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The Entering Wedge
[PICTURE]
The Entering Wedge 1
Copyright, 1946 by
The Entering Wedge Society of America
All Rights Reserved
1997 Reprint
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THIS BOOKLET'S MISSION
The reader will well appreciate the fact that the importance of this health-bringing agent is in some respects similar to that of the gospel, because no home, be it Christian. Jewish, or heathen, can afford to be without a copy of it. And the gospel's first concern being one's health, this heaven-sent agent is, therefore, the "entering wedge" for Bible and colporteur work, and it will, if rightly used, not only open doors and hearts to the gospel of all time, but also to Its "meat in due season" (Matt. 24:45), the message of the hour, "the everlasting gospel." Rev. 14:6. Hence, those wishing to engage in such a worthy cause, can more successfully labor with this appealing, friend-making, heart-changing, and body-building forerunner.
And, moreover, that it be comprehensible to all classes of society, it is written in language which all can readily comprehend. And finally, to give it the usefulness of a pocket-companion, so that one can conveniently refer to it at all times -- at home and away from home -- only the most practical and essential health hints are given, the things which one needs to refer to daily, along with a few sample recipes.
The enlightenment herein contained is highly essential in maintaining good health,
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because the world is now living a life that is contrary to its well-being. Consequently, unless one is equipped to proceed wisely through life's long journey, he can, of course, with certainty expect to break down somewhere in life's race track, and consequently not reach his goal.
The greater proportion of people realize that they are now living in a new, unnatural, and upset world, but unless they reform and line up their habits of life with the world that used to be, they too, will gravitate deeper into the ocean of disease and misery, and thus into an untimely and, perhaps, hopeless grave.
In a natural world books on this subject would not be so essential to one's daily regimen, but in a world like the one we are now living in, the necessity for such a book as this becomes as serious as if death and misery were about to conquer the last of us. That the world today is in just such a predicament is evident from the fact that it is now increasingly sick and dying from all manner of diseases, and unless there is something done quickly to save it, it will forever pass into oblivion.
Such a health-wasting and degenerating condition as the one which now prevails throughout so-called civilized lands, is doubtless due to the fact that heretofore all of us health reformers have been teaching only the theoretical side of right living. But now the long-looked-for, the practical, health companion (the only kind that can
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help anybody correct his erroneous habits, that can enlighten his path, and rescue him from the current of destruction), having finally come, we as Christian workers for the good of others, are hastening to reach all with it. Yes, all, because anyone can have it without money. "Ho," now Inspiration invites, "every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." Isa. 55: 1.
If it were to be sold on a strictly commercial basis, the price of this health service would be we perceive, as inestimable as is the worth of one's health and happiness. Hence, the publishers, operating a strictly gospel press, have made it possible for the distributors to send this health booklet free of charge to all who care to have it.
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CONTENTS
THE CAUSES OF DISEASES 9
What Should Everyone Know 10
Summarizing the Causes of All Diseases 12
LESSONS FROM THE MODERN MACHINE 13
LESSONS FROM NATURE 15
A TIME FOR FOOD RATHER THAN FOR DRUGS 20
A TIME FOR DRUGS RATHER THAN FOR FOOD 21
WHAT SHOULD A FLESH EATER KNOW? 22
WHAT SHOULD A VEGETARIAN KNOW? 27
Group 1 -- 80% of the Diet 29
Group 2 -- 20% of the Diet 30
Group 3 -- Seasoning for All Foods 30
THE SUMMER AND THE WINTER DIET 30
FOOD COMBINATIONS 33
RAW FOOD 36
USING COMMON SENSE 36
THE ENLIGHTENED,
PROGRESSIVE WAY OF LIFE 37
OVEREATING 39
EATING BETWEEN MEALS 41
RIGHT HABITS, HYGIENE
AND EXERCISE BRING GOOD HEALTH 44
PLEASANT SURROUNDINGS 46
THE CITY LIFE 47
WORK AND REST, YEAR ROUND 48
THE USE OF PURGATIVES 50
THE WATER IN EDEN 51
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT SLEEP? 52
WHAT SHOULD A CHRISTIAN KNOW? 55
FAITH ESSENTIAL TO GOOD HEALTH 58
THE LABORATORY TEST
AND THE DIETITIAN'S OPINION 59
The Function Of Food 60
The Calories 61
The Minerals 62
Oxygen and Its Function 64
Carbohydrates 65
Fats 65
Proteins 66
Vitamins 66
Acid and Alkaline Foods 72
BETTER LINE UP WITH
ALL THE LAWS OF GOD 75
FOOD AND COOKERY 76
Special Don't and Do's 80
NO NEED OF STAYING
HUNGRY AND HELPLESS 83
RECIPES 87
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THE ENTERING WEDGE--THE GENESIS OF DIET AND HEALTH
"Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself In fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto Me hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." Isa. 55:2, 3.
