The cover image was created by the transcriber, based on the cover image of Volume I, and is placed in the public domain.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DIET

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 IV

NEW YORK
THE CHRISTIAN DIETETIC SOCIETY
1914

Copyright, 1914
BY
EUGENE CHRISTIAN

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Published August, 1914

CONTENTS

VOLUME IV

LESSON XV

CURATIVE
AND
REMEDIAL MENUS
CONCLUDED

Low Vitality (continued)

SPRING MENU

LOW VITALITY—UNDERWEIGHT WEAK DIGESTION

Take a cool sponge or a shower bath, a few minutes’ vigorous exercise, and a cup of hot water just after rising.

BREAKFAST

Strained orange juice, diluted—one-half water

One egg whipped five or six minutes with a rotary egg beater, to which add a spoonful of sugar, a flavor of pineapple juice, and a glass of milk

Half-cup of wheat bran, cooked, and a spoonful or two of steamed wheat

LUNCHEON

Three eggs prepared as for breakfast, adding two glasses of milk. Drink slowly

DINNER

A two-egg omelet rolled in cream and grated nuts

Puree of peas or beans

A small baked potato

Take sufficient wheat bran night and morning to keep the bowels in normal action.

SUMMER MENU

LOW VITALITY—UNDERWEIGHT WEAK DIGESTION

A very ripe peach or plum, a cup of cool water, exercise and deep breathing on rising.

BREAKFAST

Cantaloup, peaches, cherries, or any very ripe sweet fruit

Buttermilk or egg, prepared choice

A baked sweet potato

LUNCHEON

Three glasses of milk, taking one-half glass every five or six minutes

A small portion of wheat bran, cooked

DINNER

A green salad

An ear of tender corn

One or two fresh vegetables such as onions, beans, spinach, beets

FALL MENU

LOW VITALITY—UNDERWEIGHT WEAK DIGESTION

BREAKFAST

A small portion of wheat bran, well cooked

A cup of warm milk

One egg, whipped very fine, to which add a very little sugar and lemon juice. Take this uncooked

A few baked chestnuts eaten with butter

LUNCHEON

String beans or carrots—masticate very thoroughly

A large Spanish onion, boiled

A baked potato

Wheat bran

DINNER

Choice of tender fish or chicken

A portion of spinach

A baked potato

Onions, en casserole

A small portion of wheat bran

WINTER MENU

LOW VITALITY—UNDERWEIGHT WEAK DIGESTION

First Day: Drink two glasses of water immediately after rising. Eat one-fourth pound of grapes or some juicy fruit. Devote from three to four minutes to deep breathing exercises.

BREAKFAST

(Half hour later)

Whole wheat, cooked; serve with cream or butter

A baked sweet potato

A cup of milk

A small portion of wheat bran eaten with thin cream

LUNCHEON

A large, boiled Spanish or Bermuda onion

A small portion of carrots, thoroughly cooked

A spoonful or two of wheat bran

DINNER

A cream soup made from celery or onions

Rice made into a thick purée, or a baked potato, carrots, onions, or turnips

A spoonful or two of wheat bran

Just before retiring, take a spoonful or two of wheat bran, uncooked, in a little water, and devote as much time as possible to deep breathing exercises.

From one to two glasses of water should be drunk at each of the above meals. It may be taken hot if preferred. If something hot is desired, as a beverage, take a cup of sassafras tea with a little cream and sugar.

Second Day: The same as the first.

Third Day: The same as the second, slightly increasing the quantity of food if demanded by normal hunger.

Fourth Day: Exercises, water-drinking, and fruit as prescribed for the first day.

BREAKFAST

Two extremely ripe bananas, eaten with thin cream and nut butter or nuts masticated very fine. (They should be baked if not exceedingly ripe)

A cup of sassafras tea or chocolate

LUNCHEON

Three glasses of buttermilk

Two beaten egg whites with three teaspoonfuls of sugar

A tablespoonful of wheat bran

DINNER

A portion of boiled onions and tender carrots, cooked until very soft

Two baked white potatoes eaten with a little butter

Two egg whites prepared any way they are most appetizing

A cup of water, hot or cold

Fifth Day: The same as the fourth.

Sixth Day: The same as the first, repeating the menus for a week or two.

Such vegetables as sweet potatoes, parsnips, baked beans and pumpkin may be added as digestion and assimilation improve.

For recipe for baked bananas, see p. 677; for cooking vegetables, see p. 670.

MENUS FOR OBESITY

SPRING MENU

OBESITY—IRREGULAR HEART ACTION NERVOUSNESS

Fruit-juice, a glass of water, and ten minutes devoted to vigorous exercise and deep breathing just after rising.

