ENCYCLOPEDIA OF
DIET

A Treatise on the Food Question

IN FIVE VOLUMES

Explaining, in Plain Language, the
Chemistry of Food and the Chemistry of
the Human Body, together with the Art of
Uniting these Two Branches of Science in the
Process of Eating, so as to Establish Normal
Digestion and Assimilation of Food and
Normal Elimination of Waste, thereby
Removing the Causes of Stomach,
Intestinal, and All Other
Digestive Disorders

BY

Eugene Christian, F. S. D.

Volume III

NEW YORK
THE CHRISTIAN DIETETIC SOCIETY
1914

Copyright, 1914
BY
EUGENE CHRISTIAN
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Published August, 1914

CONTENTS

Volume III

LESSON XII

Harmonious Combinations of Food and
Tables of Digestive Harmonies
and Disharmonies

CHEMICAL CHANGES PRODUCED BY COOKING

The application of heat to food is comparatively of recent origin in the evolution of mankind. The use of fire involves a certain amount of mental ingenuity, and could not be practised by man's anthropoid ancestors. Anthropoid animals, whether human or ape, have a great amount of curiosity for the unusual and the new.

Man probably began his cooking experiments by soaking hard foods in warm water, then in hot water, or by warming cold foods at his camp-fire. As heat volatilizes the pleasant odorous substance present in many foods, the custom of heating them probably became popular. The habit of cooking spread, as many other novel and interesting customs have spread, from this primitive process to the French chef, regardless of whether the results were beneficial or harmful.

The question whether foods should be eaten cooked or uncooked can best be answered by examining the chemical and mechanical changes produced in the process of cooking, and their consequent physiological effects.

Cooking may be divided into two classes, namely, Moist Heat and Dry Heat. To illustrate:

Effect of heat on sugars

Sugars are not chemically affected by boiling with water, while starch, cooked with boiling water, or steam, absorbs from three to five times its bulk of moisture, and changes into a soft, pasty, or semi-dissolved mass. Under dry heat, sugars are converted into a brown substance, known as caramel, while starch cooked under a temperature of 300° to 400° of dry heat, is changed into a dextrin, of which toast and zwieback are examples.

Effect of heat on fats

Fats are not changed chemically by moist heat; that is, by being boiled in water, but the globules are melted and the hot fat spreads in a film over other material which may be present. In dry heat, fats are chemically decomposed, forming irritating vapors. The odors of frying fat are due to the presence of small quantities of these decomposition products. In larger quantities, and with greater heat, these substances are exceedingly irritating to the mucous membrane of the stomach and the intestines.

Effect of heat on proteids

The chemical changes produced by heating proteids are of much more importance than are those which take place in other foods. Simple proteids, such as albumin and globulin, are coagulated at a temperature of about 160°. This change is familiar in the coagulation of egg whites under low temperature. Other proteids undergo similar changes, governed by the degree and kind of heat (dry or moist), to which they are subjected. This change in proteid material continues with the application of prolonged heat, until the proteid, under dry heat, is converted into a dark brittle mass, wholly insoluble and indigestible.

If the student will take the white of an egg, and bake it for some time in an oven, he will observe the coagulation or hardening of the proteid. The chemical nature of this change is one of great complexity. The molecules combine with each other, forming almost indestructible substances. The combined or coagulated forms of proteid are represented in nature by horns, hoofs, finger nails, and hair.

STARCH DIGESTION—COOKED AND UNCOOKED

Comparative digestion of cooked and uncooked grain

The student will remember the reference made in Lesson V to experiments concerning the digestibility of starch when taken in various forms. In these experiments, though conducted for the purpose of demonstrating the supposed advantage of excessive cooking, the results showed that at the time the contents of the stomach were removed, all the proteids of the uncooked grain had been digested, while the percentage of proteid digested from the various forms of cooked grain grew less as the cooking was increased. As the chief function of the gastric juice is the digestion of proteids, the real significance of the above experiments was exactly the opposite from that which was intended to be proved.

Reasons given for cooking starch

The statement is frequently made that the starch of grain cannot be digested without cooking, because the cells enclosing the starch grains have indigestible or insoluble cellulose walls. The old theory is that cooking expands the starch and ruptures or tears down these walls, freeing the contents so that the digestive juices may act upon the enclosed starch granules. This is a theory unsupported by facts. The cell walls on the interior of the grain kernel are very filmy, and in the mature grain scarcely exist at all. The analysis of wheat flour shows only a trace of cellulose fiber. Were these cellulose walls within the wheat grain, as this theory commonly teaches, flour would show a liberal quantity of cellulose. The cellulose wall theory, as a necessity for cooking starch, is an excellent illustration of the ease with which a groundless statement or theory may be used to prove or to explain some popular prejudice.

In the process of cooking, the tendency is to render the organic salts contained in food entirely inorganic. This change from organic to inorganic salts is measured by the temperature to which the foods are subjected. Many of these salts are combined with the nitrogenous constituents of food, therefore when subjected to certain degrees of heat they are of little value in the construction of the proteid molecules within the body. This is especially true of fresh or green vegetables.

EXCUSES FOR COOKING OUR FOOD

Ancestral habits not inherited

Inasmuch as the majority of people favor cooking, probably forgetting that about half of the food consumed in the world at the present time is taken in its natural or uncooked state, it may be well to mention some of the views advanced by those who believe that the present diet of cooked grain is better for modern man than an elementary diet, and who attempt to give a natural explanation. One theory is that man has subsisted so long upon cooked foods that his organs have become fitted for a cooked diet, and a cooked diet only. Another view sometimes advanced is, that while cooked foods were originally detrimental, yet by continued use man has become fitted for such a diet and unfitted for a natural diet. These are but other forms of the old belief in the inheritance of acquired characteristics. This belief, however, is steadily losing ground among evolutionists. There is no more reason to believe that a modified function of the stomach would be inherited, than there is to believe that small feet would be inherited among the Chinese women just because these organs are mutilated by local custom.

The best light of scientific knowledge now leads us to believe that the healthy child of today is, in its capacity for nutrition, essentially like the primitive child, and would thrive best upon a varied diet of natural foods.

EXPERIMENT UPON ANIMALS

While I do not claim that the methods of animal feeding apply accurately to man, yet the digestive and the assimilative processes of animals are so closely related to the human processes, that the results obtained in animal nutrition are very instructive to the student of human food science.

About thirty years ago, when the scientific study of agriculture first became prevalent, an experiment was made in cooked food for animals, upon an extensive basis. At that time it was the universal belief that man owed much of his superiority over other animals to the use of cooked food. This argument was put forth with great force and appeared quite reasonable. It was asked whether animals other than man would be benefited by changing to a cooked bill of fare.

Governmental experiments on cooked food for animals

During this agitation numerous western farmers put their hogs, chickens, cows, horses, and sheep upon a cooked bill of fare, and many enthusiastic feeders claimed beneficial results. Later the various Governmental Experimental Stations took up the subject and made many careful, complete, and comparative tests of the effects of cooked and uncooked food for animals. The result did not show the expected thing. The cooking experiments in the majority of cases proved injurious, and the general decision of the Government investigators was that cooking food for animals was useless and detrimental to the great live stock industry. Stock food cookery has now become entirely obsolete.

Cooking a habit of civilization

Man is the only animal that cooks his food, and has made great progress in civilization while subsisting on a cooked diet, but cooking is no more the cause of his advancement than silk hats and swallow-tailed coats. He has advanced only according to the degree that he has thought, studied, and experimented. Cooking has undoubtedly enabled man to utilize many things as food, that he could not and would not have used otherwise, but whether this has aided or retarded in his material progress is yet an unsolved question.

FOOD COMBINATIONS

The following tables are designed to convey, in the most condensed and simplified form, the results of my investigations in regard to food combinations.

It is somewhat difficult to give in any one table exact information concerning food combinations under the varying conditions of the body and its ever-changing requirements. The best that can be done is to lay out such groups as are fundamentally harmonious from a chemical point of view.

Quantity an important factor

The particular condition of the patient often reveals certain special requirements which must be dealt with according to the symptoms given off by the body. Many of these combinations, when taken under certain conditions, may appear disagreeable, but this can be overcome by leveling the proportions and limiting the quantity. Quantity is of very great importance for the reason that the most perfect selections of food can be made and blended into perfect chemical harmony, and still disagree with the normal stomach if a quantity is taken in excess of physical demands.

The use of these tables will serve to bring to the student's attention the advantage to be gained from a health-giving and curative point of view, as well as from simplicity in diet.

In considering the chemical harmony of foods, the student should keep in mind the time required for digestion, which involves not only the question of combining foods at the same meal, but also the taking, within a few hours after eating, of other articles that may produce chemical inharmony. For example: Milk, cereals, and sweet fruits are in chemical harmony, but a lemonade introduced into the stomach an hour or two later would produce inharmony, and be almost as harmful as if it had been taken with the meal.

Instinct a safe guide, if cultivated

There are many injurious combinations which the student will learn to omit from a sense of taste and instinct, and while our instincts have in many cases ceased to guide us aright, they will rapidly return and assume command if given a fair opportunity.

The perfect meal can be made from three or four articles, and the entire menu can be changed three times a day, but to take eight, ten, or a dozen things at the same meal, puts the quantity, as well as every article composing the meal, into jeopardy.

