatoes, fresh | 78.3| 2.2 | .1| 18.4 | 1.0 | 385 Potatoes, sweet | 69.0| 1.8 | .7| 27.4 | 1.1 | 570 Radishes | 91.8| 1.3 | .1| 5.8 | 1.0 | 135 Spinach | 92.3| 2.1 | .3| 3.2 | 2.1 | 110 Tomatoes | 94.3| .9 | .4| 3.9 | .5 | 105 Turnips | 89.6| 1.3 | .2| 8.1 | .8 | 185 Artichokes | 79.5| 2.6 | .2| 16.7 | 1.0 | 365 Olives, green | 58.0| 1.1 |27.6| 11.6 | 1.7 | 1.400 Olives, ripe | 64.7| 1.7 |25.9| 4.3 | 3.4 | 1.205 ================+=====+=======+====+============+=======+=========

================+=====+=======+====+============+=======+========= | | | | |Ash or | Fuel | | | | |Mineral| Value DAIRY PRODUCTS |Water|Protein|Fat |Carbohydrates| Salts |per lb. ----------------+-----+-------+----+------------+-------+--------- | Per | Per |Per | Per | Per | | Ct. | Ct. |Ct. | Ct. | Ct. |Calories ----------------+-----+-------+----+------------+-------+--------- Eggs | 73.7| 13.4 |10.5| | 1.0 | 720 Butter | 11.0| 1.0 |85.0| | 3.0 | 3.605 Buttermilk | 91.0| 3.0 | .5| 4.8 | .7 | 165 Cheese, American| 31.6| 28.8 |35.9| .3 | 3.4 | 2.055 Cheese, cottage | 72.0| 20.9 | 1.0| 4.3 | 1.8 | 510 Cheese, cream | 34.2| 25.9 |33.7| 2.4 | 3.8 | 1.950 Cream | 74.0| 2.5 |18.5| 4.5 | .5 | 910 Milk, skimmed | 90.5| 3.4 | .3| 5.1 | .7 | 170 Milk, whole | 87.0| 3.3 | 4.0| 5.0 | .7 | 325 ================+=====+=======+====+============+=======+=========

================+=====+=======+====+============+=======+========= | | | | |Ash or | Fuel | | | | |Mineral| Value NUTS SHELLED |Water|Protein|Fat |Carboydrates| Salts |per lb. ----------------+-----+-------+----+------------+-------+--------- | Per | Per |Per | Per | Per | | Ct. | Ct. |Ct. | Ct. | Ct. |Calories ----------------+-----+-------+----+------------+-------+--------- Almonds | 4.8| 21.0 |54.9| 17.3 | 2.0 | 3.030 Brazil nuts | 5.3| 17.0 |66.8| 7.0 | 3.9 | 3.265 Butternuts | 4.4| 27.9 |61.2| 3.5 | 2.9 | 3.165 Chestnuts, fresh| 45.0| 6.2 | 5.4| 42.1 | 1.3 | 1.125 Cocoanuts | 14.1| 5.7 |50.6| 27.9 | 1.7 | 2.760 Filberts | 3.7| 15.6 |65.3| 13.0 | 2.4 | 3.290 Hickory nuts | 3.7| 15.4 |67.4| 11.4 | 2.1 | 3.345 Peanuts | 9.2| 25.8 |38.6| 24.4 | 2.0 | 2.560 Pecans | 2.7| 9.6 |70.5| 15.3 | 1.9 | 3.435 Pignolias | 6.4| 33.9 |49.4| 6.9 | 3.4 | 2.845 Pistachios | 4.2| 22.3 |54.0| 16.3 | 3.2 | 2.995 Walnuts, English| 2.5| 18.4 |64.4| 13.0 | 1.7 | 3.300 Walnuts, black | 2.5| 27.6 |56.3| 11.7 | 1.9 | 3.105 ================+=====+=======+====+============+=======+=========

