HEALTH
TIPS
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The
Perfect Diet
From The
Whole Kernel, Book 1, pp. 1-8, by Dr. Ede Koenig, Ph.D.
Fruit
Of
all foods that can be set before the diner, fruits are best in every
respect. They are objects which enchant the eye! delight the smell,
and thrill the normal taste beyond the sensation any other foods can
incite. In itself, fruit is perfect. It requires no preparation of
any kind, no cooking, seasoning, additions or subtractions to make it palatable.
Beyond
its appeal to the senses, it possesses most of the essential
minerals and vitamins necessary for the maintenance of health at its
highest form. Obtained in a large enough variety, fruits alone (with
the addition of nuts) would be ample and, in fact, ideal for the
maintenance of health.
Many facts indicate that man was originally a frugivorous, or fruit-eating, animal instead of an omnivorous one. That for centuries he has existed on a universal food list far removed from the correct eating habits of the antediluvian past does not mean that his organs have changed and are now best suited to the diet which prevails. The only change which has occurred is a weakening, a softening, a degeneration of man’s original powers because of his perversions from the normal. If any change has occurred in the structure and function of his organs, it is pathological and not physiological. For this reason! it is more important that a closer adherence to the correct and ideal diet be established. The old habits of eating are best dispensed with entirely, since the digestive organs have never accepted them as friendly, but have only made the best of the situation and tolerated the abuse.
If
fruits cause distress when eaten, it is never the fault of the fruit
if it has been well chosen. It should be ripe, not overly ripe or
partly decayed. One can find perverted appetites of all degrees.
Those who relish a practically green banana are many, and there are
others who go to the opposite extreme and actually enjoy this fine
fruit when it is far past the ripe stage and already fermenting.
Fruit is most luscious and at the peak of perfection when it is
plucked from the tree just as it has ripened. No store-bought fruit
can nearly approach freshly picked fruit for quality or flavor.
Whenever possible, fresh fruit should be bought from the farmer,
rather than at the market which obtains much of its stock from
storage houses. Those living in colder climates have little choice
during the wintertime, however, and must use care in choosing the
best of what the markets have to offer.
Ability
to judge the various fruits in the market to determine their fitness
and ripeness is an accomplishment which can only come with
experience. Most fruits, regardless of whether they belong to the
acid, sub-acid or sweet classification, possess a certain sweetness
when they are ripe. Experience will teach one to judge a good apple
among a whole bushel of inferior ones by a single glance. Care must
be taken to avoid fruits which have been damaged by frost, blight, or
any other similar influence. Fruits today are also sprayed
excessively against insects and, before they are eaten, they should
be carefully washed and brushed in .order to eliminate the poison
from them.
Some
unripe fruits contain starch and various other carbohydrate
substances, many of which are distasteful and unwholesome. On the
other hand, when fruits become over-ripe and decay sets in, the sugar
is changed into carbon dioxide, alcohol, and acetic acid, and the
fruit rapidly deteriorates in nutritive value and wholesomeness.
These changes, plus the loss of water, account for the sponginess and
insipidness of fruit which has been stored in refrigeration for long
periods of time.
Fruit
is potentially alkaline. Alkalinity occurs after it has passed
through the processes of digestion. If the fruit is of poor quality
or improperly combined, and the digestion weak, it often remains in
an acid state and its absorption creates many unpleasant symptoms,
such as nervousness sleeplessness, frequent urinating from bladder
irritation, intestinal gases! mucus in the stools, throat irritation,
etc. Most of the time, however, the symptoms following the eating of
fruit are not the fault of the fruit, but of impaired digestion.
There are those who will experience flatulence and distress in the
bowels regardless of what they eat. People in this category are ill
and should put a stop to their harmful eating habits, but not to the
eating of fruits.
Nuts
It is a regrettable fact that nuts, as a class of food, are playing such an inferior and unjust role in the daily menu of the average family. Eaten, as they are/ as a between-meal snack, at the termination of a meal, or as a spur to cocktail drinking, nuts have earned a not too commendable reputation as being ’ indigestible. Any food eaten in this way would fall into disrepute as readily as the nut. Nuts are not difficult to digest when eaten in proper combination, and in the raw/ unsalted state. Roasting and boiling in oil, at high temperatures, cause a release of free fatty acids: and this, with the addition of a sodium chloride (salt), is sufficient cause for inducing indigestion for even cast-iron digestions.
According
to paleontologists, man was a nut eater just as are his prototypes,
the great apes. But as he wandered away from the fruitarian habits to
which he was instinctively and physiologically adapted, nuts, being
botanically a fruit, were also discarded and neglected, until at the
present time they are given the role of a confection, rather than a
very good staple article of the diet--as they rightfully deserve.
In
nutritive value, nuts are superior to any foodstuffs per pound that
are known. It is common opinion among laymen as well as medical men,
that the nut is a low grade source of protein, and insufficient in
supplying the needs of the body with building materials. It is
thought that without the animal proteins of fish and meat, a high
state of health cannot be achieved. This is entirely erroneous.
According to scientific investigations carried on by Prof. Myer E.
