know only that they operate through established laws of physical chemistry which are unalterable. The wonderful combinations which are produced, by which inert matter is converted into the living tissues, are of so complex a nature as to be totally beyond the reach of the most expert chemists and physicians. Human physiology has taught us that the tis- sues of the body are wonderfully variable in their composition, and that they possess in their cells a selective power to take from the blood current such materials as may be most suitable for their needs. The ordinary individual would best not bother himself about such complex matters as the char- acter of the proteins he consumes, as long as he does not neglect any of the natural foods and con- fine himself to some one particular or exclusive form of diet. If he wishes to remain on the safe side and yet adopt any exclusive diet, it should be composed largely of one of the estabhshed foods, such as milk or wheat, which are found capable of sustaining life. Perfect digestion depends to a great extent upon perfect cooking; and on perfect cooking lies the possibility of the body's absorbing the nutri- ment it requires. Food that is r the possibd ment it rec AND THEIR LOW COSTS 53 wasted, and waste products clog the body and cause inefficiency. A normal person should avoid the tendency to "pamper" or "spare" the digestive organs, in searching for foods that are digestible ; the stom- ach, hver, and intestines need exercise as well as the rest of the body. While they should not be overloaded with fats and rich dishes, they should not, on the other hand, be given a diet of eggs, milk, or "predigested" foods, or. as a natural consequence, they will become weakened. Do you know how wrong eating causes disease ? Over ninety per cent, of all sickness originates in the stomach or bowels. This is not to be wondered at when we take into consideration the number of feet in the intes- tinal tract, which act as a repository for germs of almost every conceivable kind, through the medium of what we eat and drink. The system becomes infected in consequence and we develop typhoid fever, inflammatory rheumatism, and a thousand and one other ailments. Many foods, harmless in themselves, when eaten in combination with other harmless foods produce a chemical reaction and literally explode. CHAPTER XI OuvE Oil, the Purest Food Known In considering the nutritive elements that are disclosed by an analysis of given foods, we must bear in mind what proportion of these values will be expended in converting the food into blood. This is the only sensible plan by which we can arrive at the actual nutritive value of any given' food. The rightful conclusion, therefore, is that the highest nutritive value is found in the foods which are rich in nutritive elements, free from poison- ous matter, and which contain but a small amount of effete matter. If tlieir physical character ren- ders them easily assimilated, their nutritive value is still further enhanced. There is a form of food that conforms very closely to these specifications, and we may justly- consider it among the highest in nutritive value of all the foods used by man. This food is olive oil. Every particle of it is food, not waste matter. There is no ninety per cent, of water, as in vege- I TRUE FOOD VALUES 55 tables; no thirty to sixty per cent, of water, as in eggs or meat ; no vast bulk of indigestible mat- ter that must be excreted — nothing but food. Again, pure olive oil is the purest food known. There is no contamination from soil or water, as in vegetables; no uric acid or lingering diseases, as in meat ; no poisonous ptomaines.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

know only that they operate through established laws of physical chemistry which are unalterable. The wonderful combinations which are produced, by which inert matter is converted into the living tissues, are of so complex a nature as to be totally beyond the reach of the most expert chemists and physicians. Human physiology has taught us that the tissues of the body are wonderfully variable in their composition, and that they possess in their cells a selective power to take from the blood current such materials as may be most suitable for their needs. The ordinary individual would best not bother himself about such complex matters as the character of the proteins he consumes, as long as he does not neglect any of the natural foods and confine himself to some one particular or exclusive form of diet. If he wishes to remain on the safe side and yet adopt any exclusive diet, it should be composed largely of one of the established foods, such as milk or wheat, which are found capable of sustaining life. Perfect digestion depends to a great extent upon perfect cooking; and on perfect cooking lies the possibility of the body's absorbing the nutriment it requires. Food that is properly. Food that is not properly cooked is wasted, and the possibility of the body's absorbing the nutriment it receives is greatly diminished. Good food is thoughtlessly wasted, and waste products clog the body and cause inefficiency. A normal person should avoid the tendency to "pamper" or "spare" the digestive organs, in searching for foods that are digestible ; the stomach, hver, and intestines need exercise as well as the rest of the body. While they should not be overloaded with fats and rich dishes, they should not, on the other hand, be given a diet of eggs, milk, or "predigested" foods, or. as a natural consequence, they will become weakened. Do you know how wrong eating causes disease ? Over ninety per cent, of all sickness originates in the stomach or bowels. This is not to be wondered at when we take into consideration the number of feet in the intestinal tract, which act as a repository for germs of almost every conceivable kind, through the medium of what we eat and drink. The system becomes infected in consequence and we develop typhoid fever, inflammatory rheumatism, and a thousand and one other ailments. Many foods, harmless in themselves, when eaten in combination with other harmless foods produce a chemical reaction and literally explode. CHAPTER XI OuvE Oil, the Purest Food Known In considering the nutritive elements that are disclosed by an analysis of given foods, we must bear in mind what proportion of these values will be expended in converting the food into blood. This is the only sensible plan by which we can arrive at the actual nutritive value of any given' food. The rightful conclusion, therefore, is that the highest nutritive value is found in the foods which are rich in nutritive elements, free from poisonous matter, and which contain but a small amount of effete matter. If tlieir physical character renders them easily assimilated, their nutritive value is still further enhanced. There is a form of food that conforms very closely to these specifications, and we may justlyconsider it among the highest in nutritive value of all the foods used by man. This food is olive oil. Every particle of it is food, not waste matter. There is no ninety per cent, of water, as in vege- tables; no thirty to sixty per cent, of water, as in eggs or meat ; no vast bulk of indigestible matter that must be excreted — nothing but food. Again, pure olive oil is the purest food known. There is no contamination from soil or water, as in vegetables; no uric acid or lingering diseases, as in meat ; no poisonous ptomaines.

True food values and their low costs