Middle class cookery book

doctor is in attendance the diet will of course be regu- lated ; but where there is no doctor the sufierer may be cautioned generally against the use of the following articles of diet, which are difficult of digestion : flatu- lent vegetables (as peas, beans, cabbage) ; fat and greasy dishes, warmed-up meats, too many sweet dishes, and much tea. Give digestible food plainly dressed ; in meats prefer mutton and tripe ; give stale or toasted bread, rice, white fish, spinach, vegetable marrow, the flower of cauliflower or broccoli, fruit (if taken at all) only in the morning and quite ripe. Milk generally requires to be mixed with hot water or with potash, soda, or lime water ; half a tumbler of hot water taken during dinner or half an hour after it, pro- motes digestion. Peptonised foods of various kinds are often recommended to those suffering from indiges- tion, and usually the directions for cooking or prepar- ing them are sent with each packet. The greatest care should be taken not to overheat this food while prepar- ing it, since the whole good effect is destroyed if the food is once heated to the boiling point. Diabetic patients require food that contains neither starch nor sugar ; such as gluten bread, or cocoa specially prepared with a substitute for sugar. Such foods should be used by medical advice only, and be pur- chased only from reliable chemists. Persons suffering from indigestion and this class of disorders are only too ready to procure all the new and patent medicines and foods that are advertised, and are far more likely to do themselves harm by trying experiments, than to obtain good by so doing. Colds and Influenza. — Avoid much solid food. Take soft food such as bread and milk, milk puddings, and soups, also warm drinks to produce perspiration, 22 MIDDLE CLASS COOKERY BOOK PART i as gruel, oatmeal drink tea (not coffee, as it checks perspiration). Beef Tea is of much value during most severe ill- nesses, as patients can often take it when nothing else is acceptable. It is, however, not sufficient alone to sustain strength for any length of time ; it is only one part of meat, and unless the fibre of meat (or some other flesh-forming food corresponding to meat) and warmth-giving food are given soon, the patient will suffer from partial starvation. The same remarks apply to ox or calf’s foot jelly. Tea is useful in a sick room when properly made and used, and is preferable to coffee. It should never be given in the evening or at night, as it prevents sleep, but a cup of tea early in the morning is generally most refreshing to a restless or suffering person. For recipes see p. 140. The following books are recommended to students who desire to study the science of food further : — Personal Care of Health, E. A. Parkes, M.D., F.R.S., Is., Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. Animal Physiology, J. G. M ‘Kendrick, M.D., F.R.S.E., Is. 6d., W. and R. Chambers. Manual of Physiology, W. B. Carpenter, M.D., 12s. 6d., J. and A. Churchill. Practical Physiology, E. Lankester, M.D., LL. D. , F.R.S., 4s., Hardwicke and Bogue. Physiology of Common Life, G. H. Lewes, 12s., Win. Black wood and Sons. Treatise on Food and Dietetics, F. W. Pavy, M.D., F. R.S., 15s., Simpkin, Marshall, and Co. Lectures on Food, H. Letheby, M.B. , M.A., 6s., Bailliere, Tindall, and Cox. Food, A. H. Church, M.A. Oxon., 3s.. Chapman and Hall.