To appreciate the importance of this Divine counsel one must first fully realize that in the beginning God created man in His own image male and female created He them. Yes, in God's own image were they both to live forever as He Himself lives, never to experience pain or death.
To eat understandingly, "that which is good," and to keep well, however, is to eat only that which the Creator sanctified for man's use. "Behold," He instructed, "I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." Gen. 1:29.
Although given an immense variety of foodstuffs -- every herb and every tree bearing seed -- the sinless, holy pair, being tempted, and being inexperienced, reached
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for the only forbidden fruit in all God's creation, the fruit of the tree that was in the midst of the garden. Having eaten of it, they became subject to that experience which was to exhibit to them and to their descendants the results of both good and evil -- joy and sadness, health and disease, redemption and damnation, -- all these were henceforth to he the lot of humanity. Consequently, while going through these experiences, death passed upon all men and upon all else that was subject to Adam's rulership.
Thus, as descendants of father Adam, we naturally came unto this world as first degree sinners, subject to all the good as well as to all the evil that is in it. And now if we choose to practice the good, we shall add no other sin, and eventually our sinful nature will be changed and, guided by Divine Light, we shall be brought to the Edenic sinless state. But if we continue to do otherwise, then as a result we shall acquire additional curses, curses which result from our own sinning. And if we never turn from pursuing such an evil course, we shall suffer even the "second death." Rev. 20:14.
Now the fact that early in the history of mankind, men were not subject to so much sickness disease, and suffering as they are at the present time, and were capable of living nearly a thousand years, proves that the nations of today have not chosen
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the good, but rather the evil course -- the course which leads to destruction of both body and soul. Thus adding sin to sin, evil to evil, and pain to pain, they are running full speed to ruin in this life, and, except they repent, to final destruction in the life to come; to the second death, a death from which there is no resurrection.
THE CAUSES OF DISEASE
Disease has been identified in three different categories -- hereditary, communicative, and self-created (acquired). This being so, then there must be three kinds of sin, three laws to transgress. Two of these laws are found in the Decalogue (Ex. 20:3-17): The first prohibits sinning against God, and the second against our fellowmen. The Third, therefore, is the law of health, the law which forbids transgressing against our bodies (Lev. 11; Isa. 66:16, 17).
Plainly, then, sinning against God brings in its wake a hereditary curse, the kind that passes from father to son "unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me" (Ex. 20:5), saith the Lord. And sinning against our fellowmen brings communicative diseases, shown in the fact that when Miriam sinned against her brother, Moses, she was stricken with the contagious disease, leprosy (Num. 12). "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may
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be long...." Ex. 20:12. So "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Gal. 6:7. Thus it was that when Haman built the gallows upon which to hang Mordecai, he himself was hanged on them (Esther 7:9, 10). And when Daniel was unjustly cast into the lions' den, his enemies were devoured by the hungry beasts, but Daniel was spared (Dan. 6:16, 22, 24). Moreover, when the three Hebrews were cast into the fiery furnace, those who carried them were consumed by the flames, but the Hebrews came out unharmed (Dan. 3:21-23). So also, "he that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword." Rev. 13:10.