After one has eaten a sufficient quantity of food, and the taste has signalled "ENOUGH," something sweet or pungent is introduced. This puts into activity another set of taste buds which will accept a given quantity of another food. However, the stomach has already given off one signal of "enough," hence every pennyweight taken in excess of that amount is that much more than should be eaten.

In order to simplify the making of harmonious combinations, I have grouped the foods whose use I recommend in nine different divisions. A further subdivision of vegetables and fruits might have been made, but this would have increased the number of groups, making them more complicated and less practical.

HOW TO INTERPRET THE TABLES

In order to ascertain the articles with which any special food will combine, the student should turn to the table headed with the desired article of that group. If foods from three groups are to be considered, the student will look for two of them in the first vertical column on the left-hand side of the page, and will then follow across to the vertical column for the third article.

Figure (1) means especially beneficial
Figure (2) means good combinations
Figure (3) means somewhat undesirable
Figure (4) means particularly harmful

(a) "Fats with" figure (1), under the heading Grains, first table, page 609, means that the combination of "fats with grains" would be "especially beneficial."

(b) "Fats and eggs with" figure (2), under the heading Milk, page 609, means that "fats and eggs with milk" make a good combination.

(c) "Fats and milk with" figure (3), page 609, under column headed Nuts, means a "somewhat undesirable" combination.

(d) "Fats and acid fruits with" figure (4), under heading Milk, page 609, means that this combination would be "particularly harmful," etc.

It is impractical to print ready reference tables showing the harmony of more than three articles, but the student can judge this sufficiently well for himself by comparing the respective harmonies of the several foods of the group.

TABLES OF DIGESTIVE HARMONIES AND DISHARMONIES

Fats

(Such as Butter, Salad Oils, Cream, etc.)

TABLES OF DIGESTIVE HARMONIES AND DISHARMONIES

Eggs

TABLES OF DIGESTIVE HARMONIES AND DISHARMONIES

Milk

(Including skimmed and clabbered milk, buttermilk and fresh cheese)

TABLES OF DIGESTIVE HARMONIES AND DISHARMONIES

Nuts

(All common nuts except chestnuts and peanuts)

TABLES OF DIGESTIVE HARMONIES AND DISHARMONIES

Grains

(All cereal and starchy products)

TABLES OF DIGESTIVE HARMONIES AND DISHARMONIES

Vegetables

(Leafy or succulent vegetables as lettuce, spinach).
Fresh peas, carrots, parsnips, etc.—Potatoes being starchy, not included.

TABLES OF DIGESTIVE HARMONIES AND DISHARMONIES

Acid Fruits

(All acid and subacid fruits as listed in Lesson VIII)

TABLES OF DIGESTIVE HARMONIES AND DISHARMONIES

Sweet Fruits

(All non-acid fruits as listed in Lesson VIII)

TABLES OF DIGESTIVE HARMONIES AND DISHARMONIES

Sugars

(Cane and maple-sugars, sirup, and honey)

Lesson XIII

CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS
AND
FOOD TABLES

LESSON XIII

Simple Classification of Foods

While there is a dominating substance in all foods, yet they usually contain many compounds which render them, from a chemical standpoint, very difficult to classify accurately. For example, the principal nutrients in wheat are carbohydrates (starch and sugar), yet wheat contains mineral salts, fat, and protein, the latter being a compound consisting of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. Wheat would, therefore, be placed in the carbohydrate class, but it would overlap into several other classes. What is true of wheat, is true of nearly all other articles of food. Furthermore, foods do not chemically reproduce themselves when taken into the body, but in the process of metabolism they are converted either into other elements or into other compounds. From this it will be understood that the articles listed under the following headings are classified according to the nutritive substance which predominates in them, and are given for the purpose of guiding the practitioner in the selection of such foods as will supply the various chemical constituents of the body.

Foods which contain two or more substances in generous proportions may appear under two or more of the following headings, as in the case of peanuts. This humble article of food contains 19 per cent carbohydrates, 20 per cent protein, and 29 per cent fat, hence it is listed under the three headings—carbohydrates, proteids, and fats.

The tables comprise the best selections of food available in all countries and at all seasons of the year. They contain everything the body needs under the varying conditions of age, climate, and activity, except, perhaps, in some parts of the frigid zone.

In compiling these tables I have selected only such articles of food as experience has proved most useful.

SIMPLE CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS BASED ON PRINCIPAL NUTRITIVE SUBSTANCES

PURPOSES WHICH THE DIFFERENT CLASSES OF FOOD SERVE IN THE HUMAN BODY

While all the articles of food in the four above-named classifications contain other elements than the one under which heading they appear, yet the body uses or appropriates them for the following purposes:

PURPOSE OF CARBOHYDRATES

The carbohydrate substance in food is used by the body chiefly for the purpose of keeping up body-weight; that is, for the purpose of supplying the various fluids which fill the cell-structure. If one is suffering from emaciation, the carbohydrate element in food should predominate. While some of the more soluble proteids, especially milk and eggs, will give a rapid gain in weight, the weight will not be permanent unless sufficient carbohydrates are taken to supply the blood with all the required elements of nutrition, or, in other words, to level or to balance the body requirements.

PURPOSE OF FATS

Fats are used by the animal body primarily for the purpose of producing heat. Food is burned or oxidized in the blood, undergoing very much the same action as does the combustion of coal in a grate. The heat thus generated is delegated to the blood, and the blood, by its circulation, distributes this heat throughout the body. The carbon dioxid or waste matter formed during the circulation, is carried to the lungs, where it reunites with the oxygen which we breathe, and thereby again passes back into the atmosphere.

PURPOSE OF PROTEIDS

Proteid is a compound containing chiefly nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon. Its purpose is to form the muscular and the tissue structure of the body. To use a homely illustration, proteid may be compared to the material which makes the honeycomb, while the carbohydrate substance may be compared to the honey; that is, to the fluids which fill the cells.

Those performing heavy or active muscular labor should eat liberally of the proteid class of foods.

Under normal conditions, natural hunger will call for the quantity of proteid needed. The tendency, however, should be toward the minimum; that is, one should take the lowest quantity of proteid that the body requires to keep up the cell-structure. (See Lesson VI, p. 216.) Modern investigations have shown that, in many cases of extreme athletic tests, a low proteid diet has given the greatest endurance. This is accounted for by the fact that nearly all carbohydrates, especially of the grain family, contain from 8 to 12 per cent of proteids, which is quite sufficient, in many instances, to supply the body with all the tissue-building material necessary.

Inasmuch as the several nutritive elements found in a single article of food are better proportioned by Nature, than man can usually proportion them, the relation of one substance to another will be better divided if the entire meal be made to consist of only one kind of food, and both digestion and assimilation will therefore be more perfect. Under these conditions the blood will be laden with very little waste matter, which is the thing that reduces our powers of endurance. Therefore, when it is possible to secure the carbohydrate, the proteid, and the fatty substances from a single article of food which will give to the body greater strength and endurance than when we secure these substances from several sources, we should confine our menus to single articles of well-proportioned food. This thought, carried to its logical end, leads one more and more, as experience progresses, toward the mono-diet system.

PURPOSE OF MINERAL SALTS

Mineral salts serve two distinct purposes in the body:

1 They assist in building up the cartilage and the body-structure

2 They assist in the digestion, and in the dissolution of other foods, especially of the carbohydrate group, and more especially of the grain family

Grains are very difficult to subdivide into their constituent elements; that is, to reduce to a solution so fine that assimilation will be perfect. A liberal use of the foods containing mineral salts aids very materially in this process of solution.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIGESTIBILITY AND ASSIMILABILITY

The true interpretation of the word "digestion" is the preparation of food by the action of:

1 The saliva

2 The gastric juice

3 The bile, and

4 The pancreatic juice

When food is properly prepared by mastication by the time it reaches the pancreas, it should be thoroughly split up or subdivided, in which state it is ready for assimilation.

The true interpretation of the word "assimilation" is the absorption of all food substances through the walls of the intestinal tract, and the final passing of them into the circulation.

It is nothing unusual, however, for a person to become afflicted with predigestion, and, at the same time, with poor or faulty assimilation; in other words, digestion being too rapid, and assimilation being too slow. This condition frequently occurs in cases of superacidity. On account of the excess of acid, the food digests or passes from the stomach prematurely; that is, before it has been dissolved by the action of the hydrochloric acid. The food, thus super-charged with acid, passes from the stomach into the lower intestines, and sets up a condition of irritation. This irritation or swelling of the mucous surface (lining) of the intestines, closes the small canals, or winking valves, as they are sometimes called, thus seriously interfering with the passing of the dissolved food matter into the circulation.

The following table is designed to show the comparative assimilability of the leading articles of food, together with their starch, sugar, and water content:

TABLE SHOWING COMPARATIVE ASSIMILABILITY AND CARBOHYDRATE AND WATER CONTENT OF CEREALS, LEGUMES, AND VEGETABLES

* While all the vegetables mentioned in the above table belong to the carbohydrate class, yet the starch element contained in them is very much more assimilable than the starch contained in grains or legumes, therefore these vegetables may be eaten freely by those having rheumatic or gouty tendencies.

