Proper growth and activity of the brain and nervous system are promoted by a healthy flow of blood. Pure air and sufficient protein food properly combined and proportioned with carbo-hydrate and fatty foods, rich in phosphates and minerals, are essential. Choose more of the lighter form of protein and starchy foods, as fish, eggs, almonds, green peas, bacon, a moderate amount of lamb and beef, rice, sago, wheat, and vegetable gelatines. Foods rich in minerals are celery, apples, tomatoes, greens, oranges, and practically all the fresh fruits and vegetables, especially the small berries. Melons and starchy vegetables in large quantities are suitable for muscular workers. Use as little as possible of so-called pure chemical substances, such as refined sugar and flour.
Avoid poisonous beverages, tobacco and all forms of drugs. Sleep at least nine hours in a well ventilated room, facing east or south. Avoid constipation. Combine mental work with moderate amounts of useful and enjoyable exercise, or physical work. Protect the eyes from strong artificial light. Keep the feet warm. Relax before and after meals. A certain amount of manual labor is absolutely necessary for the brain-worker. It favors deep breathing and creates a demand for more air and water, and thus improves digestion, oxidation and nutrition. The body poisons are carried off quicker and nervous headaches and despondency are avoided. Short walks out of doors before retiring are very beneficial for people who suffer with cold hands and feet.
All who leave the land of their birth should make themselves acquainted with the art of living and the peculiarities of the new country in which they intend to live.
To depart entirely from their old customs and habits is as dangerous as to neglect the study of the new environment or the failure to adopt necessary changes.
In some States the climatic conditions of the United States are very changeable; we have extreme heat and cold, and excess of rain with wind storms and dryness changing within a short time. West of the Rocky Mountains we have a mild sea air. In the Southern States and near the Pacific Coast we have low districts where malaria and catarrhal conditions are easily acquired.
Tropical fruits and vegetables which are looked upon as luxuries in Northern Europe are necessary articles of food in the country where they grow, therefore the stranger should make himself acquainted with such foods and by degrees learn to eat them.
In countries where the days are extremely hot and the nights are cold, the selection of foods should be made accordingly. Fats produce more than twice the amount of energy than carbohydrates, therefore they are more suitable during the early part of the day. During the middle of the day select foods of the protein class, in proper proportion with fruits and raw greens. For the evening meal use the stimulating sub-acid and sweet fruits in combination with light protein and cereal foods.
1. Keep the feet warm, the head cool and the stomach not too full.
2. Take walks out of doors daily and breathe deeply.
3. Do not wear tight shoes or tight corsets.
4. Masticate your food thoroughly. Select, combine and prepare it rightly. Do not overeat.
5. Avoid fresh breads, inferior cakes and pastry.
6. Do not eat unless you are hungry.
7. Do not over-indulge in athletic or any other kind of exercise.
8. Remember that natural feeding, pure air and sufficient sleep call for natural breathing and natural exercise.
9. Unnatural feeding and late hours create disease or nervousness.
10. Don’t take drugs for sleeplessness.
11. Tired feeling in the morning is the result of nerve starvation and auto-intoxication.
12. The house we live in should be constructed for health and comfort, rather than for style.
13. Sleep by open windows. Night air is as pure as day air. Protect yourself from dampness by an open fire if necessary.
14. Do not dress and wash in a cold bath room. Have your wash bowl in the bed room.
15. Sewer gas from a small pipe in a well ventilated bed room is not harmful, as it is carried off in the air. Have the stopper placed in the hole when not in use.
16. Dress by an open fire or in a sunny room. A chill before breakfast produces indigestion and a desire for unnecessary hot foods.
17. Never sleep by night lamps or any other artificial light. They are injurious to the eyes and absorb oxygen.
18. Teach a growing child that selecting and preparing his food is an important occupation.
19. Do not allow a child to fill his body with trash.
20. Pure water is as important as pure food. If you boil your water the minerals are deposited on the bottom of the kettle instead of in the system for bone-making material.
21. Milk is a food, not a drink; it should never be taken in addition to, or at the end of, a heavy meal.
22. Many people object to boiled milk on account of a theory that it tends to constipate. Do not dwell on theories; find out the effect for yourself. Potatoes, toast and many other cooked foods are constipating also. Why not object to those?