It is therefore a never-failing fact that if one molests his neighbor, or intends to do so, the harm will fall on himself; and if he harms his neighbor's children, his own children will suffer as a result. The diseases, though, which are not inherited, the sinner himself creates by sinning against his own body. Sinning against a neighbor or against oneself, nevertheless, is indirectly sinning against God also.
WHAT SHOULD EVERYONE KNOW?
If one is suffering from a hereditary disease, for which his parents, grandparents, or great grandparents alone are guilty, he is, of course, helpless to do much of anything in the line of complete recovery,
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be it by dieting or by using drugs. He may, however, be able to control the disease or even to overcome it by being strictly obedient to the laws of God, knowing that nothing in the world will effect a cure for such illness but prayer, if God's wisdom so decrees.
On the other hand, if one is suffering from a disease which has been communicated to him or that is communicative, due to one's sinning against his fellowmen, then to remove the disease once and forever, he must repent of his sin, practice the golden rule: "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." Matt. 7:12.
But if the disease be neither hereditary nor communicative, then it must be self-created, acquired by oneself, by violating the laws of health, by not living right in one respect or another.
The wise will, therefore, correct their habits of living -- make sure that they do not sin against God or against their fellowmen, that they sleep, breathe, eat, drink, and work correctly and religiously, and if there is a cure at all, they will have it.
The cause of each type of disease having now been defined, the sufferer of any of the three kinds of diseases may without difficulty determine which one of the three laws he is transgressing and as a result
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paying the penalty it imposes. If he is afflicted with complications of diseases, though, he must be breaking all of God's laws. Let him henceforth quit sinning in any line if he expects to recover and stay well, too.
Many diseases, of course, are wrongly classed as contagious. For example, tuberculosis is not actually communicable, for when one becomes infected with the disease, he can effect a cure if while it is yet in its early stages, he begins to live right. Obviously, then, if one always lives right, he need not fear of the disease ever getting a foothold in his body. So in the last analysis a number of diseases so-called contagious are not in reality such. Strictly speaking, they are infectious, brought on by oneself. And now, how fortunate should one consider himself to know that right living and right doing, with faith in God, actually do away with a multitude of sorrows!
SUMMARIZING THE CAUSES OF ALL DISEASES
Those who wonder what is the cause of this, of that, and of the other disease, may quickly test every case:
It is now fully understood that life and death are at war with each other as are the nations among themselves: One nation's army may pour fire upon another, but not all of the soldiers receive the same kind of wound even though the whole army be under
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the same fire. In like manner, the bodies of men are the soldiers and the cause of disease the Enemy's mighty weapon in the warfare between heaven and earth. Hence, though some suffer from headache, some from stomachache, some from diabetes, some from anemia, from heart disease gallstones, neuritis, or other ailments, yet all suffer for the same reason -- simply because they have in one way or another moved away from their only fortress, the laws of God. This is the final diagnosis of all diseases. Stick close to Nature, and Nature will stick close to you.
LESSONS FROM THE MODERN MACHINE
One must realize that the human body is in some respects similar to a man-made machine. When the gas tank of an auto goes empty the engine immediately stops. This same law operates within the human body: When the body runs out of energy (starves, runs out of calories) it stops running, dies; and although man who made the auto can refill its tank with fuel and put it to running again, he cannot do so with the human body. Once the heart stops beating, at that very moment life ceases and the body lies down until the resurrection day -- until the One Who created it starts it moving again.
When the crankcase of an engine becomes empty, but the engine continues running,
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then the machine breaks down, and its usefulness ends. And as the life of an auto is maintained by reducing friction through means of lubrication, the life of a human being is kept up by Nature's replacing the worn out cells after the day's task is done, while he takes his rest in bed. Thus is he able to arise in the morning with renewed strength. But if he fails to provide the material which Nature needs in order to rebuild the worn out cells and tissues, he, of course suffers the consequences as does the neglectful person who fails to replenish the oil in his auto's crankcase. And if one fails to drink enough water, too, during the day, his blood will, as a result, become impoverished, and his system stagnant and clogged with waste material, there to ferment and decay; and if Nature is deprived of energy by which to throw off the toxins through the pores, kidneys, and the bowels, or to raise fever and endure the burning process of the wastes, then there is nothing to do but to give up trying -- decease.