BREAKFAST

Choice of fruit

A cup of hot water

Two or three exceedingly ripe bananas (red variety preferred), eaten with raisins, nuts, and cream

LUNCHEON

A portion of fresh fish and a new baked potato

DINNER

A green salad with dressing and nuts

Peas or asparagus

A rare omelet with a dash of grated nuts

A bit of crisp corn bread or a bran meal gem

Most people afflicted with obesity are also afflicted with abnormal appetite, therefore at the outset they may undergo some deprivation, but if this is not yielded to, hunger will soon become normal.

The appetite for an excessive quantity of food is very much like the appetite for coffee, intoxicants, or tobacco, and when the appetite once becomes abnormal and is not held under control, either obesity or chronic autointoxication will be the result.

Luncheon should be omitted unless very hungry.

SUMMER MENU

OBESITY—IRREGULAR HEART ACTION NERVOUSNESS

BREAKFAST

Melon, peaches, or berries

Tender fish, broiled

A new potato or a bran muffin

LUNCHEON

Corn or beans

A salad—lettuce or celery

DINNER

A light soup—vegetable

Eggplant, okra, beans, or squash

Bran gems or a potato

Nuts, with a lettuce salad

FALL MENU

OBESITY—IRREGULAR HEART ACTION NERVOUSNESS

First Day: Immediately on rising, drink a cup of hot water, followed by a cup of cool water. Devote as much time as possible (from three to ten minutes) to such exercises as can be endured. (See Vol. V, pp. 1343 to 1346.) Inflate lungs to their utmost capacity every third or fourth movement.

Secure a spirometer and increase the lung capacity until it registers about two hundred and fifty cubic inches. This is exceedingly important.

BREAKFAST

A cantaloup or soaked, evaporated peaches

Baked chestnuts

Bananas with cream

Bran meal gems

LUNCHEON

A salad

Carrots, squash, beets, parsnips, or turnips

A potato or lima beans

SUPPLEMENTARY LUNCHEON

(To be taken in office)

Two exceedingly ripe bananas, with nut butter and raisins

Two glasses of water

(Or the following at a restaurant or cafe)

Choice of the following vegetables—boiled onions, carrots, parsnips, squash, or tender corn

A baked potato

A glass of water

DINNER

Choice of two vegetables from the selection given for luncheon

A green salad

A baked sweet or a white potato

Two egg whites and one yolk very lightly poached

Two glasses of water

Devote about ten minutes to exercising and deep breathing just before retiring.

Second Day: The same as the first, slightly increasing or decreasing the quantity of food according to normal hunger. It will probably be necessary to draw a very sharp distinction between appetite and hunger. (See Spring Menu, “No Appetite,” p. 1081.)

Third Day: The same as the first, if entirely agreeable.

If the bowels should become too lax, a small portion of rice, cooked in milk, might be taken with both the morning and the evening meal, omitting a similar quantity of other foods.

Fourth Day:

BREAKFAST

Two eggs, whipped from five to eight minutes, into which whip a rounded teaspoonful of sugar, and a dessert-spoonful of lemon juice

Half a glass of water

LUNCHEON

A vegetable salad, with a few nuts

A baked sweet potato

(These two articles should compose the entire meal)

DINNER

Spinach (cooked), or a salad of lettuce and celery with English walnuts, masticated infinitely fine

Choice of one or two fresh vegetables, including
a small, baked white potato

Fifth Day: The same as the fourth.

Sixth Day: The same as the first, repeating the diet for about two weeks.

WINTER MENU

OBESITY—IRREGULAR HEART ACTION NERVOUSNESS

First Day: Immediately after rising, drink a glass of cool water, and the juice of a sweet orange. Devote as much time as possible (five to ten minutes) to vigorous exercises.

BREAKFAST

A cup of hot water

One banana

Two egg whites and one yolk very lightly poached

A small, baked white potato, with butter; eat
skins and all

A small portion of wheat bran cooked five minutes

Note: If the quantity seems insufficient, a corn-meal muffin may be eaten.

LUNCHEON

Boiled onions, carrots, or turnips

A baked potato—eat skins and all

One egg boiled two minutes

DINNER

Celery, endive, or lettuce, with nuts or a simple dressing

Turnips, carrots, spinach, boiled onions—any two of these

A baked white potato, served hot with butter and salt

A portion of wheat bran cooked five minutes

A portion of gelatin, with thin cream

Just before retiring, devote from three to five minutes to exercising. Drink a glass of water, take a spoonful or two of wheat bran, and either a few California grapes or the juice of an orange.

Second Day: The same as the first, slightly varying the meals by choosing different vegetables from the following selections:

Third Day: The same as the second, adding one very ripe banana, eaten with thin cream and raisins, to the morning meal, and a few nuts, if desired.

Banana, nut butter, raisins, and cream make a delicious combination. The entire breakfast could be made of these with good results.