The starch and the sugar content in fresh vegetables appears low owing to the fact that they contain a large percentage of water. Eliminating the water, these foods rank in their starch and sugar content with cereals and legumes, and are much more easily digested and assimilated. In other words, if the chemist should reduce the water content to the same per cent as that of cereals, the carbohydrate content would rise in the same ratio as the water content is reduced. Both the starch and the sugar content of these vegetables is more digestible, and more readily assimilated than the starch and the sugar found in cereals and legumes.

PURPOSE OF THE VIENO TABLE

The student should remember that not only the quantity but the quality of food must be considered. The vieno system of food measurement, as herein explained, is the simplest system of food measurement that has ever been published. It is amply complete, and accurate enough for the purpose for which it is intended, and that is the calculation of the energy and the available nitrogen contained in natural dietaries.

This measurement is really a quantitative measurement; that is, it measures the quantity, not the quality. In order to have a full knowledge of a bill of fare, it is necessary to know, in addition to the quantity, the exact chemical nature of each particular food, and also to know the other foods with which that food will combine.

This food table tells accurately the amount of energy that may be derived from food by chemical analysis, but it does not tell the amount of energy that the body must expend in the work of assimilation. This cannot be given in a table, because it varies with the individual and the condition of his digestive organs.

LESSON XIV

VIENO SYSTEM OF FOOD MEASUREMENT

The amount of nutrition contained in a given quantity of food is often a determining factor in curative dietetics.

The two most important things to be considered in prescribing foods are:

1 The amount of energy contained in a given quantity

2 The amount of available nitrogen or tissue-building material in a given quantity

ENERGY

Energy is the power to do work. That form of energy with which we are most familiar is mechanical energy, as raising a stone or turning a wheel.

Heat is another form of energy. Heat and work can be converted into each other. The steam-engine turns heat into work, while a "hot box" on a car-wheel is a case of work being turned back into heat.

Amount of heat a food produces determines its energy

Experience shows that a definite amount of heat will yield a definite amount of work, so that the amount of heat produced by a given amount of food, when combined with oxygen, is taken as a measure of its energy. This is ordinarily expressed in calories, a calorie being the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one thousand grams of water one degree on the centigrade thermometer scale.

The use of these terms need not concern the student. Instead of using the calorie I will use a unit which is equal to one hundred calories. I have selected a unit of this size because it gives about the ordinary service of food at meals which is easily measured and remembered.

NITROGEN

Nitrogen is the chemical element that is most concerned with the function of life. All animal tissue contains nitrogen, which forms about one-sixth part, by weight, of all the nitrogenous or protein substances.

Proportion of Nitrogen in lean meat

If we were to take a hundred pounds of lean meat, or muscle, and evaporate from it all the water, we would have about eighteen pounds of dry material left. If we should analyze this dry substance, we would find that about one-sixth, or three pounds, would be the element nitrogen. Thus we say that muscle contains eighteen per cent of protein, or three per cent of nitrogen. In ordinary practise the protein is mixed with fats and salts, and cannot be measured by simply drying out the water, so the chemist finds the amount of nitrogen present and multiplies by 6.25, which gives about the correct per cent of protein. This method is not exact because the per cent of nitrogen in various proteids is not always the same, but it will give an intelligent average. I will discard the use of the term protein, and refer to the amount of nitrogen directly.

All compounds of the element nitrogen are not available as food. For example: The nitrogen of the air, of ammonia gas, or gunpowder cannot be utilized in the animal body. The nitrogen in foods only refers to available nitrogen. Compounds containing other forms of nitrogen are not foods, but are frequently poisons.

SYSTEMS OF FOOD MEASUREMENTS COMPARED

THE "OLD" SYSTEM

Under the old system of food measurement, feeding the human body cannot be made a practical science for the masses, therefore a new system becomes necessary. That we may more fully appreciate the value of a new system, let us consider the methods hitherto available.

Suppose a man is using two quarts of milk a day, and wishes to determine the amount of available nitrogen or tissue-building material and energy it contains. Under the old system he must get a book on food analysis, or send to Washington for a Government bulletin. If he does not understand the meaning of the terms and figures used, the tables would be useless to him until he goes to a chemist to have them explained. He is now ready to work out the nutritive value of his milk, and proceeds as follows:

First, he gets the number of cu cm in the milk, thus—952.8 (number cu cm in 1 quart) x 2 = 1905.6, number of cu cm in 2 quarts of milk. Second, he gets the weight of his milk in grams—1.032 (number grams in 1 cu cm of milk) x 1905.6 = 1966.57, number of grams in 2 quarts of milk.

He now turns to a table of analysis which tells him that milk contains 3 per cent of protein, 3½ per cent of fat, and 4½ per cent of sugar. As the amount of nitrogen in milk is approximately one-sixth of its entire protein, he would now get 16 per cent of the 3 per cent (.16 x .03 = .0048), which is the percentage of nitrogen contained in milk.

His next step would be—1966.57 (number grams in 2 quarts of milk) x .0048 = 9.44, the number of grams of nitrogen in 2 quarts of milk.

I will not explain the way in which the energy would have to be figured, but will merely give the arithmetical processes by which the result is obtained:

3 × 4.1 = 12.3
3.5 × 9.3 = 32.55
4.5 × 4.1 = 18.45
12.3 + 32.55 + 18.45 = 63.30
1966.57 × 63.30 = 124483.88
124483.88 ÷ 100 = 1244, the No. of calories or energy (heat units) contained in two quarts of milk.

THE NEW OR "VIENO" SYSTEM

Derivation of the word Vieno

To a unit of food-energy which is equal to one hundred calories (see last paragraph on "Energy"), I have given the name of Vieno, derived from "vital" and "energy," and pronounced vi-eń-o. The Vieno system, therefore, will measure all foods by vi-en-os, or units of energy equal to one hundred of the chemist's calories. One vieno of milk is one-sixth of a quart, or two-thirds of an ordinary glass. From this it is readily seen that two quarts of milk will give twelve vienos of energy, or, if we wish to express it in the chemist's term, twelve hundred calories.

How to compute amount of nitrogen in food

The table also states that milk has a nitrogen factor of .8. Therefore, if we wish to know the amount of nitrogen in the two quarts of milk, all we need do is to multiply the number of vienos by the nitrogen factor; 12 x .8 = 9.6, which figure represents the nitrogen consumption expressed in grams. (See explanation of fourth column of table.) These results are practically the same as those obtained by the old system of computation, but expressed in simpler terms. Thus we see that the vieno system of computing food values is unique in its simplicity, and will be a very material aid in putting Food Science on a practical basis.

NECESSITY FOR A SIMPLE SYSTEM

Neither volume nor weight are correct standards for measuring food values

Things are commonly measured by volume, or by weight. That volume could not be made sufficiently accurate in the measurement of food values is evident. A bushel of lettuce leaves would contain much less food value than a bushel of wheat. Weight would seem to be a fairer way to compare foods, but all foods contain water, which may vary from five to ninety-five per cent. A pound of turnips, which is nine-tenths water, would not be comparable with sugar, which has scarcely any water.

Even if it were not for the water, weight would not be a fair method of comparison because some foods are of more value per pound than others, owing to their difference in chemical composition. For instance, a pound of butter gives about two and one-fourth times as much heat to the body as sugar.

As before mentioned, the two chief food factors which we ought to measure are energy-producing and tissue-building power.

What constitutes a true food

All true foods when assimilated in the body produce some energy. In fact, only such substances as produce bodily energy, when combined with the oxygen taken in through the lungs, can be correctly termed food.

I have taken this energy-producing power of food as the best basis for measurement and comparison. The nitrogen could have been taken as a unit, and the energy figured by a table, but it is simpler to use energy as a unit (as given in column 3, p. [655]), and figure the nitrogen in the various foods by means of a table which gives the amount of nitrogen per unit of energy. (Column 4, p. [655].)

Multiplication of units of energy (column 3) by the nitrogen factor (column 4) is necessary because the ratio of nitrogen to energy is different in each food.

EXPLANATION OF TABLE

In the table that follows, I have attempted to give in the simplest way the amount of each particular food that one vieno equals.

The second column shows, in the plainest language possible, what one vieno of food equals—as, one vieno of barley equals one ounce; or, one vieno of nuts equals one rounded tablespoonful, etc. This method is, of course, only approximate, as in some foods it is impossible to find a simple term to express the amount of one vieno. This is especially true of cooked foods because of the varied amounts of water contained. In such cases the way for the student to become familiar with a vieno is to weigh one pound of the raw material, and, after it is cooked, weigh it again, and then calculate the water content.

The definition given in the second column in the case of milk, butter, eggs, and cheese is fairly accurate. The description given in the case of cereals and bread is also fairly accurate. In the list of fresh vegetables, no attempt has been made to describe one vieno by volume, as, vegetables being loose and bulky, it is practical to measure them only by weight.

Only the edible portion of food considered

In the case of fresh fruits, one vieno has been defined as "one large orange" or "six plums," etc. In such cases allowance for the non-edible portion has been made; all weights given in the table consider only the edible portion.

In the case of nuts, the definition of a vieno in so many spoonfuls is fairly accurate. This is done only as an illustration, and not continued throughout the table. The student should use only the second column of the table for rough work, and to help him figure the approximate amount of one vieno.