================+=====+=======+====+============+=======+========= | | | | |Ash or | Fuel FRESH FRUITS | | | | |Mineral| Value AND BERRRIES |Water|Protein|Fat |Carboydrates| Salts |per lb. ----------------+-----+-------+----+------------+-------+--------- | Per | Per |Per | Per | Per | | Ct. | Ct. |Ct. | Ct. | Ct. |Calories ----------------+-----+-------+----+------------+-------+--------- Apples | 84.6| .4 | .5| 14.2 | .3 | 290 Apricots | 85.0| 1.1 | | 13.4 | .5 | 270 Bananas, yellow | 75.3| 1.3 | .6| 22.0 | .8 | 460 Blackberries | 86.3| 1.3 | 1.0| 10.9 | .5 | 270 Cherries | 80.9| 1.0 | .8| 16.7 | .6 | 365 Currants | 85.0| 1.5 | | 12.8 | .7 | 265 Figs | 79.1| 1.5 | | 18.8 | .6 | 380 Grapes | 77.4| 1.3 | 1.6| 19.2 | .5 | 450 Huckleberries | 81.9| .6 | .6| 16.6 | .3 | 345 Lemons | 89.3| 1.0 | .7| 8.5 | .5 | 205 Muskmelons | 89.5| .6 | | 9.3 | .6 | 185 Nectarines | 82.9| .6 | | 15.9 | .6 | 305 Oranges | 86.9| .8 | .2| 11.6 | .5 | 240 Pears | 84.4| .6 | .5| 14.1 | .4 | 295 Persimmons | 66.1| .8 | .7| 31.5 | .9 | 630 Pineapple | 89.3| .4 | .3| 9.7 | .3 | 200 Plums | 78.4| 1.0 | | 20.1 | .5 | 395 Prunes | 79.6| .9 | | 18.9 | .6 | 370 Raspberries | 84.1| 1.7 | 1.0| 12.6 | .6 | 310 Strawberries | 90.4| 1.0 | .6| 7.4 | .6 | 180 Watermelons | 92.4| .4 | .2| 6.7 | .3 | 140 ================+=====+=======+====+============+=======+=========

HOW TO BEGIN THE USE OF UNCOOKED FOODS.

In dealing with the human body we must respect the laws of heredity and environment. What might have been natural a thousand years ago may be very unnatural to-day, and what was decidedly unnatural at that remote period of time may have become natural. The human body has the faculty of adjusting itself even to false conditions, through the long process of time.

The experiment may have killed a million or two people, and dethroned the mental and moral machinery of as many more, and shortened up the life period of several billion more, but “Stickatitiveness” will in time work things around until the very laws of nature seem to change to fit the false condition.

This, however, in reality is not true. The price for every violated law must be paid, and so long as it is violated, just so long will nature demand her settlement. The real penalty is the difference between what man is and what he would have been had he lived in obedience to the laws of his organization.

Since people have evolved into their present habits and customs, to correct them they must evolve out of them. Therefore in adopting the use of uncooked foods, it is safest to start on the evolutionary plan, gradually increasing the number of uncooked dishes, and decreasing the number of cooked ones, until all cooked and devitalized foods have been eliminated and the system has had time enough to adjust itself to the new conditions. This process can be hastened by simplifying the diet--by limiting it to a few things, which contain all the elements of nourishment.

Such foods should be selected as are not commonly cooked, such as all kinds of nuts or bananas and cream, for the heavy portion of the meal; and milk, dates, figs, lettuce or cabbage, and juicy fruits, melons and berries, to close with. The mixing of the following articles in the process of mastication develops a very delicious taste:

Pecan meats and cabbage. Protoid nuts and apples. Heavy cream and sweet apples. Nuts, lettuce and olive oil. Bananas, cream, dates and nuts. Bananas, figs and cream. Flaked wheat, dates, cream and nuts. } Thoroughly Flaked oats, dates, cream and nuts. } masticated. Sweet apples, nuts and cream. Soaked prunes and cream. Soaked evaporated peaches or apricots, raisins and cream. Unfired bread and cream cheese. Unfired bread, pecan meats. Unfired bread, sweet butter and Brazil nuts.

Thorough mastication develops in all uncooked foods a new and delicious taste. When the saliva, which is an alkaline substance, begins to act upon the starch and other parts of these foods the change that takes place in the blended articles above tabulated creates a deliciousness that will win at once those who try these blends followed by thorough mastication.

RECIPES.

In bringing about any change in the habits of people, it becomes necessary to pursue lines of least resistance. So firmly fixed in the minds of the public is the idea that foods need preparation, need fixing or something done to them before they can be eaten, that in order to induce them to take any step in the direction of correct feeding it becomes necessary to in some way prepare even elementary, or foods in their natural condition. In reality foods in their natural condition require but little preparation.

The object, however, of the following recipes has a threefold purpose; first, to make the change from the old to the new, or from the unnatural to the natural way of living, as little radical as possible. Second, to group foods into such combinations as will chemically harmonize when mixed in the stomach; and third, to make them attractive to the vision. There is nothing that invites us with a richer welcome--nothing that excites the desire to eat--nothing that arouses every organ of digestion more than nature’s richly colored, luscious and odorous edibles.