Fourth Day: Exercise, water-drinking, and deep breathing just before retiring and just after rising, as prescribed for the first day.

BREAKFAST

A few Malaga grapes or a sweet orange

Two exceedingly ripe bananas, eaten with thin cream and nut butter

A cup of junket, or a small portion of gelatin with a very little sugar and thin cream

One egg prepared as per recipe in “Introduction to Menus” if the appetite will accept it.

(See p. 678.)

LUNCHEON

A green salad

A small portion of fish or chicken

A baked potato

A cup of hot water

DINNER

One or two fresh vegetables—choice

A glass of buttermilk with a small piece of corn bread

A small portion of gelatin with thin cream

If the bowels are not normal, a portion of wheat bran should be taken at the morning and the evening meal.

Both digestion and assimilation of food can be largely increased by daily taking exercise No. 3 (see Vol. V, p. 1344), vigorously, for ten or fifteen minutes just after rising and just before retiring.

Fifth Day: Same as the fourth, slightly increasing or decreasing the quantity of food according to hunger.

Sixth Day: Same as the first, repeating, for a period of two or three weeks, the menus as given, varying the meals by choosing different vegetables in the same class as those prescribed.

SPRING MENU

ABNORMAL APPETITE OBESITY—DROWSINESS

Menus No. 1 are slightly heavier than Menus No. 2. Choice may be exercised between them, according to hunger, or according to activity or amount of work done.

One glass of water should be drunk at each of the dinner meals.

Two or three tablespoonfuls of wheat bran should be taken twice a week with both the morning and the evening meal. The bran should be cooked five minutes, and eaten with a spoonful of cream.

SUMMER MENU

ABNORMAL APPETITE OBESITY—DROWSINESS

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

The accumulation of gas after meals can be largely controlled by extreme mastication, very slow, deliberate eating, and copious water-drinking at meals.

If constipated, take, immediately on rising and just before retiring, a half pound of grapes, swallowing the skins, seeds and pulp. Do not masticate the seeds or pulp. If preferred, half a cup of coarse wheat bran may be taken twice daily instead of grapes.

If the bowels should become slightly lax, the seeds of the grapes should be omitted at night.

Health is Nature’s gift to the young; after that, it is a thing that must be earned.

FALL MENU

ABNORMAL APPETITE OBESITY—DROWSINESS

First Day:

BREAKFAST

One glass of water

A melon

Two or three extremely ripe peaches

Three egg whites, poached very lightly

A bran meal gem

One exceedingly ripe red banana (must be black spotted), with nut butter and thin cream

LUNCHEON

One egg, whipped, mixed with a large glass of milk (A half hour later, eat two or three exceedingly ripe peaches)

DINNER

Half a glass of water

Half a cantaloup

A lettuce and tomato salad

Two medium ears of tender corn

A small portion of tender fish

Note: I would advise a spirometer for measuring the capacity of the lungs. The normal lung capacity for a man 5 feet 7 to 10 inches in height should be about 300 cubic inches, and for a woman 5 feet 3 inches, 180 to 200 cubic inches. The ability to use surplus food, which the appetite will continue to demand for some time, will depend upon the amount of exercise and deep breathing taken, and the consequent lung capacity.

Second Day: Same as the first, slightly increasing the quantity of food taken at each meal, if demanded by Normal Hunger.

Third Day:

BREAKFAST

One glass of water

Choice of melon, peaches, or plums

An exceedingly ripe banana, eaten with thin cream

One whole egg, or a small piece of broiled fish

A very small baked potato—sweet or white

LUNCHEON

One or two glasses of buttermilk

An ear of corn

DINNER

One glass of water

A small ear of tender corn—boiled

Choice of fresh green beans or tender lima beans

Spinach, or a salad or anything green

A very small portion of broiled fish (If preferred, chicken may be eaten at this meal)

A baked potato

Just before retiring, eat a few peaches or some grapes.

If sleepy or drowsy after meals, devote from one to two minutes to exercises Nos. 3 and 5 (see Vol. V, pp. 1344 and 1345), together with deep breathing, before an open window or in the fresh air.

Fourth Day: Same as the third.

Fifth Day: Same as the first, repeating these menus for about thirty days, making such variations in vegetables and fruits as demanded by normal hunger.

These menus will seem insufficient in quantity measured by appetite, but appetite, which comes from irritation of the mucous surface of the stomach, is not a safe guide.

See menus for “No Appetite,” p. 1081.

The greatest difficulty will be experienced the first week. After that, nature will begin her process of adjustment, and the patient will begin to reduce in weight and gain in strength; sleep will become more restful and the sleepy and drowsy feeling after meals will gradually disappear.

The following natural laws should be rigidly observed:

WINTER MENU

ABNORMAL APPETITE OBESITY—DROWSINESS

A cup of hot water, chocolate, cocoa, or sassafras tea may be taken after either one of these meals.