It is therefore necessary that Nature be well supplied with all the essentials if one expects to maintain his usefulness unimpaired and to live his allotted life.
Moreover, no good engineer puts useless or needless parts into an engine, and if the user of it takes out any part, regardless how small and insignificant, the engine is made just that much less efficient. The
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same is true with the human body. But though the engineer can replace the missing parts in the machine which he designed and built, the surgeon cannot replace the body organs which his patient may cause him to remove. For example, one may remove only a set screw from a machine and not affect its performance for the time being, but at length he will find that the machine fails to perform, and if he cannot replace the part which he has taken out, the machine will become altogether useless. The same thing occurs, more or less, when one removes an organ from his body.
LESSONS FROM NATURE
Since the well-being of the body is even more accurately taught by Mother Nature herself, no one who wishes to enjoy life dares overlook her counsel. Plants never do well in soil that is deficient, or depleted of its life-giving properties. Some plants do better in one soil or climate than do others. Some thrive in higher altitudes and others in lower. The same law seems to operate in mankind: The darker races fare better in the torrid regions, and the lighter in the frigid regions.
While plant life subsists on inorganic matter, animal life subsists on organic. Moreover, as plant life was created before animal life, the truth is that the plant
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kingdom can get along without the animal, but that the animal kingdom cannot get along without the plant. Thus it is that vegetation needs only Mother Earth, but man needs both the earth and plant. In other words, plant life is dependent on the soil for existence, while animal life is dependent on vegetation. Flesh diet is therefore, artificial, and thus deficient -- incapable of maintaining life.
So, just as plants cannot thrive on poor soil, men cannot thrive on poor diet. And if one is aware of the fact that almost immediately after the soil is enriched, the plant awakens with health and vigor, then he will have no difficulty realizing that as soon as he corrects his own diet, his health will likewise spring up. Is it not true, then, that one's health depends on the food he uses as does the plant's on the soil in which it feeds?
If the sufferer's faulty diet is the cause of his aliment, and in most cases in our day it is, then no kind or amount of drug can cure him. Yet when something goes wrong with one's organism, he generally runs to a doctor, not to find and to remove the cause, but to be cured, while the cause remains and while it brings him closer and closer to the grave! And if he is not given drugs, he dislikes the doctor! Why not check up on your daily diet and habits of living? Why take drugs when you need to take water, fresh air, sunshine, the
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right kinds of food; to exercise; or perhaps to clean up your home, your body, and your surroundings?
Let it be now understood that anyone living on a poor diet, or in unpleasant surroundings and unsanitary conditions, is subject to disease in one form or another, just as is a plant that is planted in poor soil and unconducive surroundings. Then, too, one must remember that unbalanced food, regardless of quality or quantity, is poor food; and as too much fertilizer kills the plant, so too much food kills the man. Too much of anything is as bad as is too little. Illness, therefore, is only a warning of one's improper habits of living. But, alas, who can understand! and who is taking heed!
What else can the cause of diseases that are not hereditary or communicative, be but wrong living -- malnutrition, "unclean" flesh food (Lev. 11), overeating, poor elimination, insufficient exercise, lack of sunshine and fresh air, living in filth, neglecting to drink enough water between meals, or perhaps smoking or chewing tobacco, habitually using coffee, tea, or some other stimulant that whips up the body to the last ounce of energy? To be sure, such diseases as cancer are the result of wrong living. If such is not the cause of the sufferer's illness, then the last and final cause, as referred to before, is sin against the Decalogue.
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Nature teaches that if a tree becomes sickly from within rather than from without then to spray it with any kind of drug will only hasten its death, waste the drug, the time, and one's energy. The human body is no exception. If the disease is from internal cause, then what good will it do to try to remove it by the use of drugs? In such a case drugs will not remove the cause but rather do greater harm and hasten the end.