The recipes given here prove that there is a far wider scope for variety and display than most people would suppose. They are the results of long, careful and tedious experimenting. They are offered as a help to those who desire to take up the new or natural method of living. The old proverb which says “There is nothing new under the sun” was very sorely tried in the preparation of this work (unless we are willing to go back to a time when man loped on his all-fours through the forests of the Orient). In all the great New York libraries there was not a book to be found that was of any material aid to us in this work. It has all been drawn from original labors. Many things that seemed theoretically certain were by practical experimenting proven to be untrue. After several thousand experiments, we learned that in matters of diet the laws of environment and heredity must be considered. It is not necessary to eat cold foods in order to eat uncooked foods.

The recipes given here we regard as little more than suggestions. We sincerely hope that those who deem it worth their while to give any thought to the kind of material out of which they build their bodies and brain, will take up this great work and carry it on to higher and higher degrees of development.

Difference in temperature is the only scale by which to measure motion, or all expressions of energy. Food, therefore, should never be eaten very cold nor very hot, but as near the temperature of the body as possible, cold food must be brought to the temperature of the body at the expense of energy. Icy drinks are responsible for much stomach trouble. They do violence to every law governing health. Many things in the uncooked bill-of-fare may be heated up to 140° or 150° Fahr., if it makes them conform more to the demands of taste without injury or without bringing the articles so heated into the ranks of cooked foods.

SOUPS.

Were we to follow strictly the highest dietetic law, soups would not be mentioned in this work, except to say that they are harmful and undoubtedly responsible for much mischief in the civilized stomach; but in all reform work, we have found it best to pursue lines of least opposition--to stay within sight of those we are endeavoring to lead.

We do not interdict soups because they are not good food, but because they are swallowed without mastication. The objection to soup can be largely overcome by retaining it in the mouth long enough for it to become thoroughly or partially insalivated. This can be accomplished either by sipping it very slowly, or mixing with it very dry, hard foods--something that requires mastication.

It is a very foolish custom to make soup in a pot or kettle, when we remember that the only work that saliva and teeth were created to perform was that of making soup. Every particle of food taken into the mouth should be made into soup before it is swallowed. If this was done, indigestion, that great American disease, would disappear from the catalogue of human ills.

We give here a few recipes for soups only because the soup habit is so firmly fixed in the mind of the housewife and the epicure that they can hardly conceive of a decent dinner without them. All soups may be warmed sufficiently to serve hot without cooking.

SWEET POTATO SOUP.

Sweet Potato, Milk, Cream, Butter.

Grind a sweet potato on a vegetable mill, add just enough milk to cover. Allow this to stand seven or eight hours. Slightly heat (not enough to cook), stir in a small piece of butter and enough milk and cream mixed to bring to the consistency desired. Serve in hot plates.

FRESH GREEN PEA SOUP.

Green Peas, Onion or Celery, Milk.

Hull quantity desired. Grind very fine in vegetable mill, grind with this just a trace of celery or onion for flavor, add enough rich milk to bring to the consistency of soup and warm to about 145° to 150° Fahrenheit. Salt to taste and serve.

VEGETABLE SOUP (NO. 1).

1 Tomato, 1 small Apple, 1 Carrot, 1 oz. Nuts, 1 Small Pepper, ¹⁄₂ cup Wheat Flakes, 1 Stalk Celery, Milk.

Put all through fine vegetable grinder, add sufficient milk to make quantity desired, allow to stand an hour or two, heat, stirring in ¹⁄₂ cup of thick cream, and serve.

VEGETABLE SOUP (NO. 2).

1 White Turnip, A little Cabbage, 1 Carrot, Few pieces Celery, 1 very small Onion, Salt, Milk.

Chop fine or grind all vegetables. Hardly cover with warm water, and let stand three or four hours until soft. Add 1¹⁄₂ pints of rich warm milk, thicken with a little flaked wheat, add butter and serve. This will serve five or six people. To this can be added stiffly beaten whites of two eggs just before serving. It will be an improvement.

PEA OR BEAN SOUP.

There is a pea and bean flour in the market from which soup is easily made by adding to it warm milk or cream. It should be made and allowed to stand an hour or two before serving.

CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP.

Oat Flakes, Milk or Cream, Fresh Tomatoes, Salt.

Take one pound of oat flakes, cover well with warm milk and let stand three or four hours, or until very soft. Then mash through a coarse strainer, which will produce a very thick cream, which forms the body of the soup. Add to this sufficient milk or cream (cream preferred) to make quantity desired, and the juice of half a dozen ripe tomatoes. Any cream soup can be made in the same way, using different articles.

