body slowly falls into decay. The particles of the
tissues change more rapidly in youth, and this pro-
bably explains why young meat is more tender than
old, and why any excess in youth is more easily cast
off. The principal daily requirements of the body are
the repair of tissue and the maintenance of tempera-
ture. Every vital action produces heat, and these
actions must continue throughout life.
Where the food is insufficient, and where there has
been no storing of fat or nitrogen, the body falls into
weakness and disease, and this is the natural tendency
of all underfed or improperly-fed people ; and with
persons imperfectly nourished there is generally a low
state of morality. Half the applications for hospitals
and dispensaries come from persons who want food,
and one cannot fail to be struck with the pale attenu-
ated appearance of labourers who are undersized,
twisted, and doubled up, and worn out before persons
well fed and in comfortable circumstances begin to
feel the influence of years. In all our large towns the
same thing is observable. The declining physical
power of the labouring poor is a matter of regret, and
as a natural result opium eating, smoking, and drink-
ing are, in many localities, on the increase. Pure air,
physical exercise, temperance, and a sufficiency of
plain wholesome food are the conditions of health and
happiness laid down by a higher authority than a
parish vestry. The best offering you can make the
poor is to instruct them in the art of cooking, and
teach them what constitutes food : and the most fitting
memorial of God’s goodness is the provident and
careful use of the blessings which He has provided.
The Function of Food.
5i
It is very important that every poor woman should
know how to spend her money on what is really worth
the money, and to make what she purchases go as far
as possible by good cooking. I want them to know
that from vegetables alone a wholesome, economic,
and nourishing diet may often be prepared, and that
flesh meat is greatly overrated as food. Why are
haricot beans, peas, lentils, oatmeal, macaroni, Indian
meal, milk, and rice, not more used ? It is because
people are ignorant of the value of these foods, and
the art of making them savoury by cooking has yet to
be learnt. As a rule, children, not only of the poorer
classes, but of the middle classes, are often underfed,
and many of their ailments arise from a debility of
constitution brought about by under or improper
feeding ; and to give strength, quinine, cod-liver oil,
port wine, and stimulants are given instead of good
food.
The diet of children should be three good meals a
day ; a breakfast, with cocoa, milk, macaroni, porridge,
or eggs ; a dinner of meat, vegetables, and pudding ;
a substantial supper, like the breakfast, with cocoa or
milk. This is the dietary of health, a diet capable,
with pure air and exercise, of making a strong body
and a strong mind, and a diet which will often improve
weakly children and protect them against many
diseases. There is no period of life when more food
is required than in childhood and youth. The hard-
working labourer does not exhaust a greater quantity
of nutritious food than a strong, healthy, growing boy
or girl of twelve years of age. And up to that age
they should have the same education.
52
Buckmctster' s Cookery.
Page 22
Presented as published in 1887. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
body slowly falls into decay. The particles of the tissues change more rapidly in youth, and this probably explains why young meat is more tender than old, and why any excess in youth is more easily cast off. The principal daily requirements of the body are the repair of tissue and the maintenance of temperature. Every vital action produces heat, and these actions must continue throughout life.
Where the food is insufficient, and where there has been no storing of fat or nitrogen, the body falls into weakness and disease, and this is the natural tendency of all underfed or improperly-fed people ; and with persons imperfectly nourished there is generally a low state of morality. Half the applications for hospitals and dispensaries come from persons who want food, and one cannot fail to be struck with the pale attenuated appearance of labourers who are undersized, twisted, and doubled up, and worn out before persons well fed and in comfortable circumstances begin to feel the influence of years. In all our large towns the same thing is observable. The declining physical power of the labouring poor is a matter of regret, and as a natural result opium eating, smoking, and drinking are, in many localities, on the increase. Pure air, physical exercise, temperance, and a sufficiency of plain wholesome food are the conditions of health and happiness laid down by a higher authority than a parish vestry. The best offering you can make the poor is to instruct them in the art of cooking, and teach them what constitutes food : and the most fitting memorial of God’s goodness is the provident and careful use of the blessings which He has provided.
The Function of Food.
It is very important that every poor woman should know how to spend her money on what is really worth the money, and to make what she purchases go as far as possible by good cooking. I want them to know that from vegetables alone a wholesome, economic, and nourishing diet may often be prepared, and that flesh meat is greatly overrated as food. Why are haricot beans, peas, lentils, oatmeal, macaroni, Indian meal, milk, and rice, not more used ? It is because people are ignorant of the value of these foods, and the art of making them savoury by cooking has yet to be learnt. As a rule, children, not only of the poorer classes, but of the middle classes, are often underfed, and many of their ailments arise from a debility of constitution brought about by under or improper feeding ; and to give strength, quinine, cod-liver oil, port wine, and stimulants are given instead of good food.
The diet of children should be three good meals a day ; a breakfast, with cocoa, milk, macaroni, porridge, or eggs ; a dinner of meat, vegetables, and pudding ; a substantial supper, like the breakfast, with cocoa or milk. This is the dietary of health, a diet capable, with pure air and exercise, of making a strong body and a strong mind, and a diet which will often improve weakly children and protect them against many diseases. There is no period of life when more food is required than in childhood and youth. The hardworking labourer does not exhaust a greater quantity of nutritious food than a strong, healthy, growing boy or girl of twelve years of age. And up to that age they should have the same education.
Buckmaster's Cookery.