For recipe for baked bananas and whipped eggs, see pp. 677 and 678, Vol. III.

SPRING MENU

FOR DECREASING WEIGHT AND INCREASING STRENGTH

BREAKFAST

Whole wheat, thoroughly cooked

Two bananas, baked, if not very ripe; serve with cream and either nut butter or nuts

LUNCHEON

Baked beans, with sauce of olive-oil, lemon juice and sugar

A cup of chocolate

DINNER

A green salad

Smelts, or any young or tender fish

A potato

An onion

Gelatin, with fruit

Vigorous exercise and deep breathing are very necessary both in decreasing weight and increasing strength. At least three hours daily should be spent in the open air, and the lungs should be filled to their utmost capacity.

The bowels should be kept in normal condition.

(See Menus for Constipation.)

SUMMER MENU

FOR DECREASING WEIGHT AND INCREASING STRENGTH

BREAKFAST

Cherries, berries, cantaloup, or melon

A red banana, with nuts

One or two eggs, whipped—dash of sugar; flavor with lemon or pineapple juice

LUNCHEON

Green beans, with onion

Corn or a potato

DINNER

Celery or shredded cabbage, with nuts and oil

Sweet potatoes—butter

Corn

Melon

A glass of water or thin cocoa may be taken at each of the above meals.

FALL MENU

FOR DECREASING WEIGHT AND INCREASING STRENGTH

BREAKFAST

A cantaloup

A banana, with raisins, cream, and nuts

An egg, cooked two minutes

A bran gem or a whole wheat cracker, or whole wheat bread

LUNCHEON

A pint of junket or two glasses of buttermilk

DINNER

A green salad, with oil and nuts

A rare omelet, rolled in scraped corn

A potato—sweet or white

A cantaloup

WINTER MENU

FOR DECREASING WEIGHT AND INCREASING STRENGTH

Immediately on rising devote five minutes to exercises and deep breathing.

BREAKFAST

Wheat bran and flaked wheat, cooked together; use a liberal service of cream

A cup of cocoa

LUNCHEON

Spinach, with egg white

A bran gem or a whole wheat muffin

A vegetable or fruit salad, with oil and nuts

DINNER

Boiled onions, parsnips, or carrots—any two of these

A baked potato

A very small portion of fish or white meat of chicken

A cup of hot water

MENUS FOR NEURASTHENIA

SPRING MENU

NEURASTHENIA

BREAKFAST

Three or four egg whites, whipped and mixed with a pint of rich milk

Bran meal gems

LUNCHEON

Onions, en casserole

A potato

DINNER

Peas or asparagus

A morsel of dried herring and an onion, uncooked

Bran meal gems or a potato

Cheese, raisins, and nuts

SUMMER MENU

NEURASTHENIA

BREAKFAST

Cantaloup, peaches, plums, or berries—no sugar

Whole wheat, boiled

Half a cup of wheat bran, with cream

LUNCHEON

Spinach or turnip-tops

Onions, uncooked, and a bit of dried fish

A potato

DINNER

Lettuce or celery, with nuts

Fish

Vegetable soup

Squash, carrots, or onions

A potato

FALL MENU

NEURASTHENIA

BREAKFAST

Cantaloup or peaches

Baked bananas, with cream

One egg, boiled two minutes

A bran meal gem

LUNCHEON

Two glasses of buttermilk

A muffin—graham or gluten

DINNER

Vegetable soup

Celery or lettuce, with nuts

Turnips, carrots, okra, cauliflower—choice

A bran meal gem

A sweet potato

WINTER MENU

NEURASTHENIA

BREAKFAST

Prunes or a very ripe banana

Nuts, with raisins and cream

A sweet potato

LUNCHEON

An onion, uncooked, and a very small portion of dried fish

A bran gem

Cocoa

DINNER

Celery or slaw

Nuts

Cabbage, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts

Carrots, parsnips, or onions

Baked beans or a potato

The person afflicted with neurasthenia should omit all beverages, except water, which should be drunk only at meals. By all means avoid overeating.

MENUS FOR MALNUTRITION

SPRING MENU

MALNUTRITION

Menus for the treatment of malnutrition should be limited in quantity, and composed of the most soluble and readily digestible articles that will afford the required elements of nourishment.