Much care should be exercised in adding the milk, so as not to destroy the thick, creamy consistency of the soup.

CREAM OF CEREAL SOUP.

Take any uncooked flaked or mascerated cereal, soak over night in just enough milk to cover. Add to this enough milk or cream to bring to the consistency desired, to which can be added as a flavoring any ground vegetable or fruit juice.

CREAM OF CELERY.

Oat Flakes, Cream, Celery, Celery Salt, Flaked Wheat.

Make same as tomato, only add tender celery chopped fine, instead of tomato, and a dash of celery salt.

CREAM OF CORN.

Green Corn, Salt, Oat Flakes, Cream.

To be made the same as cream of tomato, only use green corn in place of tomato. Cut tips of the grain with a sharp knife, and scrape cob well with a dull one. Mix as above recipe.

Note:--To all soups can be added the stiffly beaten white of eggs just before serving, which gives it a delicious creamy taste.

VEGETABLES.

Vegetables occupy a very important place in the elementary food menu. They contain elements that cannot be secured elsewhere.

When thoroughly masticated, in addition to their nutritive value, they serve the body as an alimentary lubricant. No meal can be made complete without some green plant.

CELERY.

Wash, trim and scrape the stalks, selecting those that are white and tender. Should be left in ice cold water until they are wanted, which makes them very crisp.

COLD SLAW.

There is nothing more delicious or necessary than shredded cabbage, usually called cold slaw. It possesses valuable food properties, occupying the same place in human diet that hay does in the diet of a horse or cow.

LETTUCE

Lettuce is undoubtedly the best of salads. Use the tender leaves only, and put in cold water for at least twenty minutes before serving, to make them crisp. Drain in colander and toss in a napkin until thoroughly dry.

CARROTS AND TURNIPS.

Are very nice cut into cubes and served on a lettuce leaf with or without a salad dressing.

FRESH TOMATOES.

Peal with a very sharp knife. Slice and cover with Hygia dressing or powdered sugar and lemon juice. They can also be made very delicious by covering with thick cream.

SWEET GREEN CORN.

Shave the tips from the grains with a very sharp knife. Split the grains row by row and scrape the remaining pulp from the cob with a dull knife. Add butter, a little salt or cream and heat to a temperature of 145° Fahrenheit. This thoroughly masticated will be found a most delicious and nourishing dish.

FRESH GREEN PEAS.

Take the quantity desired, hull and grind in a vegetable mill, add butter, a dash of salt, and warm to a temperature of about 145° Fahrenheit, and serve.

CUCUMBERS.

Take number desired. Peel and slice thin. Soak in ice water for two or three hours before serving.

OLIVES.

Olives are a very important article in the elementary menu. The ripe olive, though not so popular nor so extensively used, is in reality much superior to the green, because it was allowed to ripen upon the tree.

RADISHES.--CARROTS.--ONIONS.--SWEET
POTATOES.--TURNIPS.--BEETS.--GREEN PEPPERS.

These articles can be ground in a vegetable mill altogether, or they can be eaten separately. If ground together by the addition of nuts they compose a very nourishing and necessary article of diet.

NUTS AND CARROTS.

Put two medium carrots and a half cup of pecan meats through a fine vegetable grinder; moisten with rich milk, set on a stove a few minutes (not long enough to cook), stirring in half cup of cream, a little butter and salt. Serve.

CORN FOR WINTER USE.

Cut the corn from the cob, before it gets too hard; to each gallon of cut corn add two scant cups of salt. Pack tightly in a large jar, cover with a white cloth, put a heavy weight on to keep the corn under the brine which soon forms. It is very necessary to wash the cloth every morning for about two weeks. If the corn is too salty, wash thoroughly. Before sending it to the table add a little warm cream and let stand for an hour or two before serving.

SUN-COOKED CORN.

Cut sweet corn from the cob with a sharp knife while in a tender or milky state, and dry thoroughly in the sunshine. Put in small cloth bags for future use. To prepare for table, place quantity to be used in a deep vessel, almost cover with warm water. Put in a cool place and let stand over night. Then add a small quantity of rich, warm milk, about two hours before serving; warm and serve with thick cream.

KRAUT.

Shred or chop fine selected white cabbage. Pack a layer in bottom of deep stone or wooden vessel. Add a light layer of salt. Alternate layers of cabbage and salt until the vessel is filled, using about one scant cup of salt to an ordinary cabbage. Pack down very hard, placing on the top a heavy weight, so as to keep the cabbage beneath the brine. Cover with heavy linen cloth, which should be washed thoroughly every day for about two weeks. Soak in cold water a few minutes before serving.