The third column of the table, which gives the number of vienos or the amount of heat-energy in one pound, is the column to which the student should refer in his work. A pound of food referred to in this column invariably means one pound of the edible portion.

Simple method of reducing food to vienos

The way for the student to calculate the amount of food in one vieno is to take a pound of the food that he is to use and divide it equally into as many portions as the number in the third column. For example: If one pound of wheat is given as equal to sixteen vienos, the student should weigh a pound of wheat and divide it into sixteen portions, and each of these portions will equal one vieno.

The nitrogen factor simplified

The fourth column of the table gives the approximate nitrogen factor; that is, the percentage of nitrogen by weight in one vieno. This column is to be used for computing the amount of nitrogen in the diet under all ordinary circumstances. The student should take the total number of vienos of each food and multiply this number by the nitrogen factor. The product will be the approximate amount of the nitrogen consumed, expressed in grams. This is the direct method of ascertaining the amount of available nitrogen in food.

Grams reduced to vienos

If in reading other works, the student finds the amount of nitrogen given in decigrams, he needs only to divide by ten in order to reduce it to this system, as a decigram is one-tenth of a gram. Likewise, protein can be reduced to grams, or decigrams, by a simple process of multiplication and division, as follows: Sixty grams of protein contains practically ten grams (one hundred decigrams) of nitrogen. Divide the amount of protein by six to change protein to the nitrogen unit. That is (Protein ÷ 6) = amount of nitrogen in grams.

The old-fashioned food table gave the amount of protein in per cent by weight, making it necessary to weigh the food, figure the amount of protein by multiplying the weight by the per cent, and then reducing this according to the rule given above. I explain this so that the student may be able to compare results expressed in the old table, with the vieno method, but in all practical work the student should use only this direct method which is much more simple and accurate.

The fifth column of the table gives the weight of one vieno in grams. This adds no new information, but only gives the weight of one vieno in the metric system. It should be used by those who wish to be accurate in their work, or by those who take a scientific interest in their dietary.

Examples for the student who desires to be exact

The last column of the table gives the actual amount of nitrogen in one vieno of food expressed in grams. This is the accurate figure from which the approximate nitrogen factor for ordinary use has been derived. For example: The actual amount of nitrogen in one vieno of chestnuts is .396. If this number is multiplied by the number of vienos of chestnuts eaten, we would have the actual number of grams of nitrogen consumed. Suppose ten vienos of chestnuts are eaten; we would multiply .396 by ten, which would give us 3.96 grams of nitrogen. For ordinary purposes, I use the nearest decimal, which is .4, and which I give in the fourth column as the nitrogen factor. Those who wish to figure the nitrogen with scientific accuracy should use the figures given in the last column of the table, as in the example I have given.

The Vieno system of food measurement is new, and is intended to give to the practitioner and to the housewife the greatest aid in balancing or proportioning the diet. I have therefore included in the following tables, all classes of foods, many of which I do not recommend or use in my scientific work.

TABLE OF FOOD MEASUREMENTS

DIRECT METHOD OF CALCULATING AVAILABLE NITROGEN IN FOOD

Multiplying the number of vienos (column 3) by the nitrogen factor (column 4) will give the amount of available nitrogen in the various foods, expressed in grams

TABLE OF FOOD MEASUREMENTS—(Continued)

HANDY TABLE

The weight of such foods as meat, fruit, etc., is so nearly equal to that of water that the weight may be calculated from the size, if that is known.

Milk is slightly heavier than water, while oils or fats are lighter.

Lesson XV

CURATIVE
AND
REMEDIAL MENUS
CONCLUDED

LESSON XV

Curative and Remedial Menus

INTRODUCTION

Scientific eating leads toward simplicity

Scientific eating consists in selecting the food the body requires according to age, occupation, and climate. These requirements can be supplied with a very few articles. The necessary changes in diet can always be made by varying the proportions. It is possible to select, for each of the four seasons of the year, three or four articles that will contain all the elements of nourishment the body needs, therefore true food science leads one inevitably toward the mono-diet plan; that is, making a meal of only one kind of food. Owing to our inherent desire to sit at the "groaning table" we may yet be a long distance from the mono-diet plan, but the science of human nutrition points with unerring certainty toward simplicity. It should be remembered, however, that one may eat, under nearly all conditions except extreme superacidity all he desires of one or two things—one preferred.

How foods become curative

In the light of modern medicine, no food has any specific curative property. Foods become curative only as they remove abnormal conditions, and they will remove abnormal conditions just to the extent that they can be perfectly digested and assimilated, and to the extent that waste matter is thoroughly eliminated from the body. In this way all possible resistance is removed, and Nature will build up the dis-eased and broken-down tissue in obedience to the law of animal evolution. This constructive process we call "curing."

While the menus for each season of the year may seem to vary but little, especially when compared with the conventional omnivorous diet, yet experience has proved that the fewer the articles composing the meal, the better will be the results.

COOKING

SOME IMPORTANT FACTS REVEALED BY MODERN SCIENCE

The object of cooking is to tear down the cell-structure of foods, and to make them more digestible. After the cell-structure is demolished, every degree of heat to which foods are subjected injures the foods instead of improving them.

GRAINS

Grains should be cooked whole. They should be cleansed, well covered with water, and boiled until the grains burst open as in making old-fashioned corn hominy. This will often take from three to four hours' constant boiling.

Cereals prepared in this way are more delicious, more nourishing, and far more healthful than any of the prepared or patented "breakfast foods," while the cost is perhaps about one-eighth or one-tenth of that of the popular patented products.

VEGETABLES

The old or popular method of cooking vegetables is to cover them generously with water and to boil them much longer than is necessary, then to drain off the water, season, and serve. By this process the mineral salts, in many cases the most valuable part of the food, are dissolved, passed into the water, and lost. In this way many excellent articles of food are greatly impoverished and reduced perhaps 50 per cent in nutritive value.

The time vegetables are cooked should be measured by their solidity. As an example, spinach can be thoroughly cooked in about fifteen minutes. In this way some of its elements are volatilized, giving it a delicious flavor and taste, while if cooked in an abundance of water, from half to three-quarters of an hour, which is the customary way, its best nutritive elements are lost by draining away the water, and it is rendered almost tasteless.

COOKING EN CASSEROLE

All succulent and watery vegetables such as cabbage and spinach, beans, carrots, onions, parsnips, peas, squash, turnips, etc., should be cooked in a casserole dish.

Prepare vegetables in the usual manner as for boiling. A few tablespoonfuls of water may be added to such articles as green beans and peas, beets, carrots, cauliflower, onions, parsnips, etc. Cover, and place in an ordinary baking oven until the vegetable is thoroughly cooked or softened. In this way vegetables in reality are cooked in their own juices, rendered much softer, more digestible, more delicious, and all their mineral salts and other nutritive elements are preserved, making them also more nutritious.

RICE AND MACARONI

Rice, macaroni, and spaghetti are exceptions to the above rules. They should be cooked in an abundance of water and thoroughly drained. In this way the excess of starch which they contain is disposed of, and their nutritive elements are better balanced. They are also rendered much more palatable and digestible.

FRUITS

If fruits can be obtained thoroughly ripe, they should never be cooked.

Dried or evaporated fruits can be prepared for the table by soaking them thoroughly in plain water for a few hours, or over night. In this way the green and inferior pieces are exposed and can be discarded. The excess of water can be boiled down to a sirup and poured over the fruit. In this way the fruit-sugar is developed, and sweetening with cane-sugar becomes unnecessary.

Soaking as above described is merely a process of putting back into the fruit the water that was taken out of it by evaporation or dehydration.

It is evident that that part of the fruit which will not soften sufficiently by soaking, to become palatable, was not ripe enough for food.

CANNED FOODS

The average table, especially hotels and restaurants, are supplied largely from canned foods. A process of perfect preservation of foods has never been invented and probably never will be. No matter how well foods may taste, they undergo constant chemical changes from the time they leave the ground or parent stalk until they are thoroughly decomposed. All vegetables, therefore, should be used fresh, if possible.

BUTTERMILK

An excellent quality of buttermilk may be made as follows: Allow sweet milk to stand (well covered) in a warm room until it thickens or coagulates; whip with an ordinary rotary egg beater without removing the cream.

HOME-MADE BUTTER

Sweet butter may be made in a few minutes from ordinary cream by placing it in a deep bowl and whipping with a rotary egg beater.

SUGGESTIONS CONCERNING THE SELECTION
AND THE PREPARATION OF CERTAIN
ARTICLES MENTIONED IN
THE MENUS

THE BANANA

The banana is a vegetable. It is one of our most valuable foods, as well as the most prolific. It will produce more food per acre, with less care and labor, than any other plant that grows.

While the banana grows only in the tropical countries, it is equally as good and useful to people of the northern zones.

Bananas that are transported to the North are cut green, and often immature; that is, before they have attained their full growth. This latter variety should never be used. In their green and unripened state, they are wholly unfit for food, and for these reasons there has arisen a broadcast prejudice against this most excellent article of diet.