BREAKFAST

Very ripe berries, without sugar and cream

Two or three egg whites, whipped, and mixed with a pint of skimmed milk

Two heaping tablespoonfuls of wheat bran, cooked, and served with a little cream

LUNCHEON

A raw Spanish onion, with a bit of dried fish

A baked potato—eat skins and all

Bran meal gems, with butter

DINNER

Lettuce or young onions

Peas or asparagus

Spinach or turnip-greens, with yolk of egg

A baked potato

A tablespoonful of wheat bran, cooked

SUMMER MENU

MALNUTRITION

BREAKFAST

Melon, peaches, or berries

Two very large, ripe bananas, baked; serve with cream (See recipe, page 677)

A glass of milk

LUNCHEON

Spinach or turnip-greens, with egg yolk

Bran meal gems or corn bread

A bit of onion, uncooked

DINNER

A light vegetable soup

String beans, fresh peas, tender corn—any two of these

A potato or lima beans

Gelatin (lemon or vanilla), if something sweet is desired

FALL MENU

MALNUTRITION

BREAKFAST

Cantaloup or peaches

One or two bran meal gems or a corn muffin

A glass or two of rich milk

LUNCHEON

Celery or lettuce, with either nuts or oil

Tender corn or lima beans

A potato—sweet or white

DINNER

Vegetable or cream soup

Celery, with ripe olives and nuts

Carrots, and either onions or squash (These should be cooked in a casserole dish; see page 671)

Bran meal gems or a potato

WINTER MENU

MALNUTRITION

BREAKFAST

Strained orange juice—half water

Whole wheat, boiled, and served with butter (omit cream)

LUNCHEON

Three to four glasses of rich milk

Two or three tablespoonfuls of wheat bran

DINNER

Celery or vegetable salad, with nuts and oil

Turnips, carrots, winter squash, or onions; preferably en casserole

A bit of very tender fish or white meat of chicken

A potato or a corn muffin

For cooking en casserole, see p. 671, Vol. III.

MENUS FOR ANEMIA

SPRING MENU FOR A YOUTH

ANEMIA—MALASSIMILATION—UNDERWEIGHT—NO APPETITE

The following menus should be carefully adhered to for two or three days, or until normal hunger is produced:

BREAKFAST

Prunes or dried peaches

Bananas, nuts, or nut butter

A pint of rich milk

LUNCHEON

A light vegetable, such as boiled onions, peas, or new potatoes

A glass or two of milk

DINNER

Two eggs, coddled

A baked white potato

SPRING MENU FOR A YOUTH

ANEMIA—MALASSIMILATION—UNDERWEIGHT—NO APPETITE

When good digestion and normal hunger are restored, the following menus should be given:

BREAKFAST

Farina, rice, or corn hominy, with butter and a very little sugar

Fresh milk—one or two glasses

LUNCHEON

Baked potatoes

Milk

DINNER

Peas or beans, creamed onions

A potato

Rice or corn bread

Gelatin or boiled custard

Vigorous exercise and outdoor sport should be encouraged.

SUMMER MENU FOR A YOUTH

ANEMIA—MALASSIMILATION—UNDERWEIGHT—NO APPETITE

BREAKFAST

Cantaloup, peaches, or plums

A very rare omelet or a coddled egg

A corn-meal gem

Milk

LUNCHEON

Milk or buttermilk—buttermilk preferred

A bran gem or a whole wheat gem

DINNER

One or two vegetables

Rice or corn

Milk

A cantaloup

Drink an abundance of water.

Spend all the time possible out of doors.

FALL MENU FOR A YOUTH

ANEMIA—MALASSIMILATION—UNDERWEIGHT—NO APPETITE

Choice of the following:

It would be preferable to make the entire meal (dinner) upon whipped eggs, if they appeal to the taste.

For “Choice of Menus,” see p. 683, Vol. III.

WINTER MENU FOR THE YOUTH

ANEMIA—MALASSIMILATION—UNDERWEIGHT—NO APPETITE

BREAKFAST

A cup of chocolate or cocoa, or warm milk

Steamed wheat, farina, or corn hominy

LUNCHEON

Vegetable soup

Fish or a potato

Milk

DINNER

One fresh vegetable

A potato

Chicken or fish

Ice-cream—very little

For primary causes of Anemia, see Lesson I, “Chart showing different dis-eases caused by Superacidity,” p. 9.

MENUS FOR LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA

SPRING MENU

LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA

BREAKFAST

Three egg whites and one yolk, whipped, mixed with a pint of rich milk

Two or three tablespoonfuls of wheat bran, cooked, and served with thin cream

LUNCHEON

Plain wheat, boiled thoroughly, eaten with Pignolia (pine) nuts

DINNER

Fresh peas or baked beans

Buttermilk

Cheese, nuts, and raisins

Wheat bran

SUMMER MENU

LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA

BREAKFAST

Melon or peaches—no sugar

Three or four glasses of fresh milk

A corn muffin

Wheat bran

LUNCHEON

Fresh corn, peas, or beans

Milk; two to four glasses

Bran

DINNER

Shelled peas or beans

A potato

Fish, eggs, or buttermilk

Bran

FALL MENU

LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA

BREAKFAST

A pint of clabbered milk, with a sprinkle of sugar

Corn hominy or corn bread

LUNCHEON

Fish, chicken, or turkey

A potato

Cheese and nuts

DINNER

Celery with nuts

Two or three glasses of milk; buttermilk preferred

A potato

Bran

Raisins, cheese, and nuts

WINTER MENU

LOCOMOTOR ATAXIA

BREAKFAST

California grapes or prunes

Two eggs, whipped, and mixed with two or three glasses of milk

Bran meal gems

LUNCHEON

Celery with nuts

Turnips, carrots, or parsnips

A baked potato

DINNER

Boiled plain wheat or corn bread

Fish, chicken, or two or three glasses of milk (Wheat bran, if milk is taken)