FLESH FOODS.

Flesh foods and sea foods have become the second most important article of diet among all civilized people. This is due very largely to _preparation_--to _cooking_. The adoption of uncooked food will bring both the body and the appetite to a state of normality which will naturally and gradually abolish all flesh as food, but in order to pay the proper respect to the laws of heredity and environment and aid the beginner in taking the kinks of custom out of his daily habits, we give below a few flesh food recipes.

BEEFSTEAK A LA TARTAR.

Steak, Salt, Onions, Green Peppers, Pepper, Parsley, Eggs.

Take a porterhouse or sirloin steak of the size desired. Grind very fine. Mix with minced onion, pepper and salt. Mound up on a small platter, make a depression in the top in which put the unbroken yolk of an egg. Garnish with green pepper and parsley, and serve.

CHIPPED BEEF IN CREAM.

Shave dried beef very fine. Pour over it warm water and let stand for a few minutes. Pour this off and pour on thick cream with a little parsley chopped fine. Garnish with parsley and serve.

CLAMS AND OYSTERS.

These articles do not possess any very great food properties and when taken uncooked they are more nourishing and less harmful. They should never be eaten with catsup, vinegar, horseradish or sauces.

DRIED AND SMOKED FISH.

Herring, anchovies, smoked salmon or any dried fish can be made quite palatable by seasoning thoroughly and soaking 5 to 10 minutes in very warm water.

EGGS.

Eggs constitute a very important article of food. They contain about 14 per cent. protein, 10 per cent. fat, 1 per cent. mineral salts, 73 per cent. water, and give to the body about 725 calories of heat to the pound. Their heat producing power and nutritive elements are well balanced, showing that they are a substantial food. An egg should never be cooked. In its natural state it is easily dissolved and readily taken up by all the organs of digestion, but the cooked egg must be brought back to liquid form before it can be digested, which puts extra and unnecessary labor upon these over-worked organs.

FRUIT EGG-NOG.

Beat one raw egg quite stiff. Add one-half glass grape juice, beat well. Then add one-half glass of cream. Beat thoroughly and use at once. This is a full meal for an invalid.

FAMILY EGG-NOG.

Two eggs stiffly beaten stirred into one quart of rich milk. A little grated nutmeg, or a spoonful of fruit juice and whipped cream added to the egg-nog will improve the taste very materially.

EGGS PLAIN.

Eggs can be taken by breaking them one at a time into a glass and swallowing them whole. Four or five eggs used in this manner constitute a good and healthful meal, and are especially recommended for those desiring to gain in flesh.

BEATEN EGGS.

Two eggs lightly beaten, to which may be added a little lemon juice and cream, make an excellent beverage--one that combines with all other foods.

WHIPPED EGGS.

Break into a small soup bowl two or three eggs. Whip to a froth. Add to this any fruit juice desired. This should be eaten with other foods which require mastication.

EGG CREAM.

Whip the whites of two eggs until quite stiff, adding to this one glass of rich milk for a beverage.

Cream can be used instead of milk, whipped lightly with the eggs, which makes a most delicious cream to use over fruits.

Note:--The whites of eggs mixed with cream or rich milk make one of the most nourishing and easily assimilated foods known. It is especially recommended for those suffering from rheumatism or stiffness and sluggishness when arising in the morning. It is also recommended to those desiring to gain in weight. From one to two dozen eggs can be taken daily, together with two to three quarts of milk.

ORANGE EGG.

Separate the white and yolk, whipping each to a stiff froth, add slowly to the yolk the juice of one sweet orange whipping continuously, then add the beaten white, whipping it all to a creamy froth.

The proportion is one medium size orange to each egg.

Serve as egg-nog.

CEREALS.

The popular belief is that cereals cannot be eaten without cooking. This opinion is the result of following precedent,--of accepting “that which _is_ as true.” Cereals are best just before they have ripened and hardened, when they are soft and full of water. This condition can be partially brought about again by soaking them in pure water or milk. The common theory that the stomach is unable to digest uncooked cereal starch is altogether wrong, as can be easily demonstrated by any one who will thoroughly masticate the uncooked cereal. Making the cook stove do what the stomach ought to do is depriving this member of its rights and its exercise,--depriving it of what nature intended it to do, and the penalty is weakness, just as it would be with any other unused part of the anatomy.

OAT GROATS.

Take quantity sufficient for two or three days, soak seven or eight hours in lukewarm water, or until sufficiently softened, drain thoroughly, and serve with thick cream. Salt a little if desired. A dash of grated nuts may be added, which will make a most palatable dish and add much to their value and vitalizing properties.

