FoodNet

True food values and their low costs

1916

Page 14

Presented as published in 1916. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
has been used with other foods, which have mini- mized its beneficial effects. If eaten by the nor- mal individual, with vegetables, tomatoes, and lemon juice, it has a vitalizing and rejuvenating effect upon persons past middle age. Meat pro- duces physical and mental energy and vegetables prevent the formation of an excess of uric acid, and they also keep the excretory organs and the blood in a healthy state. Tomatoes clear the brain, although this is not generally realized, and lemon juice, if used in place of salt, assists di- gestion. When we stop and think that meat has been considered a necessary food for the hiunan race since the earliest Biblical days, we might ask ourselves whether it would be a wise proceeding on our part to alter the plans of the Creator. Elderly people need not curtail their daily rations as they grow older; they may eat until satisfied, provided the right foods are eaten. To remain in good condition physically and mentally, we must eat sufficient to make up for the daily expenditure of nerve force. There is no virtue in denying one's self neces- sary food. Animals cannot do good work and keep in AND THEIR LOW COSTS 49 good condition unless they receive a proper amount of food. It has been clearly proved that the majority of ailments incident to old age are prevented or remedied in proportion to the amount of meat and vegetables which the individual can properly assimilate. mm . ^ 1. * CHAPTER X Food Experts Food experts would have us believe that they understand the processes of digestion, absorption, and elimination as thoroughly as a watch expert understands the mechanical action of a watch. They wisely discuss the various constituents of flesh, wheat, milk, etc, as if it were in their power to produce artificial flesh, etc, with ease. They discuss the process of digestion as if they really understood it. The fact of the matter is that our greatest scientists understand but little of the process of digestion, for the simple reason that they do not understand the secret of life. They cannot explain why the human stomach can digest the stomach of an ostrich or an elephant, and yet not digest itself. They explain that it is the life of the stomach that prevents its self-destruction, but tkey icahnot' c^lain what , ttis lif e is. Similarly, they 'do tiot underhand* tfe .fe^ food values of meat, eggs, milk, etc. They can make artificial milk which contains all the chemical properties TRUE FOOD VALUES 51 and the correct proportions of real milk ; but let them feed this artificial milk exclusively to a human being or to animals and they will kill the subjects of their experiment. Tests with arti- ficial milk on animals have proved this. With these facts before me, I cannot become very enthusiastic over the food values of many of the prepared and concentrated foods which flood our markets, especially when I have good reason to believe that many such foods contain strong stimulants, intended to arouse the nervous system and excite the blood circulation. Until we really discover the secret of life, I believe it is best to eat the foods which we have been eating for centuries— foods that have made every cell in our bodies. We should follow our instincts. If a certain food does not agree with us and gives us pain, let us look upon such pain as a warning of Nature. If we obey these warnings, we need not bother our heads about the chemical proper- ties of food. What Doctors Do Not Know The wonderful processes which go on in the nourishment of the tissues of the body remain to-day much of a mystery. It is useless for sci- ence to undertake to explain the causes. We 52 TRUE FOOD VALUES