COLDS

Cause 1

A cold, in its last analysis, is merely a form of congestion throughout the capillary vessels of the body. It may have been caused by exposure—a draft of cold air blowing upon some exposed part of the body, in which case Nature closes the pores of the skin in self-defense. The poisons that are constantly being eliminated through the pores are thus prevented from escaping through these channels, and are picked up by the circulation, and carried to the lungs to be burned with oxygen. The lung capacity being too limited, or the amount of poison too great, Nature suppurates these poisons and throws them off in the form of mucus.

Cause 2

When a quantity of food, greater than the body can use, is taken and ingested into the circulation, the excess is carried to the lungs in the same manner as above described, and the same form of congestion and elimination takes place; therefore, colds caused by exposure and overeating are alike in every respect except their origin. The experience of the writer has been that congestion, which we term colds, is caused much more frequently from overeating than from exposure.

The logical remedy in either case is to limit the quantity of food to the minimum and to confine the diet, as nearly as possible, to readily soluble and readily digestible foods, such as nuts, fruit salads, and fresh watery vegetables, taking only sufficient nitrogenous and carbohydrate compounds to balance the daily bill of fare.

The following menus given for colds may be also used in cases of la grippe, influenza, etc.:

MENUS FOR COLDS

SPRING MENU

BREAKFAST

A cup of hot water

An apple, with nuts or berries, in season

Two egg whites to one yolk, whipped or lightly poached

Clabbered milk, with a sprinkle of grated maple-sugar

A few raisins and nuts

LUNCHEON

One tuber vegetable

A baked potato or baked beans

A salad (green), with nuts or cheese

DINNER

Asparagus, turnips, beets, onions—any two of these

A potato

Whole wheat, well cooked, or a portion of wheat bran, cooked

Nut butter or thin cream

In the late spring, such vegetables as new beets, radishes, lettuce, onions, or any green salad may be eaten at either the noon or the evening meal.

These meals may be varied by choosing fresh vegetables or fruit in season.

SUMMER MENU

COLDS

BREAKFAST

Choice of fruit—a liberal quantity

A banana—very ripe; serve with raisins, nuts, and cream (If the banana is not very ripe, it should be baked)

LUNCHEON

A generous green salad, with grated nuts

Choice of one or two fresh vegetables

A poached egg, dropped into a baked potato

DINNER

A liberal green salad

Smelts, broiled

Tender corn

One or two fresh vegetables

A dessert of peaches, plums, berries, or any juicy fruit

From one to two glasses of water should be drunk at meals. A liberal quantity of fruit or berry juice should be taken between meals.

Vegetable soup may be served at either the noon or the evening meal, using but little fats.

Acid fruits, such as oranges, grapefruit, pineapples, lemons, and strawberries should be omitted if there is a tendency toward superacidity, intestinal fermentation, or rheumatism.

FALL MENU

COLDS

BREAKFAST

Melon or choice of fruit

Baked squash or a banana

Flaked wheat or a bran meal gem

A spoonful or two of nuts, with raisins

LUNCHEON

Two shirred eggs

An ear of tender corn

A green salad

DINNER

Choice of two fresh vegetables

Choice of corn or lima beans

Choice of a baked sweet or a white potato

A green salad—liberal portion

Gelatin or junket

WINTER MENU

COLDS

Juice of orange or grapes just after rising.

BREAKFAST

A cup of hot water, sassafras tea, or malted milk

Two coddled eggs, or very tender fish, broiled

A potato or a bran gem[*]

LUNCHEON

Any fresh vegetable: Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, turnips

Spinach or endive

Malted milk or a cup of cocoa

DINNER

A bit of slaw or celery

Liberal portion of boiled onions

Spinach, with egg

A potato; prepared choice

All of the menus for Colds can be taken in cases of La Grippe and Influenza.

[*] See “Bran Meal,” p. 683.

NASAL CATARRH

The following menus, in their various groups, are composed of the most easily digested foods that will give to the body all the elements of nourishment it requires, during the several seasons of the year.