WHOLE WHEAT.

Put quantity desired for use in a deep vessel, and cover with warm water. Keep in a warm place. Allow to stand twenty-four hours and longer if desired very soft. Drain thoroughly. It will be found sufficiently softened to be easily masticated and eaten with nuts. This makes probably the most nutritious dish of all the cereal family. A very little salt may be added.

FLAKED OATS OR FLAKED WHEAT.

Put an amount sufficient for several days’ supply into a deep vessel. Add enough warm water to _hardly_ cover. After standing a few hours stir well, so as to thoroughly moisten the top portion. This in a short time will be found ready for use. A very little salt can be used. This can be served with cream, strained honey, ground nuts, or any two of these or a combination of all.

FLAKED WHEAT DRY.

Flaked wheat is a most delicious dish served dry and eaten with either cream, olive oil or honey.

CHRISTIAN’S COMBINATION CEREAL.

This is a combination of several Cereals, especially prepared and so proportioned as to level or balance all the nutritive elements contained in grains.

It can be used and prepared the same as flaked oats or wheat.

UNFIRED BREAD.

Bread forms a very important part of the uncooked menu, but its production is not practical in the home where this book is intended to be of greatest use, as it requires special machinery for flaking and grinding the different grains and nuts of which it is made. It also requires a special electric light oven for drying during the winter when the rays of the sun cannot be utilized.

Note:--It has recently been shown by experiments made in Washington that both the light and heat from the incandescent electric lamp contain nearly all the properties of sunlight and will delegate to vegetation an abundance of chlorophyl (green) the same as natural sunshine.

To meet conditions that exist we make an exception here and give two recipes for bread that requires cooking, but is unfermented.

UNLEAVENED GEMS.

Put three cups of whole wheat flour in a bowl or pan, two cups _full_ of ice cold water, a little salt, and a tablespoonful of melted butter or cream. Beat and stir. Take up on a spoon and work all the air possible into the batter by vigorous beating two or three minutes in the open air. It will probably need some additional water after the lumps are out. Then beat again until it bubbles. Have gem pans and oven _very_ hot and pans well oiled. Put batter into pans and bake quickly.

UNLEAVENED HYGEIA GEMS.

Whip one egg to a creamy froth to which add three cups of ice cold milk, a pinch of salt, and three heaping cups of Christian’s Combination Cereal Meal, or enough to make into a batter. Stir into this a small piece of melted butter and place in very hot gem or muffin pans oiled with butter and bake in a very hot oven. This will make about one dozen gems.

This bread can be made extremely delicious by omitting the butter and adding one-half cup of grated protoid nuts to the ingredients above named.

Note:--Cooked bread has become such an universal article of diet and modern milling and bolting processes have so perverted and changed the nutritive value of the Natural grain that we therefore have prepared this special meal, making an exception in this case, and give the above recipe for making a perfectly pure, delicious and wholesome article of unfermented bread.

* * * * *

Note:--The raising and lightness of all unleavened bread depends entirely upon the difference in temperature between the batter and the oven. If the batter is made ice cold and aerated well in mixing, and placed immediately in a very hot oven, the expansion of the air contained in the batter caused by heating will raise the bread, making it as light as if made with baking powder.

SANDWICHES.

The sandwich has become a part of the traveler’s bill-of-fare. The few recipes given here are only suggestive of the combinations that can be made in elementary foods.

APPLE AND NUT SANDWICHES.

Cut apples into very thin slices and lay between unfired wafers. Slice Brazil nuts and place a layer of nuts over the apples.

LETTUCE AND CHEESE SANDWICH.

Spread unfired bread thickly with fresh Philadelphia cheese and lay on this a crisp lettuce leaf that has been dipped in salad dressing. Keep in ice box until ready to serve.

CHEESE AND DATE SANDWICH.

Spread the unfired cracker with Philadelphia cream cheese, then a layer of date butter, and cover the other piece of bread with cream cheese also, and press both firmly together.

Fig butter and unfired crackers also make nice sandwiches.

CREAM CHEESE SANDWICH.

Spread the cheese between unfired wafers, making the cheese as thick as the wafer.

RIPE OLIVE SANDWICH.

Remove the pits from the olives, chop fine with nuts and place between the unfired wafers.

CHIPPED BEEF SANDWICHES.

Spread sweet butter or cream cheese on unfired wafers, placing a layer of chipped beef between the wafers.

This makes a very delicious sandwich.

ANCHOVY SANDWICH.