Jaffa of the University of California, Prof. F. A. Cajori of Yale
University, and Van Slyke, Osborne, Harris, and others, the proteins
in nuts are superior to those of animal origin.
Dr.
John Harvey Kellogg has this to say of the superiority of nuts over
flesh foods:
-
"Nuts
are free from waste products, uric acid, urea, and other tissue
wastes which abound in meats.
- "Nuts
are aseptic, free from putrefactive bacteria, and do not readily
undergo decay either in the body or outside of it. Meats, on the
other hand, as found in markets, are practically always in an
advanced stage of putrefaction. Ordinary fresh, dried or salted meats
contain from three million to ten times that number of bacteria per
ounce/ and such meats as hamburger steak often contain more than a
billion putrefactive organisms to the ounce. Nuts are clean and sterile.
- "Nuts
are free from trichinae, tapeworm, and other parasites, as well as
other infections due to specific organisms. Nuts are in good health
when gathered and usually remain so until eaten."
The
writer has often wondered why, instead of planting sterile,
decorative shrubbery and trees on properties, people do not landscape
them with nut and fruit trees. As a whole, berry shrubs, nut trees
and fruit trees are just as ornamental and, in addition, each year
will bless the planter with an abundance of luscious and nutritious
rewards. It is hoped that the day will come when public parks,
playgrounds and highways will be decorated with nut and fruit trees
and thus serve a dual purpose. Can anyone invent a reasonable excuse
for planting miles and miles of roadside trees such as the elm, ash,
willow, cottonwood and numerous similar kinds, where the walnut,
pecan/ shellbark hickory, chestnut and butternut would thrive just as
well, cost no more! yet yield bushels of delicious and highly prized
nuts, and this annually or semi-annually for many, many years?
If
a plan such as the above were carried out, a food shortage would be
out of the question, even if the population of the United States
doubled itself. One of the main objections presented against the
planting of fruit and nut trees along the highways and in parks is
that they tempt people to become trespassers: but this usually
applies to where there is such a scarcity that the fruits are
novelties. When there is an abundance, either the temptation to
trespass disappears, or the loss is not recognized. To inhibit
trespassing, a good plan would be to supply the population
bountifully with the good things nature intended, where climate and
circumstance will afford. It is a good truism that conscience is
never strengthened by an empty stomach.
In
the use of nuts, the importance of thorough . mastication cannot be
underrated. Being a dense, concentrated and highly nutritious food,
it is important that every particle be thoroughly crushed and
emulsified before it is swallowed. Even small particles pass through
the alimentary canal undigested because of the inability of the
digestive fluids to penetrate hard substances. Mastication is a
function half forgotten, as the human race is now a people of mush
gummers. Insufficient chewing is one of the many causes of
indigestion and other digestive disorders. For those who are
toothless and unable to crush nuts well enough, nut butter made from
fresh raw nuts can be used to advantage. Nut butters made from
roasted, salted nuts should be avoided because they are made
indigestible by the processing.
Chewed
well and in good combination, nuts should be part of the daily diet,
not as an appetizer but as a prominent part of a meal. One-fourth of
a pound each day is not too much for the average person of average occupation.
In reference to feeding nuts to children, Dr. H. M. Shelton, in his Volume II of "The Hygienic System", has this to say: "Finely ground and emulsified nuts have proven to be the very best substitutes for milk, when the mother’s milk fails and the child is sensitive to cow’s milk. There are many children who are sensitive to cow’s milk and to the prepared milk foods on the market. Many children have been killed by milk whose lives might have been saved by nuts."
Vegetables
As
popularly understood, vegetables are any plants, cultivated for
their edible parts. This loose definition includes roots (as beets
and carrots), tubers (potatoes, artichokes), stems (celery, cardoon),
leaves (lettuce, pepper grass, spinach), flower buds and heads
(French artichoke, cauliflower, broccoli), fruits (tomatoes, squash,
cucumbers), and legumes (peas) and grains (sweet corn).
By
another popular definition, a vegetable is any plant whose edible
part is used in some culinary way, as differentiated from
"fruit" which by the average person is considered as a
dessert instead of a staple article of food. Botanically considered,
all "vegetables" whose edible parts result from the
development of pollinated flowers, such as cucumbers, peppers/
tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, etc., are fruits.
Vegetables
play an important role in the nutrition of man in furnishing vital
mineral elements and vitamins. A diet composed chiefly of proteins
and carbohydrates would not be nearly so harmful if balanced with a
generous supply of vegetables.
The
great value of vegetables is not fully appreciated by Americans.
This is evidenced by the fact that of the total amount of money spent
on food, only about ten percent is spent for vegetables. The public,
professional as well as lay, was greatly surprised at the results of
nutrition studies connected with vegetables, which illustrated the
remarkable dietary qualities possessed by the leaves of plants which
are edible. It is unfortunate that many plants, which otherwise would
be rich sources of alkaline food, contain so much tannin that they
are not acceptable to the human palate. One of the chief reasons why
vegetables have not been popularly accepted is the poor methods
employed in their preparation, which destroy their nutritional value
as well as their value in attracting and delighting the sense of taste.