HOW TO SELECT AND RIPEN BANANAS

Care should be exercised to select the largest variety—only those that have attained their full growth on the parent tree. If bananas cannot be procured "dead ripe" from the dealer, they should be purchased, if possible, by the bunch, or a few of the lower "hands" can be purchased and left on the stalk. They should be kept in the open air (that is, uncovered), in an even, warm temperature, and the end of the stalk covered with a clean white cloth, or immersed in water, kept fresh by changing daily. In this way the banana will mature, ripen slowly, and be almost as delicious as if obtained ripe from its native tree.

Bananas should not be eaten until they are "dead ripe"—black spotted. In this state, the carbohydrates which they contain are as readily digestible as fresh milk.

BAKED BANANAS

Peel large ripe bananas; bake in an open pan in a very hot oven from ten to fifteen minutes, or until slightly brown.

Baked bananas make a delicious dessert served with either of the following:

a Cream

b Nut Butter

c Dairy Butter

d Both dairy butter and a sauce made by
gradually diluting nut butter with a
little water, until a smooth paste is
formed

Bananas need much mastication, not for the purpose of reduction, but for the purpose of insalivation.

RECIPES

RECIPE FOR CODDLED EGG

Place an egg in a pint cup; cover with boiling water and allow to stand, covered, five or six minutes.

RECIPE FOR UNCOOKED EGGS

Break the number desired into a narrow bowl; add a teaspoonful of sugar to each egg, and a pinch of salt; whip very briskly with a rotary egg beater from five to eight minutes.

To each egg a teaspoonful of lemon juice and half a glass of milk may then be slowly whipped into the mixture, if desired.

RECIPE FOR BAKED OMELET

Whip two eggs very thoroughly for about five minutes; add a dash of salt, a dessert-spoonful each of corn-starch and of heavy cream. Bake very lightly in a small pan.

FISH AND FOWL
SELECTION AND PREPARATION

If we must eat the flesh of animals the young should be selected. It contains more digestible protein, especially albumin, than the old or matured animal, and has had less time in which to become contaminated by unhygienic habits. Both fish and fowl should be baked, boiled, or broiled; never fried.

RECIPE FOR PREPARING GREEN PEAS IN THE POD

After thoroughly cleansing the desired amount of fresh tender peas, unshelled, put them into a covered pot or casserole dish; add a few spoonfuls of water, a little butter and salt, and cook slowly until thoroughly softened; serve in the pod.

The peas may be eaten by placing the pod between the teeth, and then giving it a gentle pull. This strips off the outer coating or pulp, leaving only the thin film of cellulose.

NOTE: The pea pulp, or substance upon the pod, is rich in mineral salts, highly nutritious, slightly laxative, and an excellent aid in the digestion of other foods. It is a better balanced and a more valuable food than the pea.

PUMPKIN

Pumpkin may be made very delicious by stewing or boiling in just enough water to prevent burning. Mash well and put through a colander. Season and serve same as squash, or, prepare as directed, and bake until slightly brown.

VEGETABLE JUICE

Chop fine and boil carrots, peas, asparagus, or any other fresh vegetable from eight to ten minutes in sufficient water to make the amount of juice required; strain and serve.

The tender parts of the fresh vegetable may be thoroughly cooked, put through a colander, and served as a purée.

HOW TO MAKE SASSAFRAS TEA

Crush the bark of the red sassafras root, allowing a piece as large as a silver dime to each cup. Add the quantity of water desired; simmer from five to ten minutes. Drink with cream and sugar.

WHEAT BRAN

Wheat bran is the outer coating of the wheat grain. Chemically, it is pure cellulose, which is insoluble and indigestible in the ordinary digestive solvents of the body.

Wheat bran serves a valuable medicinal purpose in the stomach and in the alimentary tract. When introduced into the stomach, its cell structure fills with water, and it increases from four to eight times its size in its dry state. It excites both stomach and intestinal peristalsis, thereby preventing stomach indigestion, and by carrying the water along down the intestinal tract, it prevents intestinal congestion, or what is commonly called constipation. Wheat bran may be properly called an intestinal broom or cleansing agent.

Man, in the process of preparing his food, has invented expensive and complicated machinery for removing all cellulose and roughness from his diet. He has suffered both stomach and intestinal congestion just to the extent that this refining process has been carried on. Bran puts back into the diet not only what modern milling methods have taken out of it, but that which civilized habits of refining have eliminated from our food. It therefore naturalizes the diet, promotes digestion, cleanses the mucous surfaces of both the stomach and the intestines, and prevents congestion in the ascending colon, which is the primary cause of appendicitis, so called.

BRAN MEAL

Bran meal is the product of the entire wheat, ground coarsely, and mixed with a certain per cent of wheat bran. It makes an excellent bread.

Bread made from bran meal acts on the digestive and the alimentary organs, the same as the pure bran, only in a milder capacity. It also aids the stomach in the digestion of other foods. It is more nourishing than wheat flour, for the reason that it is better balanced, containing all the carbohydrate and the proteid elements of the grain.

Bread made from bran meal is better in the form of gems baked in small gem rings.

This meal requires neither baking powder nor soda, and should not be sifted.

CHOICE OF MENUS

Wherever two menus are given, choice may be exercised, but whichever menu is chosen, it should be taken in its entirety. In other words, do not select articles from one menu and combine them with articles mentioned in another menu. Neither should any article of food be eaten with a particular menu, other than that which is mentioned therein. By observing these suggestions, the proper combinations of food are observed, which is equally as important as the selections.

NOTE: In this volume there are some menus which contain combinations of food classed as No. 3 in Lesson XII, "Tables of Digestive Harmonies and Disharmonies," pp. [609] to [617] inclusive. This is explained by the fact that said "tables" are laid out for the normal person, while the menus were prescribed for the treatment of some special disorder, or for the purpose of removing some offending causes.

NORMAL MENUS

The following menus are intended for those possessing normal digestion and assimilation of food; that is, for those having no digestive disorders.

INTRODUCTION TO NORMAL MENUS

While a majority of the menus composing this volume were prescribed for the purpose of removing the causes of some specific disorder, a vast number of those treated remained under the care of the author long after they had become normal or cured, as the transition from dis-ease to health is usually termed.

Another large number of comparatively healthy persons, recognizing the relation between diet and health, came under the care of the writer for the purpose of having their diet selected, proportioned, and balanced according to age, occupation, and the season of the year.

The excellent results that were obtained, in nearly all such cases, emphasized the importance of giving a set of normal menus for normal people. All the following menus have been tested, under the direction of the author, and have been chosen because they gave the desired results.

SPRING MENU
FOR THE NORMAL CHILD

From 2 to 5 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• A few soaked prunes, with cream
• A small portion of coarse cereal, thoroughly cooked
• From one to two glasses of milk

LUNCHEON

• A baked potato
• Onions or carrots, well cooked
• Milk

DINNER

• Home-made vegetable soup or cream soup
• Green peas or asparagus tips
• A baked potato
• Milk

SUMMER MENU
FOR THE NORMAL CHILD

From 2 to 5 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• One very ripe peach
• A small portion of coarse cereal
• A baked sweet potato
• Milk

LUNCHEON

• Cream of rice, bean, or pea soup—home-made
• Whole wheat crackers, with butter
• Milk

DINNER

• A baked potato
• Peas or lima beans
• Whole wheat crackers or bran biscuits
• Milk

FALL MENU
FOR THE NORMAL CHILD

From 2 to 5 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Cantaloup or a very ripe peach
• Coarse cereal
• Milk

LUNCHEON

• A baked potato or whole wheat gem
• A coddled egg (See recipe, p. [677])
• Milk or junket

DINNER

• Cream soup—home-made
• Mashed turnips or carrots
• A very ripe banana, with cream and sugar

WINTER MENU
FOR THE NORMAL CHILD

From 2 to 5 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• A baked apple, with a little sugar
• Cereal—small portion
• Milk

LUNCHEON

• One or two bananas
• Milk

DINNER

• Corn hominy—small portion; thoroughly cooked
• Milk

The articles of food for children ranging from two to five years of age are about the same. The proportions, however, should be administered according to age.

The child from two to three years of age may be given a glass of milk between meals, but should eat a very light dinner, consisting of only two or three articles, while the child from three to five, especially after it has engaged in vigorous play, can, with safety, follow the menus herein prescribed.