Soak the anchovies for an hour or two. Then remove bones and chop fine with tender pieces of celery. Cover unfired wafers with sweet butter, spread this between, and serve on a dish garnished with parsley.

RAW BEEF SANDWICH.

After scraping the raw beef, season it with salt and pepper and spread between unfired wafers.

NUTS.

Nuts average from 50 to 70 per cent. fat and from 15 to 33 per cent. proteids. They are, therefore, measured by their chemical food values, the natural substitute for meats, to say nothing of their superiority in purity and cleanliness. They may constitute a part of every elementary meal.

The preparation of nuts requires no recipes. They compose, however, a part of many dishes, recipes for which are given, and into which they are put in some form owing to their delicious flavor when mixed with other foods and their high nutritive value.

FOR BLANCHING ALMONDS.

Soak almonds over night, or seven or eight hours, in cold fresh water. The covering will be easily removed and they will have become very crisp and edible. The old method of blanching almonds has always been to emerse them in boiling water, which cooks and toughens the nut, making it very difficult both of mastication and digestion.

SALAD DRESSINGS.

The objection to nearly all salad dressings is that they contain either vinegar, or chemical acids. These condiments set up immediate fermentation when mixed with cereal starch, which is contained in bread and other cereal foods eaten at the same time, and hyperpepsia (sour stomach) is the natural result.

HYGIA SALAD DRESSING.

2 Eggs, 1 cup Whipped Cream, ¹⁄₂ Lemon, Sugar, 2 tablespoonfuls Olive Oil, Salt.

To the yolks of the eggs, beaten very stiff, add the oil and juice of the lemon very slowly, beating hard all the while, until it has all been added and is quite thick. Then add the beaten white of eggs, salt and sugar to taste, and last, one cup of whipped cream; whip all together until very stiff and set on ice until ready to serve.

WHIPPED CREAM FOR SALAD DRESSING.

Place in a soup bowl one cup of very thick cream. Whip with Dover egg beater until very stiff. Add to this two teaspoonfuls of powdered sugar. Beat thoroughly again. This makes a very delicious dressing for all sweet fruit salads. If very heavy cream cannot be procured, add to it the stiffly beaten white of an egg.

SALADS.

In living upon uncooked foods, vegetable salads become absolutely necessary. The elementary bill of fare cannot be balanced without a certain per cent. of chlorophyl, which is only obtainable in green plants. All green vegetables are also rich in organic mineral salts, which is one of the most necessary articles in vegetable nutrition. In addition to these material values, they are highly ornamental, and no dinner is complete without them.

BANANA SALAD.

Oranges, Pecans, White Grapes, Bananas.

A strip of the peel of a nice large banana may be turned back, and most of the pulp carefully scooped out. To fill the space left by the removal of the pulp prepare a mixture of thinly sliced banana, shredded orange or grape fruit, seeded white grapes and a few Pecan meats in small pieces. In their season, cherries may be added. Mix all this well in a salad bowl, with whipped cream, and fill banana peel. Serve on lettuce leaf.

CHERRY SALAD.

Cherries, Apples, Lettuce, Whipped Cream.

Stone nice, ripe sweet cherries, cut equal quantity of sweet apple with it, then serve on crisp lettuce leaves with whipped cream.

FRUIT SALAD.

Lettuce, Dates, A few Malaga Grapes, 2 Bananas, 1 Orange, Pecan Meats, Whipped Cream.

Cut the bananas, oranges, dates and grapes all into small pieces. Serve on lettuce leaf with a few pecans, or some kind of nuts, and a spoonful of whipped cream. This makes a very beautiful dish as well as delicious.

GRAPE FRUIT SALAD.

Lettuce, Grape Fruit, Salad Dressing.

Remove the seeds or center of grape fruit with a sharp knife. Cut the edible portion into small bits and serve on lettuce leaf with salad dressing. Makes a very dainty salad.

ORANGE AND APPLE SALAD.

1 Apple, 2 Oranges, Lettuce, Ground Nuts, Salad Dressing.

Cut in small pieces the orange and apple. Serve on a lettuce leaf with a dash of ground nuts and oil or salad dressing.

APPLE SALAD.

6 Apples, 1 head of Lettuce, Celery, Dressing.

Take six good-sized tart apples, pare them carefully, and scoop out a good portion of the inside. Fill this cavity with finely chopped, tender celery and ground nuts. Serve on lettuce leaf with salad dressing or whipped cream.

PINEAPPLE SALAD.

Pineapple, Strawberries, Lettuce.