Vegetables
in the average household are limited to a very few. A salad is often
thought of as a lettuce leaf covered with a generous portion of tuna
fish or chicken dressed with mayonnaise. The cooked vegetables of the
meal are usually canned corn, canned peas, boiled potatoes,
sauerkraut, or some other equally deteriorated food. Housewives are
often insulted when the writer suggests a course of instruction in
cooking and general preparation of foods: but, after they once learn
the principles of hygienic food preparation, they understand that
formerly they were destroying the nutritive values in the food,
thereby making them worthless.
Another
factor which detracts from the hygienic value of vegetables is the
poor method of cultivation and fertilization employed by commercial
farms. Constant use of the same soil in the cultivation of vegetables
soon leeches it of nutrient elements. In order to continue to produce
vegetables he can sell, the farmer employs strong fertilizers which
in reality deteriorate the soil and stimulate the growth of
vegetables poor in quality. Most commercial fertilizers contain large
quantities of nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid, which induce a
rapid growth of vegetation at the expense of quality in the product.
Those who consume only vegetables from city markets build tissues
which are weak, lack vigor, and soon become diseased. This is another
reason why those who own some acreage in the country, or even a small
plot of ground in the city, may consider themselves fortunate.
Some of the advantages of a home vegetable garden are: (1) A choicer variety may be grown than can be bought from stores or markets. Kinds not obtainable from commercial sources can be grown in one’s own garden. (2). The products can always be freshly gathered just when they have reached edible perfection. (3) The products are not contaminated and wilted by being stored for long periods of time and then displayed in store windows and stands for days before they are purchased. (4) Home gardens may reduce the expenditure of money for food, often to the extent of from 10 to 15 percent of the average salary. (5) They may combine the aforementioned benefits with those of an enjoyable hobby and, above all, of a healthful, useful recreation.
In
addition to the above listed reasons? it may be stated that
vegetables raised commercially must possess qualities which make them
tough and coarse in texture so that they can stand packing and
shipping, and rough handling in markets and stores. Instilling these
factors in vegetables always sacrifices some of the delicacy and
toothsomeness. Varieties grown in the home garden, on the other hand,
are fine in texture and flavor, developing over longer periods and
less subject to the highly stimulating influence of nitrogenous
fertilizers. some vegetables deteriorate much more rapidly than
others and freshness is not as important with some as with others.
Potatoes, turnips, late cabbage , and the like, will remain
nutritious and palatable one month or six months after being
gathered. The so-called "salad crops" such as leaf lettuce,
pepper grass and mustard, should be eaten within an hour of being
gathered: otherwise, they will have lost their delightful crispness
and much of their appetizing value. Fresh peas and corn are also at
their height in sweetness and delicate succulence if eaten
immediately after they have been picked.
In
planning a garden of limited size, the home gardener should be
governed by the following considerations: (1) Where space is at a
premium, those vegetables should be eliminated which require too much
space and of which the family can use only limited quantities--for
example, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, winter
squash and cucumbers, though the latter may be trained on trellises.
(2) Staple winter vegetables that can usually be purchased in stores
and markets should be discarded next. (3) Species that occupy the
ground over the whole season/ such as chicory, parsnip, salsify,
leek, etc., should next be omitted because from two to four short
season crops can be grown in the space required by them.
In
choosing varieties, care must be employed because certain
vegetables, especially peas! corn, beans, etc., require different
lengths of time in which to attain maturity. These may be started
according to two plans: the first, by making successive sowings of a
quick maturing variety at intervals of ten days to two weeks; or
secondly, by sowing at one time several varieties requiring different
lengths of time to mature. Peas and broccoli are best sown while the
weather is still cool. In warm regions, corn and bush beans may be
planted fairly late in summer with good success.
Next,
varieties must be separated into groups according to their hardiness
and tenderness, their sowing dates, and their short and long growing
seasons. It is necessary to do this in order to best utilize the
space at hand.
When
planning a garden site, it is best to choose a spot on a gentle
slope toward the east, southeast, or the south. Under equal
circumstances, vegetables will mature earlier on such sites than elsewhere.
Trees
should be kept out of the garden itself, since they rob the
nutritive elements and water from the soil and also shade the garden
from valuable sunlight. If the gardener can be choosey , the ground
should be well drained either naturally or artificially. This will
insure a warmer soil and earlier growth.
These
facts will not make every reader an accomplished horticulturist but
will aid in establishing him on the way to delicious and succulent
vegetable dinners.
Other
data and information about the cultivation of vegetables may be
obtained from farm magazines and booklets which can be found in seed
stores, libraries and book stores.
Fruits
and nuts are the perfect foods for man/ but in the civilized areas
of the world it is virtually impossible to obtain a well-rounded
supply for perfect nutrition and health. Therefore, it is necessary
to supplement them with vegetables. Large, raw vegetable salads
should form the major part of every dinner. It will be found that
vegetables are delicious and succulent.
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"The
content of this site is not intended as medical advice. Its intention
is solely informational and educational. Please consult a medical
professional should the need for one be warranted."
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