SPRING MENU
FOR THE NORMAL YOUTH

From 5 to 10 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• A banana, with cream
• Milk or an egg
• Corn hominy

LUNCHEON

• A potato, or whole wheat bread, with butter
• Clabbered milk or cottage cheese

DINNER

• Peas, turnips, or carrots
• A potato—sweet or white
• Milk or an egg

SUMMER MENU
FOR THE NORMAL YOUTH

From 5 to 10 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• A peach
• Milk or an egg
• Boiled rice, with either honey or sugar and
• cream

LUNCHEON

• Tender corn or a potato
• Milk

DINNER

• Vegetable soup or cream soup
• Asparagus or string beans
• Tender corn or a potato
• Gelatin or Junket
• Milk

FALL MENU
FOR THE NORMAL YOUTH

From 5 to 10 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Prunes or grapes
• Cereal—a small portion
• Cream
• Milk

LUNCHEON

• Boiled onions
• Rice or potatoes
• Milk

DINNER

• One fresh vegetable
• Milk, fish, or an egg
• Potatoes or baked beans

WINTER MENU
FOR THE NORMAL YOUTH

From 5 to 10 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Cereal
• Honey
• Milk

LUNCHEON

• Cabbage or cauliflower
• Potatoes or baked beans

DINNER

• Boiled onions
• Corn bread
• Cottage cheese

SPRING MENU
FOR THE NORMAL YOUTH

From 10 to 15 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Dried peaches—stewed
• Oatmeal, or corn hominy, with either cream or butter
• Milk

LUNCHEON

• Rice with rich milk

DINNER

• Potatoes, either sweet or white
• Turnips, asparagus, or peas
• Fish, junket, or an egg

SUMMER MENU
FOR THE NORMAL YOUTH

From 10 to 15 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Cantaloup
• A banana or a sweet potato
• Corn cake with butter
• Milk

LUNCHEON

• Tender corn
• Milk

DINNER

• Vegetable soup or cream soup
• Spinach, onions, carrots, peas, beans, asparagus—any two of these
• A potato or whole wheat bread

FALL MENU
FOR THE NORMAL YOUTH

From 10 to 15 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• A banana, with cream and nuts
• Honey or maple-sirup
• Corn cake
• Milk

LUNCHEON

• Baked sweet potatoes, with butter
• Milk

DINNER

• Carrots, parsnips, or squash
• Potatoes, or corn bread, with butter
• Milk
• Nuts, raisins, and cream cheese

WINTER MENU
FOR THE NORMAL YOUTH

From 10 to 15 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Oatmeal or flaked wheat, thoroughly cooked; serve with thin cream
• A baked banana
• Milk

LUNCHEON

• One or two eggs
• Whole wheat bread
• Milk

DINNER

• One or two fresh vegetables
• Boiled rice or baked potatoes
• Gelatin or junket
• Milk

SPRING MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 15 to 20 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• A very ripe banana with cream and dates
• Plain boiled wheat, or oatmeal, with cream
• Milk

LUNCHEON

• Home-baked beans
• Whole wheat gems
• Milk

DINNER

• Cream or vegetable soup
• Asparagus or peas
• Rice or a baked potato
• Egg custard or ice-cream
• Milk or cocoa

SUMMER MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 15 to 20 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Melon or peaches
• One or two eggs with whole wheat gems
• Milk

LUNCHEON

• Fresh peas, beans, or carrots
• Corn or potatoes
• Milk—sweet or sour

DINNER

• Boiled onions, beets, or squash
• Potatoes or lima beans
• Lettuce and tomato salad with nuts
• Bran meal gems

FALL MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 15 to 20 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Cantaloup
• Corn cake with maple-sirup, or rice cake with honey
• Milk

LUNCHEON

• Broiled fish
• Baked potatoes

DINNER

• Cantaloup
• Turnips, carrots, spinach, peas, beans, or onions—any two of these
• Corn bread or baked potatoes
• Milk or cocoa

WINTER MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 15 to 20 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Soaked prunes
• Rice, or corn hominy, with cream
• Very ripe banana with nuts and cream

LUNCHEON

• Whole wheat bread with nut butter and nuts
• Rich milk

DINNER

• Soup
• Winter squash or stewed pumpkin
• Sweet potatoes
• Celery and nuts

SPRING MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 20 to 33 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Cherries or very sweet berries with sugar—no cream
• Cereal with butter
• One or two eggs
• Whole wheat muffins
• Milk or cocoa

LUNCHEON

• Peas in the pod
• Baked potatoes or whole wheat gems
• Buttermilk

DINNER

• Soup
• Asparagus or fresh peas
• Potatoes
• A green salad—optional
• Bran meal gems

SUMMER MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 20 to 33 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Cantaloup or peaches
• Coddled eggs
• Whole wheat or corn muffins
• Cocoa or milk

LUNCHEON

• Boiled corn
• Lettuce and tomato salad, with nuts and raisins

DINNER

• A light soup
• One or two fresh vegetables
• Rice or tender corn
• Ice-cream or gelatin

FALL MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 20 to 33 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Choice of non-acid fruit
• Two baked bananas with cream
• Whole wheat, boiled
• Nuts
• Milk or cocoa

LUNCHEON

• Home-baked beans
• Lettuce, or celery, with nuts
• Cottage cheese with whole wheat bread

DINNER

• Soup—optional
• Sweet or white potato
• String or lima beans
• Lettuce, or romaine, with nuts
• Whole wheat or bran meal gems

WINTER MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 20 to 33 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• A very ripe banana with dates, nuts, and cream
• Oatmeal or corn hominy—choice; small portion
• Milk or cocoa

LUNCHEON

• A poached egg or a baked potato
• A glass of buttermilk

DINNER

• Tender fish, broiled
• Baked potatoes
• Lettuce, or celery, with nuts and raisins

SPRING MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 33 to 50 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Boiled whole wheat, or hominy, or corn bread
• Two eggs or a bowl of clabbered milk

LUNCHEON

• One whipped egg and a pint of milk
• A whole wheat cracker or a baked potato

DINNER

• Cream soup
• Asparagus, peas, turnips, or carrots
• Potatoes or baked beans

SUMMER MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 33 to 50 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Berries, peaches, or melon
• A baked sweet potato
• A banana (very ripe) with nuts, cream, and raisins
• Milk or cocoa

LUNCHEON

• Tender corn on the cob, with butter
• A glass of milk—optional

DINNER

• Fresh peas, beans, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, beets—any two of these
• Green corn or a potato
• Lettuce and tomato salad, with nuts
• Orange ice or peach ice

FALL MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 33 to 50 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Two large, very ripe bananas, baked; serve with cream
• Whole wheat or graham gems
• One egg or a glass of milk

LUNCHEON

• A large, baked potato and a poached egg
• Cocoa or chocolate

DINNER

• Soup—cream of celery or tomato
• Turnips and lima beans
• Bran meal gems or a baked potato
• Cocoa or chocolate

WINTER MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 33 to 50 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Two eggs, coddled
• Whole wheat muffins
• A cup of chocolate or a cup of hot water with sugar and cream

LUNCHEON

• Home-baked beans
• Lettuce or celery
• A few nuts

DINNER

• Carrots, parsnips, or cabbage
• A baked potato
• Broiled fish or a nut omelet
• Cocoa, chocolate, or sassafras tea

Note: Sassafras tea is made from the bark of red sassafras. (See p. [681.])

SPRING MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 50 to 65 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• A cup of hot water with milk or sugar
• A coddled egg and a baked potato

LUNCHEON

• Junket or a bowl of clabbered milk
• One or two baked bananas

DINNER

• Peas or asparagus
• New potatoes or bran meal gems
• A cup of cocoa or a cup of hot water with cream

SUMMER MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 50 to 65 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Peaches, plums, or melon
• Coarse cereal with cream
• Cocoa or hot water with cream

LUNCHEON

• A sweet potato with butter
• Cheese with water-cracker
• Milk or chocolate

DINNER

• Peas, beans, or carrots
• Lettuce or spinach
• Green corn or a potato
• Cottage cheese with cream and a water-cracker

FALL MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 50 to 65 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• A bunch of grapes or a melon
• Bran meal gems or plain boiled wheat
• Cocoa or hot water with cream

LUNCHEON

• Very ripe bananas with cream
• Dates and nuts
• A glass of milk

DINNER

• Lima beans and creamed onions
• A baked potato
• Whole wheat or bran meal gems

WINTER MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 50 to 65 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Soaked prunes
• Baked chestnuts
• Clabbered milk or junket

LUNCHEON

• A bowl of milk with boiled rice

DINNER

• Baked onions and winter squash
• Baked beans
• A cup of cocoa
• One or two whole wheat crackers and cottage cheese

SPRING MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 65 to 80 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Two or three very ripe bananas, baked; serve with cream
• Nuts, raisins, and either cream or cottage cheese
• Cocoa or hot water

LUNCHEON

• A bowl of sour milk
• Rye bread or bran meal gems

DINNER

• Cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, or squash
• A potato
• Cheese or an egg

Note: If there is a tendency toward rheumatism, gout, or lumbago, eggs should be omitted.