If it is not possible to keep a water-cooled engine from overheating when the radiator is empty, and if nothing but to fill the radiator with water will cure the trouble, then why should it be possible to cure a diseased body without curing the cause? Stop and think.
True, many do suffer from hereditary and contagious diseases, but most persons suffer from diseases caused by erroneous habits of living. Alcoholic beverages and other stimulants, rich pastries, commercial sweets, overeating, wrong combinations, and too many grain products, any one or all of these collectively have more or less afflicted every human being of this age with one ailment or another.
Constipation is one of the commonest diseases that one brings upon himself by erroneous eating. And constipation in itself is a cause of a number of diseases, as is malassimilation. Man is not naturally
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subject to constipation, -- no, not any more than is a water main subject to plugging up if nothing but water is put through it, the only thing the manufacturer ever intended that should be put through it.
That commercially prepared foods, too, are among the many causes of constipation, a faculty member of a certain health institute writes: "Because of our civilized foods and the way they fill the bowel with toxic material and gas, it is absolutely necessary to give oneself a series of colonic irrigations at least twice a year in order to stay well. Headaches,
colds, flu, intestinal pains, mucous, gas, and many disturbing disorders disappear after one or two colon treatments."
We should not overlook the fact that Noah lived 900 years of good, happy life, and that we have no record of his having had to take colonic irrigations or to under go an operation! Rather than resort to artificial means for cleansing now and then, why not eat the right kinds of food, the kinds that keep the bowels clean every day of the year? Moreover, a balanced diet will not only keep the bowels free from "toxic material and gas," but will supply the entire system with the necessary minerals and vitamins, without which no one can keep well any considerable length of time. Then why spend your money on manufactured vitamins and devitalized foods at sky-high prices when you can have
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Nature's own, full of vitality, and at prices as low as gravity? Ever remember that artificial nutratives are no better than artificial arms or legs.
A TIME FOR FOOD RATHER THAN FOR DRUGS
No one should overlook the fact that the human body is made up of certain minerals, all of which are found in foodstuffs, and by these Nature is well able to keep the body in perfect condition provided that its master supplies the materials, and provided that no "monkey wrenches," so to speak, are ever dropped in to its delicate but long-enduring mechanism. Plainly, then, if we fail by the food we eat to supply Nature with the proper building materials, Nature will consequently be unable to perform her work, and though the result of the deficiency may not be felt immediately, it will nevertheless be felt as life continues and the years go on.
And if the transgressor fails to awake and amend his ways on time, then even the most careful observance of the laws of health will fail to repair the damage done. Obviously, one should endeavor to live right, not because he is becoming sickly, but because he is determined ever to keep well. Moreover, a machine that has been broken down and repaired is never so good as the one that has never been damaged.
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Neither is the man who makes himself sickly and then well. His best is never let his health be impaired. Each one should realize that his health is his wealth; that without it all else is as good as lost; and that he can never enjoy all his God-given rights and privileges if he does not carefully attend to both his physical and spiritual welfare.
Drugs have their own place, but do not expect them to do that which you yourself must do.
Many are like Asa, the king. He was "diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great; yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians." 2 Chron. 16:12. (See Prophets and Kings, p. 113.)
A TIME FOR DRUGS
RATHER THAN FOR FOOD
There are diseases which attack even the healthiest and best-cared for plants. For example, when a tree that is planted in the best of soils and is well cared for, becomes infested with insects or disease, then no matter what one does with the soil, he cannot thereby cause the pestilence to disappear: and if the tree is not sprayed with drugs that will exterminate the disease, the tree dies. In like manner, if one's morals, diet, and hygiene, have been faultless and still are when he takes sick, and if his ailment
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is not hereditary, then no matter what more he does with his diet, he will realize no healing virtues from it. Drugs are his best remedy if prayer fails.