23. Raw foods are more nutritious than cooked foods, if they are pure and fresh and can be digested without difficulty.
24. A change from cooked to raw foods might produce diarrhœa or constipation. The latter condition is generally not dangerous. Constipation from cooked foods is more dangerous.
25. A daily evacuation of the bowels is not always a sign that the stomach and intestines are in good working order. The bowels can be forced to move by the eating of too rich foods.
26. Some people are clearer in mind on a vegetarian diet, while upon others it has no such effect at all.
27. A healthy individual does not need to confine himself to a special system of diet. Avoid dangerous experiments carried on for orthodox reasons.
28. Rich soaky cooked nut foods are not health foods. If you want to be a vegetarian, live on raw foods.
29. Some people thrive on raw foods while others do not. The best time to begin with raw foods is in childhood.
30. Hot house plants cannot digest raw foods. Open your doors and windows and learn to breathe first. Fresh air and sunshine are necessary for the change of food.
31. If your teeth are poor, substitute a food-chopper or grinder for your foods.
32. The most perfect foods, such as apples, tomatoes, wheat, oats, rye, legumes and nuts seldom disagree with a healthy individual, provided they are used wisely.
33. Sunlight is a great disinfectant. Dark rooms are a breeding place for tuberculous germs.
34. Daily out-of-door exercise in the sunshine will increase health and reduce the coal bill. Without exercise our food can be of little benefit to us.
35. By natural feeding, overwork is not possible. The body demands rest when its strength is exhausted.
36. Artificial stimulants are deceivers. They make a man feel strong when he is weak. They produce artificial heat and will-power and an abnormal temperature; they lead to overwork, abnormal development and degenerate brains and bodies.
37. Natural will-power can direct its force wherever it is wanted, be it for work or rest; it can sustain on bread and water for many days.
38. Without substance there can be no power. Substantial food, fresh air, water and natural exercise develop strong bodies and minds.
39. Artificial sweets, white bread and poisonous beverages develop butterflies that crave excitement and artificial life.
40. The world is full of people that are without substance, power or principle. They earn their living the easiest way they can. Wrong feeding is responsible for such conditions.
41. Social reformers and humanitarians cannot solve problems until they have learned how to feed the race.
42. Many people are under the impression that if a certain food is recommended as especially healthful, over-indulgence must be beneficial.
43. All natural foods are wholesome; over-eating produces discomfort and disease.
44. Some fruits and vegetables have high medicinal values. Specific foods prescribed in large quantities are useful for certain ailments, but not for a healthy individual.
45. Each individual is a law unto himself. Two different people afflicted with a disease of the same name may require entirely different treatment. Human beings cannot be standardized like inert machines.
46. Canned fruits out of season are not a necessary article of food; they are of value as a medicine.
47. If certain foods do not agree, or produce indigestion, study their combination and preparation carefully, also the proportion, and time of the day when most suitable. If this does not prove satisfactory, leave them alone.
48. Don’t buy cheap or inferior food of any kind.
49. Don’t always believe your dealer as to the quality of the product. Investigate for yourself.
50. Don’t use fruits in excess if you lead a very active life. The right proportion is the key note to maintain balance.
51. Excessive fruits and rest is a prescription for sickness.
52. If no great hunger is felt at a meal, do not eat nuts or any kind of foods classed as protein. Neither stuff yourself with liquid foods. A fast or fruits or fruit juices are the best under such conditions.
53. Do not offer a guest more food than he desires. It may be polite, but it is an unwholesome fashion.
54. Drink sufficient pure natural water between your meals. There is danger in over-drinking as well as in under-drinking.
55. A definite employment, practical and loving sympathy with our fellow men and faith in the almighty power of creation is a good prescription for imaginary diseases.
56. There is a great medicinal force in a mind of peace. If you suffer from chronic ailments brought on by overwork, seek rest and solitude, and exercise your soul. The latent powers within you can be awakened by right study. Give up wrong thoughts and habits.
57. Hard arteries are the result of high-pressure life.
58. Restlessness and sleeplessness are the result of an acid or toxic condition of the blood.
59. The liver is the great filter and germ destroyer of the body. Co-operate with nature and treat your liver right. Germs are not attracted to healthy people.