SUMMER MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 65 to 80 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Peaches, pears, grapes, or melon
• A baked sweet potato or potato cakes
• Sassafras tea with cream
• (See recipe, p. [681])

LUNCHEON

• String beans or new peas
• Rye bread
• Cottage cheese

DINNER

• Carrots, squash, beets, or onions
• Lima beans or a potato
• Buttermilk
• Bran meal gems

FALL MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 65 to 80 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Melon, persimmons, or a baked apple
• Boiled chestnuts or rice with cream
• A cup of chocolate or a cup of hot water

LUNCHEON

• A bowl of milk with corn bread

DINNER

• Boiled onions, carrots, or stewed pumpkin
• A potato—sweet or white
• A baked banana with cream cheese
• A cup of cocoa or chocolate

WINTER MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 65 to 80 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Soaked prunes
• Boiled wheat—small portion
• Cream, hot water, or chocolate

LUNCHEON

• A Spanish onion cooked en casserole
• A baked potato
• Buttermilk

DINNER

• Stewed pumpkin or winter squash
• A sweet potato
• Broiled fish—small portion
• Cocoa

SPRING MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 85 to 100 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Two baked bananas, with cream
• Two egg whites, whipped into a glass of milk

LUNCHEON

• New peas in the pod (See recipe p. [679])
• A glass of sour milk

DINNER

• Bean soup
• Baked sweet or white potatoes
• Cottage cheese with cream and sugar

SUMMER MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 85 to 100 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Cantaloup
• A bowl of clabbered milk
• Bran meal gems

LUNCHEON

• Purée of rice with milk

DINNER

• A baked or boiled sweet potato
• Purée of peas
• Egg custard or gelatin

FALL MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 85 to 100 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Wheat flakes, thoroughly cooked; serve with cream
• Warm milk

LUNCHEON

• A coddled egg with a baked potato
• A cup of chocolate

DINNER

• Cream of celery soup
• Bran meal gems
• A potato
• Cocoa or sassafras tea (See recipe, p. [681])

WINTER MENU
FOR THE NORMAL PERSON

From 85 to 100 Years of Age

BREAKFAST

• Two very ripe bananas, baked, eaten with nut butter and cream
• Sassafras tea or a cup of chocolate

LUNCHEON

• Cream of potato soup
• Whole wheat crackers

DINNER

• Purée of peas or beans
• A potato—sweet or white
• Chocolate or hot milk

CURATIVE MENUS

INTRODUCTION TO CURATIVE MENUS

Scientific investigation leads one inevitably to the conclusion that a vast number of so-called dis-eases are caused by errors in eating; that is, by wrong selections, wrong combinations and wrong proportions of food. (See chart, Vol. I, p. 9, showing the number of dis-eases caused by superacidity.) This chart will give the reader some idea of the number of disorders that may originate from one source or from one fundamental cause.

While superacidity is a true dis-ease, and may cause all the disorders shown on this chart, yet behind superacidity there is a parent cause, namely, wrong eating. In the light of these facts, it is obvious that a department of curative and remedial menus should constitute an important feature of this work.

For each patient who came under the care of the author (over 23,000 in all), there was prescribed an average of six menus, covering a period of six weeks. Each patient was required to keep an accurate record of his or her diet, and the symptoms that developed after each meal. This record was either brought to the author in person, or sent to him through the mails.

From this vast amount of data and clinical experience, the writer was enabled to select all the menus composing this volume, from those that had proved successful in the various disorders treated. This volume, therefore, is composed of only such menus as gave the desired results. It represents the refined experience of twenty years' active practise in Scientific Feeding.

MENUS FOR SUPERACIDITY

SPRING MENU

ABNORMAL APPETITE
SUPERACIDITY

Abnormal appetite is caused by the surplus acid which is left in the stomach after digestion has taken place. This surplus acid causes irritation of the mucous membrane of both the stomach and the pylorus. The supersecretion of acid, in turn, is caused by overeating, by taking foods in combination which are chemically inharmonious, by sedative and intoxicating beverages, by tobacco, and by all stimulating drugs. The logical remedy, therefore, is to omit the use of these things, and to regulate the diet according to age, occupation, and chemistry, and to drink copiously of water both at meals and between meals.

BREAKFAST

• Plain or flaked wheat, boiled very thoroughly; serve with butter, cream, and nuts
• A baked or broiled banana

LUNCHEON

• Purée of pea soup, made from the pod
• Baked potatoes
• One egg, boiled two minutes, or lightly shirred

DINNER

• Spinach or dandelion, cooked
• Boiled onions, peas, asparagus—any two of these
• A very small portion of tender fish (optional)
• A baked potato
• Gelatin or junket

Note: For all cases of superacidity, see "Importance of Water-drinking," Vol. II, p. 434.

SUMMER MENU

ABNORMAL APPETITE
SUPERACIDITY

BREAKFAST

• A melon or extremely ripe peaches; melon preferred
• Two or three eggs, whipped; flavor with sugar and fruit-juice, and add half a glass of milk to each egg

LUNCHEON

• A liberal portion of tender corn, with butter
• Half a glass of milk

DINNER

• A green salad with grated nuts
• Any two fresh vegetables
• A very small portion of fish
• A small, baked potato
• Cantaloup

Drink one or two glasses of water at each meal.

FALL MENU

ABNORMAL APPETITE
SUPERACIDITY

BREAKFAST

• Cantaloup, or very ripe tomatoes with a sprinkle of sugar and a spoonful of cream
• A morsel of smoked fish
• A baked potato or a bran meal gem

LUNCHEON

• A green salad
• Turnips, Brussels sprouts, onions, green corn, lima beans—any two of these
• A wheat muffin or a slice of corn bread

DINNER

• Slaw or celery
• Any vegetable from the luncheon selection
• Baked beans or a baked potato
• Junket or gelatin

The noon meal should be omitted if the breakfast is late.

WINTER MENU

ABNORMAL APPETITE
SUPERACIDITY

BREAKFAST

• Three egg whites and one yolk whipped, eaten with baked bananas and thin cream
• Bran meal gems
• Salted almonds

LUNCHEON

• Boiled Spanish onions
• A baked potato

DINNER

• Cream of pea soup or corn soup
• Celery or slaw
• Carrots or parsnips
• Spinach, with egg
• Baked dried beans or a sweet potato

Drink an abundance of cool water at each meal.

If the patient is suffering, or recovering from a severe attack of stomach irritation, the quantity of solid food should be reduced, and the quantity of water increased.

SPRING MENU

SOUR STOMACH (SUPERACIDITY)
IRRITATION OF STOMACH AND INTESTINES

On rising, drink two glasses of cool water. Devote from three to five minutes to vigorous, deep breathing exercises.

BREAKFAST

• Whole wheat or a corn-meal gem
• Two eggs very lightly cooked
• Half a cup of wheat bran, cooked and served as a porridge, with butter and salt
• Half a glass of water

LUNCHEON

• Tender asparagus, peas, or beans
• New potatoes
• A small portion of wheat bran
• A glass of water

DINNER

• New peas or asparagus
• New potatoes, baked
• Whole wheat, boiled; serve with butter
• A glass of water

At least two glasses of water should be drunk between breakfast and luncheon, and between luncheon and dinner.

The quantity of food may be slightly increased as the patient improves, and the meals may be varied by changing the vegetables current in the market. The general combinations and the proportions, however, should be observed for two or three weeks.

SUMMER MENU

SOUR STOMACH (SUPERACIDITY)
IRRITATION OF STOMACH AND INTESTINES

Immediately on rising, drink two glasses of water.

BREAKFAST

• Cantaloup, or very ripe peach—neither sugar nor cream
• Tender corn, scraped from the cob; cook slightly with a whipped egg and butter, stirring constantly
• A glass or two of water
• (Mastication should be very thorough)

LUNCHEON

• String beans and either young carrots or onions
• A baked potato
• One egg, prepared choice

DINNER

• Fish—very tender
• A baked potato
• A green salad with nuts
• An ear of tender corn
• A glass or two of water

Just before retiring, drink two glasses of water.

FALL MENU

SOUR STOMACH (SUPERACIDITY)
IRRITATION OF STOMACH AND INTESTINES

Observe the instructions in regard to water-drinking and deep breathing, which were given in connection with the spring menu.

BREAKFAST

• Cantaloup, peaches, or persimmons
• A glass of clabbered milk
• One whipped egg
• A small portion of steamed or boiled whole wheat
• A tablespoonful of clean, wheat bran

LUNCHEON

• Choice of the following—
• a Two or three exceedingly ripe bananas (red variety preferred), eaten with cream, two figs, and either nuts or nut butter
• b A baked sweet potato

DINNER

• Lettuce, endive, or romaine salad, with dressing or olive-oil and whipped egg
• Tender corn or string beans
• A baked potato
• A baked banana

From one to three glasses of water should be drunk at each of these meals—half a glass at the beginning; a glass during the progress of the meal, and a glass at the close.

WINTER MENU

SOUR STOMACH (SUPERACIDITY)
IRRITATION OF STOMACH AND INTESTINES

On rising, drink two or three glasses of water, and take vigorous exercise and deep breathing.

BREAKFAST

• Two heaping tablespoonfuls of plain wheat, thoroughly cooked, or simmered over night; eat with butter and nuts
• One or two eggs, either whipped or cooked two minutes

The entire meal may consist of boiled wheat and butter, with a very little cream, unless the weather is exceedingly cold, in which event the wheat may be reduced in quantity, and two, or even three, whipped eggs taken.

LUNCHEON

• A liberal portion of baked sweet potato
• Stewed pumpkin or winter squash, with either butter or olive-oil
• A cup of chocolate

DINNER

• Carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets, onions—any two of these
• A small portion of tender fish or fowl; or, an egg preferred
• A baked potato
• Celery, or slaw, with nuts

Avoid overeating. Stomach fermentation is caused largely by taking into the stomach a quantity of food in excess of digestive ability or of bodily requirements. The logical remedy, therefore, is to limit the quantity of food, or to increase the amount of physical exercise.

SPRING MENU

SOUR STOMACH—INTESTINAL GAS CONSTIPATION

On rising, drink a glass or two of water, eat a spoonful of cherries or berries, and devote a few minutes to vigorous exercise.