The calories of energy, remedial elements and counteractive properties these menus contain, have been very carefully compiled from long experience in the treatment of catarrh. The nutritive factors they contain are proportioned or leveled so that under ordinary conditions there will be no deficiency to produce unnatural craving, and no surplus to be decomposed and converted into mucous or catarrhal discharges.

These menus contemplate a normal body, living under normal conditions. If one should be exposed to excessive cold, the carbohydrates (sugar and starches) and fats may be slightly increased, and if exposed to excessive heat these articles should be limited somewhat below the amount prescribed. If one is engaged in heavy manual labor the proteid factor such as is contained in beans, eggs, fish, and cheese may be increased, and if performing no labor, these things should be reduced even below the amount prescribed.

These menus will have a tendency to establish normal digestion and assimilation of food, and normal elimination of waste. When this is accomplished, the instincts and various senses will suggest the quality and the quantity of food, the kind and amount of exercise, and all other natural laws that govern and control the physical organism.

WATER-DRINKING IN THE TREATMENT OF NASAL CATARRH

Sufficient water should be drunk at each of these meals to bring the moisture up to about 66 per cent of the whole. This will require from one to three ordinary glasses, depending largely upon the amount of residual water in the foods composing the meal.

See “Uses of Water in the Body,” Lesson II, Vol. I, p. 53.

See also “Water-drinking in Cases of Superacidity,” Vol. II, p. 434.

Water performs another very valuable service. When one eats too many sweets, he should drink an abundance of water. This prevents stomach-acidity, and consequent fermentation and irritation of the mucous lining of the stomach. It also prevents torpidity of the liver, which usually follows the excessive use of sweets.

Two or three glasses of water taken at an ordinary meal will all be retained and used by the body, while the same quantity of water taken from two to three hours after a meal, will nearly all pass off in the form of urine.

MENUS FOR NASAL CATARRH

LATE SPRING AND EARLY SUMMER

NASAL CATARRH

Sweet orange, cherries, or very ripe grapefruit just after rising.

BREAKFAST

Three or four egg whites, whipped five minutes, to which add two teaspoonfuls each of lemon juice and sugar, while whipping

One very ripe banana, or plain boiled wheat, with nuts

LUNCHEON

A green salad, with tomatoes and oil

One fresh vegetable—peas or beans

Corn bread—butter

Buttermilk

DINNER

Spinach, kale, young cabbage, or turnip-tops, cooked

One fresh vegetable, in season

A baked sweet potato

Choice tender fish, chicken, or three egg whites and one yolk, whipped, with spoonful each of sugar and of lemon juice

These menus are composed largely of proteids in their most soluble and digestible forms—a most important factor in remedial feeding, especially in cases of either stomach or nasal catarrh.

One or two glasses of water should be drunk at each of these meals. Mastication should be perfect before any water is taken into the mouth.

The bowels should be kept normal by the use of wheat bran.

LATE SUMMER AND EARLY FALL

NASAL CATARRH

For many patients suffering with nasal catarrh, the following combinations have been prescribed by the author with much success.

Choice of the following:

LATE FALL AND EARLY WINTER

NASAL CATARRH

Note: If the weather is very cold a dessert-spoonful or more of olive-oil should be taken just before each of these meals, and a cup of hot water at the close.

LATE WINTER AND EARLY SPRING

NASAL CATARRH

MENUS FOR HAY FEVER

SPRING MENU

HAY FEVER

BREAKFAST

Bananas, baked

Whole wheat or rye, boiled five or six hours

Thin cream

LUNCHEON

Any fresh vegetable—cabbage, onions, carrots

Whole wheat bread

Thin cocoa

DINNER

One egg, coddled

Rice or a potato

Boiled onions or squash

Spinach or lettuce, with nuts

For recipe for baked bananas and coddled eggs, see p. 677, Vol. III.

See “Bran Meal,” p. 683, Vol. III.

SUMMER MENU

HAY FEVER

BREAKFAST

Cantaloup or peaches—no sugar

A potato—sweet or white

Clabbered milk

LUNCHEON

Corn or peas

Lima beans

A potato

A melon

DINNER

Lettuce and tomato salad, with nut-butter sauce

Peas, beans, carrots, squash, or onions

A potato—sweet or white

An egg or a very small portion of fish

FALL MENU

HAY FEVER

BREAKFAST

Persimmons or grapes

Bran meal gems or corn bread

A glass of milk

LUNCHEON

Winter squash or a sweet potato

Baked beans or a white potato

DINNER

Lettuce or celery, with nuts

Carrots or string beans

A raw onion

A baked potato or corn bread

A spoonful or two of bran, cooked

WINTER MENU

HAY FEVER

BREAKFAST

The juice of a sweet orange

Three baked bananas or two very ripe bananas, with cream, raisins, and nuts

LUNCHEON

Eggplant and a boiled onion

A bran meal gem or a corn muffin

Nuts, with raisins

DINNER

A light vegetable soup

Turnips or cabbage, en casserole

A baked potato or bran meal gems

One or two figs, with cheese and nuts

The bowels should be kept in normal condition by the liberal use of wheat bran at each meal. The free action of the bowels is very important in all such disorders as hay fever, influenza, and colds.