Cut pineapple in small pieces. Wash tender leaves of lettuce and spread pineapple on them, with very ripe strawberries over the pineapple. Serve with salad dressing.

CHEESE EGGS.

Cream Cheese, Lettuce, Milk or Cream, Olives, Blanched Almonds, Radishes.

Moisten slightly cream cheese with milk or cream. Mould cheese around blanched almond the size of robin’s egg. Arrange in nest of lettuce leaves and garnish with ripe olives and tuliped radishes.

APPLES--CRESS SALAD.

Cress, Pecan Nuts, Apple, Hygia Dressing.

Wash thoroughly water cress, placing it in salad bowl. Cover with thinly sliced tart apple, placing pecan meats over this, and cover with Hygia dressing.

CRESS AND CABBAGE SALAD.

Cabbage, Radishes, Water Cress, Hygia Dressing.

Line salad bowl with finely sliced cabbage. Cover this with water cress, and so on, until bowl is filled. Decorate with tuliped radishes, and cover with dressing.

ASPARAGUS SALAD.

Cress, Tomatoes, Asparagus Tips, Hygia Dressing.

Cover platter with water cress, cover cress with thinly sliced tomatoes and asparagus tips, cover this lightly with Hygia dressing and serve.

NASTURTIUM SALAD.

Shred a head of lettuce, mingle with it a quantity of nasturtium leaves. Wash both thoroughly, place in a salad bowl and dot with nasturtium flowers. Serve with dressing.

CUCUMBER SALAD.

Cucumbers, Onions, Lettuce, Oil or Dressing.

Slice cucumbers and onions, serve on lettuce leaf with oil or dressing.

VEGETABLE SALAD.

1 small Carrot, A little Cabbage, A small piece of Green Pepper, A few Radishes, 1 White Turnip, 1 small Onion, A little Celery, Lettuce, Salad Dressing.

Grind or chop fine all vegetables. Serve on lettuce leaf with salad dressing.

SPINACH SALAD.

Spinach, Mint, Onions, Dressing.

Take a quart of young, tender spinach leaves with young onions and a sprig of mint. Cut up fine and serve with salad dressing.

NUT SALAD.

Nuts, Lettuce, Cucumbers, Dressing.

Wash nice, crisp lettuce leaves. Place over them ground nuts (pecan meats preferred) and finely cut fresh cucumbers, and serve with salad dressing or olive oil.

CRESS AND CELERY SALAD.

Take equal parts of water cress and tender celery stalks cut fine. Mix in a salad bowl and serve with Hygia dressing.

CELERY AND BRAZIL NUT SALAD.

Brazil Nuts, Celery Hearts, Hygia Dressing.

Cut in very thin slices ¹⁄₂ pound large Brazil nuts. Prepare in the same manner four or five very crisp celery hearts. Mix and salt to taste. Dress this with a few white leaves of celery. Serve with or without dressing.

MEXICAN SALAD.

Tomatoes, Olives, Peppers, Dressing.

Peel and slice four good-sized tomatoes. Seed and chop fine one small green pepper. Arrange these on lettuce leaves in a salad bowl. Stone and slice a dozen olives and mix them with the salad and serve with oil or dressing.

STUFFED TOMATOES.

Tomatoes, Green Peppers, Parsley, Lettuce, Onions, Cabbage, Cucumbers, Flaked Wheat.

Remove the center from tomatoes, chop fine with a few sprigs of parsley, one small onion, one cucumber, a little green pepper, cabbage or celery, and add enough flaked wheat to thicken or make stiff; and stuff the tomato shells. Serve on a lettuce leaf with salad dressing.

ASSORTED SALAD.

Lettuce, Green Onions, Cucumbers, Parsley, Radishes, Chipped Beef.

Wash clean two large heads of white lettuce, taking care to not break the leaves; peel and slice thinly two cucumbers of medium size. Put this in a bowl with teaspoonful of salt and a few lumps of ice for an hour before using. Peel and slice a few large-sized radishes. Decorate this with very small radishes. Leave in ice water until ready to use. Slice one small green onion, a little parsley chopped fine, and a few strips of chipped beef cut very fine. Arrange these nicely upon a lettuce leaf and serve with dressing.

ENDIVE WITH WINTER SALAD.

Water Cress, Celery, 1 Beet, Endive, Hygia Dressing.

A wholesome dish of salad may be made in winter by the aid of this plant. Only a little cress, celery and a small beet chopped fine makes a delicious salad served on the crisp blanched leaves of the endive. Serve with Hygia dressing.

ARTICHOKE SALAD.

Lettuce, Artichokes, Hygia Dressing.