BREAKFAST

• Half a cup of wheat bran
• One or two red bananas—very ripe; baked if preferred. Served with either a spoonful of nuts or nut butter
• Raisins and cream

LUNCHEON

• Two tablespoonfuls of wheat bran
• Two eggs—preferably whipped
• Lettuce, with young carrots and grated nuts
• Boiled onions
• A baked potato

DINNER

• Wheat bran
• Choice of the following vegetables, baked in casserole dish: peas, asparagus, or onions
• Spinach, with egg
• A few spoonfuls of plain boiled wheat
• A baked potato

Drink two glasses of cool water at each of these meals.

Just before retiring, take a small portion of wheat bran, and spend at least ten minutes in vigorous exercise.

SUMMER MENU

SOUR STOMACH—INTESTINAL GAS CONSTIPATION

Drink copiously of cool water, and take a brisk walk or vigorous exercise and deep breathing before breakfast.

BREAKFAST

• Cantaloup or peaches—no cream
• Half a cup of wheat bran, cooked
• Whipped egg—a dash of sugar
• A baked banana—very ripe
• One or two glasses of water

LUNCHEON

• A green salad
• An ear or two of tender corn, masticated very thoroughly
• Nuts
• Wheat bran
• A glass or two of water

DINNER

• A green salad
• Choice of two fresh vegetables—peas, corn, beans, okra, eggplant beans, okra, eggplant
• A potato
• Cream cheese with nuts and raisins
• A small portion of bran, cooked
• Water

Cool water should be drunk freely at meals, and mastication should be thorough.

FALL MENU

SOUR STOMACH—INTESTINAL GAS CONSTIPATION

First Day: On rising, drink two glasses of water, and devote three or four minutes to Exercises 3 and 5. (See Vol. V, pp. 1344 and 1345.) Inflate the lungs every fourth or fifth movement to their extreme capacity.

BREAKFAST

• Steamed or boiled whole wheat
• A tablespoonful or two of coarse wheat bran (This may be cooked, and served the same as any ordinary cereal, and eaten with butter and salt)
• One or two exceedingly ripe bananas (baked if preferred), eaten with cream and nut butter
• One egg whipped very briskly, to which add a teaspoonful each of sugar and of lemon juice while whipping

LUNCHEON

• Four glasses of milk, drinking half a glass every six or eight minutes

DINNER

• Choice of two of the following vegetables:
• Carrots, parsnips, squash, beets, tender cabbage
• A baked potato or whole wheat bread
• A green salad or celery
• One egg, whipped (The egg could be omitted, and the combination of foods would still be well balanced)
• Wheat bran

Just before retiring, take a spoonful of wheat bran in half a glass of water. Exercise as prescribed for the morning.

Second Day: The same as the first, increasing the quantity of food, if hungry. The noon meal could consist of two eggs, prepared as prescribed, and one fresh vegetable, uncooked, such as carrots or turnips, eaten with a green salad and either nuts or olive-oil. A banana, with very thin cream, might also be taken.

Third Day: Practically the same as the second, varying the breakfast by omitting eggs, allowing it to consist of bananas, soaked prunes and cream; or, oatmeal in small quantity, with thin cream; or, if agreeable, let it consist of the same articles as prescribed for the first day.

FOURTH DAY:

BREAKFAST

• A cup of hot water
• Bran meal gems, with butter
• Bananas, with soaked prunes, and either nuts or nut butter (Bananas should be baked unless very ripe)

LUNCHEON

• Two egg whites and one yolk rolled with whipped cream into a very rare omelet
• A small, baked potato

DINNER

• Anything in the way of a salad—celery, lettuce, cabbage
• String beans, parsnips, pumpkin, squash, onions, or carrots
• One egg whipped or cooked two minutes
• A baked potato or baked beans

Just before retiring, take a heaping tablespoonful of wheat bran and the exercises which were prescribed for the first day.

Fifth Day: Same as the fourth.

Sixth Day: Same as the first, repeating the diet, day by day, for twelve or fifteen days.

WINTER MENU

SOUR STOMACH—INTESTINAL GAS CONSTIPATION

Immediately on rising, take a cup of hot water, into which put two tablespoonfuls of wheat bran. Devote from three to five minutes to deep breathing exercises.

BREAKFAST

• Half a cup of wheat bran cooked from twenty to thirty minutes; eat with cream and a very little salt
• One or two very ripe bananas, with cream and nuts
• Whole wheat, thoroughly cooked

LUNCHEON

• Boiled onions, carrots, or squash—any one or two of these
• A bit of green salad or celery
• A baked white potato—eat skins and all
• A tablespoonful of wheat bran, either cooked or uncooked

DINNER

• A bit of slaw or celery
• Spinach, carrots, parsnips, beets, turnips, pumpkin, or squash—any one or two of these pumpkin, or squash—any one or two of these
• Baked beans or baked sweet or white potatoes
• A small portion of fish or chicken (If this is not convenient, an egg, lightly cooked, may be eaten)

If something sweet is desired, a small portion of plain ice-cream or gelatin may be eaten once a week.

From one to two glasses of water should be drunk at each of these meals.

If it is cold, and something hot is desired, a cup of sassafras tea, made from the bark of the red sassafras root, may be taken at the morning and the evening meal. (See p. [681].)

Just before retiring, devote three or four minutes to deep breathing exercises.

At the beginning of the evening meal, or on retiring, two or three tablespoonfuls of bran may be taken in a little hot water. The quantity of bran may be reduced according to the condition of the bowels.

SPRING MENU

STOMACH AND INTESTINAL CATARRH

Catarrh of the stomach is merely a form of chronic irritation caused by a residue of hydrochloric acid in the stomach following the process of digestion. This condition is augmented by intoxicating and stimulating beverages—tobacco, liquor, beer, tea, coffee; by acids, such as vinegar, lemon, grapefruit, and pineapple juices; by cane-sugar, cereal starches, and meat. The remedy, therefore, is found in eliminating these things, and in confining the diet to the following foods:

Inasmuch as the primary cause of stomach catarrh is supersecretion of hydrochloric acid, an abundance of pure water should be drunk at meals and also between meals.

BREAKFAST

• A cup of hot water
• Egg whites, whipped, mixed with lukewarm milk; drink slowly

Drink a cup of hot water about 11 a. m.

LUNCHEON

• A cup of hot water
• A green salad or one fresh vegetable
• A new potato, baked; serve with butter
• Rice, simmered over night; serve with rich milk
• Half a cup of water at close of meal

Drink a cup of hot water about 4 p. m.

DINNER

• A cup of hot water
• Two fresh vegetables
• A new potato, baked
• Bran gems, with butter
• An egg, or a very small portion of either tender fish or chicken

Mastication must be perfect.

Bread, flour, and cereal products should be omitted, with the exception of a very limited quantity of thoroughly cooked rice and wheat bran.

Sweets, desserts, tea, coffee, all sedative and stimulating beverages, and drugs and narcotics should be omitted.

Water should be drunk copiously both at meals and between meals.

SUMMER MENU

STOMACH AND INTESTINAL CATARRH

BREAKFAST

• A bit of subacid or non-acid fruit—pear, peaches, plums, or melon
• Whipped eggs, using an excess of whites
• An extremely ripe banana, baked, eaten with very little thin cream

LUNCHEON

• A green salad with nuts
• Tender corn or string beans
• A baked sweet or a white potato

DINNER

• A salad with grated nuts—no dressing
• One or two fresh vegetables—corn, peas, beans, carrots
• A baked white potato
• A whipped egg, or fish, if engaged in manual labor
• A very ripe peach or a melon

FALL MENU

STOMACH AND INTESTINAL CATARRH

BREAKFAST

• A melon or a very ripe peach
• Two or three glasses of fresh milk, taken slowly
• Half a cup of wheat bran, cooked

LUNCHEON

• A very small portion of green salad, with grated nuts
• Tender corn, lima beans, or lentils

DINNER

• A green salad, with grated nuts
• Stewed pumpkin or squash
• Corn, carrots, or parsnips
• A baked potato or baked beans

WINTER MENU

STOMACH AND INTESTINAL CATARRH

BREAKFAST

• A pint of junket
• One whipped egg

LUNCHEON

• Vegetable soup
• Boiled onions, carrots, or turnips
• An egg or a small portion of tender fish
• A baked potato

DINNER

Choice of the following cooked in a [B]casserole dish:

a Cauliflower, cabbage, or Brussels sprouts

b Carrots, parsnips, or turnips

A baked potato

A vegetable salad with ripe olives and nuts

[B] For cooking en casserole, see p. [671.]

MENUS FOR FERMENTATION

SPRING MENU

FERMENTATION—INTESTINAL GAS FEVERED STOMACH AND LIPS CANKERS ON TONGUE

BREAKFAST

• A glass of cool water
• Three or four egg whites and one yolk, whipped; sweeten slightly; add half a glass of milk
• Gelatin, without fruit, or two extremely ripe bananas baked in a casserole dish

LUNCHEON

• Carrots, parsnips, or turnips
• Peas or asparagus
• A white potato, either baked or boiled

DINNER

• Cream of asparagus soup, made rather thin
• Peas in the pod (See recipe, p. [679])
• A new, white potato, baked; serve with very little butter
• One egg, whipped
• A glass or two of cool water

An abundance of cool water should be drunk between meals, and from one to two glasses at meals.

Fevered stomach is caused by fermentation of food—hyperacidity. After the diet is balanced so as to be chemically harmonious, the next most important thing is copious water-drinking at meals and between meals.