60. Many lung diseases are often the result of an abused liver.
61. Mouth-breathing is the result of structural and functional derangement.
62. Children that are allowed to sit with cold feet in the school room cannot keep their health or study their lessons.
63. A destructive or mischievous child can be corrected by proper food and sufficient suitable employments.
64. Defective teeth and eyesight are often the result of improper feeding. Glasses cannot make up the deficiency.
65. Cleanse the mouth and teeth on arising and after each meal.
66. If you wish to prevent colds, stop overloading your stomach.
The pantry shelf with its contents is responsible for many acute diseases and ptomaine poisoning by unhygienic and careless handling and preservation of foodstuffs.
A closet for the preservation of food should be located on the north or east side of the house if possible. It should have several long and narrow windows from top to bottom, so as to allow plenty of air and light. The shelves should be constructed of wire, zinc or wooden slats, and be removable.
Raw fruits and vegetables should never be kept in the same closet with cooked food. Milk and butter should not be kept near meat or other cooked foods. Potatoes, carrots and underground vegetables should be kept out of doors or in a dry basement. They may be preserved in a box with dry sand.
Onions should not be left in a paper bag; hang them up in the sun or keep them in a flat box in a dry place. Onions which have been cut should never be used again for food, unless the cut side has been preserved in vinegar or oil.
All raw foods which have a thick skin have better keeping qualities than those with a thin skin; therefore, fancy summer fruits should be eaten while fresh on the same day they were picked. No more should be bought than can be eaten the same day, or else they should be preserved by sterilization.
Green vegetables should be used fresh if possible, and not kept longer than three or four days. Never keep them in the house or pantry.
Apples or other winter fruits should be kept in a dry store room out of doors, in the attic or in a dry basement.
The white film that often gathers around grapes is a breeding place for diphtheria germs. Wash thoroughly before eating all fruits which have been stored in houses or at the market. Do not prepare more raw food than can be eaten at one meal. Never allow it to stand after it is cut.
Many housekeepers think it important to scald their dishes, but do not know that it is far more important to sterilize or reboil cooked foods which have stood on the shelf for 18 or 24 hours and sometimes longer. Such foodstuff is dangerous long before the process of fermentation can be detected by the sense of smell or taste.
Some foods begin to undergo changes immediately after cooling; therefore, cooked foods left over, with the exception of a few, should be reboiled before serving again. Rice or other cereals should be stirred over the fire for a while and then baked in the oven until they are thoroughly sterile. The care of milk has been discussed in the chapter on food. Soups which are preserved with fat will keep wholesome for several days without reboiling. Fruits and fruit juices should not stand longer than 24 hours. Eggs are best preserved in bran or lime-water or on ice if kept for a week or longer. Boiled or thoroughly roasted meats will keep wholesome for 36 hours in a cold place. During the summer meat should not be kept from one day to another.
If left-over meat is cut from the bone and cooked up in gravy or soup stock or preserved in gelatine (with fat to cover it), it can be kept wholesome for 4 or 5 days and longer, according to the manner of preservation. Half cooked chops and beefsteak should never be kept in the same manner they are served. They should be cooked thoroughly in fat or gravy before being put away. All meats should be freshly cut and cooked the same day after delivery, or be preserved by partly cooking or roasting, until the next day. Many housekeepers keep roasts, chops and beefsteak until it looks blue and green with putrefaction before it is cooked. Never buy meat which has an unnatural color. Be sure that your butcher does not use poisonous substances to keep the meat from decomposition. Visit your butcher often and investigate how often he gets a fresh supply of meat. This is of more benefit than to save time by telephoning.
Never allow sliced bacon to lie in the ice box or pantry for several days. It becomes rancid and is unfit for food. Buy your bacon in bulk and slice it with a sharp knife when wanted.
Do not keep sliced meat of any kind longer than one day in cold weather. Do not keep it in hot weather without preserving it in gravy or fat or by sterilization.
Do not keep a tight cover on a dish, jar or bottle which contains raw or cooked food, unless the air within is sterile.
Allow cooked food to stand open until it is cool, then put the cover over two-thirds of its opening or cover with a cheese-cloth or a colander.
If milk or cream is delivered in bottles, remove the cover immediately after delivery. If the air where it stands is dusty, protect the milk with cotton or cheese-cloth. Treat boiled milk in the same manner.
Cooked foods which have poor keeping qualities should not be kept for further use, or no more should be prepared than can be eaten at one meal. To this class belong cooked underground or leaf vegetables, custards, soft puddings, milk and egg foods and gelatines. Damp or rainy weather is more favorable for decomposition of foodstuffs than dry weather.