MENUS FOR ASTHMA

SPRING MENU

ASTHMA

BREAKFAST

Grapefruit or an orange—very ripe

Baked bananas—must be very ripe

A glass of milk

LUNCHEON

Peas or asparagus

Bran meal gems

A glass of milk

DINNER

Spinach or turnip-tops

Corn bread or bran meal gems

Peas or asparagus

A potato

SUMMER MENU

ASTHMA

BREAKFAST

Peaches, plums, or berries, without cream

One egg, either lightly poached or boiled two minutes

A small baked potato

LUNCHEON

An ear of tender corn

A Spanish onion, uncooked, with a morsel of dried fish

DINNER

Fresh peas, beans, or carrots

Tender corn or a baked potato

Lettuce, romaine, or watercress, with nuts

FALL MENU

ASTHMA

BREAKFAST

Grapes or a melon

Two egg whites, whipped, and mixed with a pint of milk

Baked chestnuts, with cream

LUNCHEON

Okra or a boiled onion

A baked potato

Half a glass of milk

DINNER

Celery, with nuts

Cauliflower, squash, or a stewed pumpkin

A potato or lentils

A cup of cocoa or a glass of milk

WINTER MENU

ASTHMA

BREAKFAST

Pineapple—eliminate the pulp

Plain boiled wheat; serve with fresh butter

LUNCHEON

A pint of clabbered milk, with a sprinkle of sugar

Two tablespoonfuls of wheat bran

DINNER

Vegetable soup

Celery, with nuts and ripe olives

Carrots or baked squash

A potato—sweet or white

The juice of a sweet orange an hour after eating.

Where milk is not prescribed in the above menus, from one to two glasses of water should be drunk.

The bowels should be kept in normal condition by the use of wheat bran.

INFLUENZA

In treating influenza heavy starchy foods such as white flour products should be omitted, and the diet confined largely to fresh vegetables and the more soluble proteids, such as egg whites and buttermilk, with now and then a limited quantity of fish or fowl for a change.

Fats and sugars should be limited very materially and a liberal quantity of coarse articles such as wheat bran, celery, grapes, and green salads eaten when in season.

The patient should exercise great care in regard to quantity, endeavoring always to limit the quantity of food somewhat below the demands of normal hunger.

The menus for colds, catarrh, hay fever, and asthma may be used for influenza. See pp. 917 to 938, inclusive.

MENUS FOR INSOMNIA

SPRING MENU

INSOMNIA—NERVOUSNESS
LOW VITALITY

Both insomnia and nervousness are symptoms of the same conditions. The following menus, therefore, are for the purpose of removing primary causes, which are usually either stomach or intestinal fermentation.

The logical remedy for fermentation is to limit the diet to the fewest number of articles that will give to the body the necessary elements of nutrition.

BREAKFAST

A cup of hot water

Corn hominy or boiled wheat

A banana, baked, or sliced and broiled in butter

A cup of cool water

LUNCHEON

A liberal portion of peas in the pod

A baked potato

DINNER

Light vegetable soup

Peas or asparagus

Baked potatoes

A cup of hot water

Half-cup of wheat bran, cooked

Note: New peas should be cooked in the pod, as the shell contains better nutrition than the pea. For recipe, see p. 679.

SUMMER MENU

INSOMNIA—NERVOUSNESS
LOW VITALITY

BREAKFAST

Cantaloup or very ripe pear, with cream

A baked sweet potato, with butter

A pint of rich milk

Wheat bran

LUNCHEON

An ear or two of tender corn

A green salad

One egg, whipped

DINNER

Lettuce and tomato salad, with grated nuts

String beans, with raw onion

Tender corn, scraped from the cob, cooked with very little rich milk and the white of an egg

Cantaloup

The quantity of food prescribed is sufficient for one performing very light labor. If the duties should be strenuous, the quantity may be slightly increased, but the proportions and the combinations should be observed.

FALL MENU

INSOMNIA—NERVOUSNESS
LOW VITALITY

Vigorous exercise, deep breathing, and a glass or two of water should be taken on rising.

BREAKFAST

(Half hour later)

Cantaloup, pears, or persimmons

Baked bananas, served with cream

Steamed figs, with thin cream

A spoonful of nuts

LUNCHEON

Corn on the cob or boiled wheat

String beans

Spinach

DINNER

Romaine and tomato salad

A liberal portion of baked white potato or tender corn

Carrots or parsnips

Cheese with hard cracker