Whites of eggs should not be kept longer than 18 or 24 hours. They must be preserved in a very cold place and be utilized at the earliest opportunity. They are like all proteins, more dangerous than starches if left to ferment, whether the fermentation begins on the pantry shelf or in the stomach. White of egg can be used in many different ways. It may be beaten to a froth and served on fruit-soups or fruit pies, or it can be taken in place of broth at the beginning of a meal. Add a tablespoon of water and a few drops of lemon or orange or apple or cranberry juice to one white of an egg and beat up with a fork, or drink without beating. White of egg can also be utilized for brancakes.
If a variety of left-over food is on hand which cannot be combined into one dish, it is better to serve different food to each member rather than to divide each article for all; the latter custom may be more polite, but it is not wise to mix a great variety of foods at one meal.
Left-over skim-milk is best utilized for cheese, pancakes, whey gruel, whey or milk sauce, or be boiled and served with stale rye or corn bread. Vegetables prepared with milk do not make a good combination. Soft puddings prepared with skim-milk, sugar and eggs, are not very wholesome unless the necessary amount of fat is added in the form of butter or suet. Skim-milk and fruit is not a good combination.
Left-over potatoes can be utilized in many different ways: for fish-cakes, pancakes, hash, potato-dumplings, creamed potatoes or for salad. Fried cooked potatoes are not a good food for the noon meal, especially for children or people doing active work.
Baked legumes if preserved with fat meat or oil can be kept on hand for a week and be rebaked two or three times per week.
Put one layer of common salt or bran one inch deep on the bottom of a wooden pail or washtub. Then grease the eggs with parafine or oil and place them with the small end down, so that they will not touch the bottom of the tub. Fill with enough salt to cover the eggs one inch.
Preserve the eggs with salicylic acid, which can be bought in the drug store. Follow directions on package.
A child should have his face and hands washed before and after each meal. He should not be allowed to carry foodstuffs and candy about the house, or touch carpets and furniture with sticky and greasy fingers. If he requires food between meals, give him four or five meals per day, but have him eat his food in the proper place.
The breeding of flies, mosquitoes and other disease carriers is greatly favored by allowing children to eat at any and all times without napkins or special preservation of their dress or without cleaning their hands before and after eating or before and after playing with animals and pets.
The American child is given too much consideration at the table. There is a great difference between the saying “I don’t like a certain food” and “I don’t want it,” because there are things which taste better.
To leave one’s plate half full of foodstuffs and ask for or accept another food is fashionable, but before the law of our Creator it is unclean and disrespectful.
The physiological laws of our bodies are based on very economical plans; nature utilizes everything and wastes nothing. Cooked foodstuffs, whether they are wasted within our bodies by over-indulgence, or in the garbage can, create decomposition and germs.
Cooked green foods and mushes are neither wholesome foods for chickens or pet animals. Natural food is dry, and animals which are fed on dry food produce a better quality of milk, eggs and flesh than animals which are fed upon slops.
Dishwashing is a work which takes up so much time in every household, that it is a subject which should receive some attention.
The housekeeper who serves a considerable amount of raw food saves much time and strength by relieving herself of greasy dishes and saucepans.
Scrape off the fragments from plates and utensils and prepare one basin with hot soapsuds and another with rinsing water of clear hot or cold water. People whose time is valuable can save much work by placing the dishes from the drain-board upside down on a shelf prepared from wooden slats, or set them in a wire basket and let them dry without wiping.
If the dishes are not washed immediately after each meal, place the silverware and knives in a high bowl or quart measure and let them soak in hot or cold water. Remove all foods from metallic utensils immediately after the meal is over. Never allow metallic spoons to stand in fruit sauce, salt or in any kind of prepared food. Acids dissolve metal and in this way may produce poisoning.
In contagious diseases all dishes should be sterilized. Burn up all particles of left-over food, put the dishes into a narrow pail and boil with plenty of water and soda for an hour or longer.
Use solutions of carbolic acid or chloride of lime. Mix with equal quantities of the excreta and allow it to stand for several hours before it is disposed of.
Soak one-fourth of a pound of glue in cold water over night. Dissolve some lime with cold water, add a few handsful of salt. Heat the glue until it is dissolved and add to one bucket of whitewash. This makes a smooth and healthy paint. Use for rough or smooth woodwork, twice per year in laundry, basement or cellar or pantry.