Again, if a healthy and well-cared-for horse takes sick, drugs of some kind are obviously the only possible cure. Thus if the daily living of a human being is faultless, and yet he takes sick, then outside of prayer, what can he do but resort to drugs?
For example, is it not true that one starving for food cannot be spared by taking in water, air or something other than food? And is it not also true that one's broken and distorted arm cannot be set in place and healed right by dieting, poulticing, massaging, or by anything of the like? Nothing will do the trick, of course, but a competent physician to set the broken bones in place.
WHAT SHOULD A FLESH EATER KNOW?
No living being should overlook the fact that in the beginning God said to the man: "Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." Gen. 1:29.
Yes, even after Adam fell in sin and was driven out of the garden, after the earth
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brought forth thorns and thistles, his "meat" was still the herb," no longer that which grew in Eden, of course, but that which grew in the open field (Gen. 3:18). It was after the flood that he was permitted to use flesh food, and although he made use of only "clean" animal flesh (Lev. 11) the average length of life immediately dropped under the 200-year mark. Evidently flesh diet was permitted in order to shorten man's life and thus the miseries brought upon him through increased sin, and also perhaps to make it possible for him to perform the typical ceremonial system. Now, though, that life is altogether too short and the sacrifices no longer operative, the use of the Edenic fleshless diet becomes to us, in our weakened condition, even more urgent.
Being mindful of this light, Daniel refused to defile himself with the king's meat. He requested that he and his companions be given "pulse" (legumes) for their daily food. And a ten-day trial proved their simple vegetable meals to be superior to the king's meat (Dan. 1:8-20).
Since we have seen that in the beginning the diet created for man's needs was flesh-free, we may with certainty conclude that health can be adequately built and far better maintained without the use of flesh. History records that when man thus lived, he was able to attain super health and vigor and to endure almost a thousand
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years; and rather than dying of disease, he died of good old age. In fact, even as late as Abram, so rare was the death of persons before the death of their parents that Inspiration takes occasion to record that "Haran died before his father Terah." Gen. 11:28.
The ox, as we know, is able to maintain vigorous strength and perfect health on an average of 20% grain and 80% grass, without the use of flesh. The elephant on even less grain maintains good health, gains gigantic strength, and reaches great age. On the other hand, the dog, though carnivorous, cannot maintain good health on flesh alone. Merely by instinct he knows that he has to help himself to grain and to some grass, too, while the herbivorous animal never even tastes flesh, -- facts which prove that a balanced vegetarian diet is complete in itself, but that flesh diet is never complete alone. The only animal that can get by fairly well on flesh, though not altogether, is the one which eats the whole -- hide, hair, bones, hoofs, flesh, and all. (How painful the realization that through continued sin, man's God-given intelligence concerning his body's needs has degenerated lower than that of the dumb animal!)
Besides these considerations, looking in retrospection down through the ages we see that those who were given special work, work of great importance, were also given
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special diet, diets equal to their task. For instance, John the Baptist, the Elijah of his day (Matt. 17: 11-13, 11: 14), being given the greatest task of all the prophets before him -- not to predict, but to prepare the way of the Lord, to make the crooked straight, and the rough places plain (Isa. 40:3, 4) -- was a strict vegetarian, living on locust fruit and honey (Matt. 3:4; Luke 1:15).
Is it not even more essential, then, that we who bear the Elijah message of today, the message just before the great and dreadful day of the Lord, should be strict vegetarians as was John?
Moreover, the diet of the Exodus Movement (the Movement which came into being to exemplify a second exodus -- Isa. 11:16 -- the one that is to come out of all the nations and to make up the Kingdom in the latter days -- Mic. 4:1, 2), was strictly vegetarian to the very day it set foot in the promised land, forty years in all (Josh. 5:6). O, yes, they lusted after the flesh pots of Egypt, thinking that the restriction was due to adverse circumstances -- that flesh, although very much essential, was not available in the desert. And it was then that to their surprise the great I AM brought the quails to them right in the camp, whereupon thousands of the people died even while the flesh of the fowl was yet between their teeth (Num. 11:33). What a rebuke! What an ensample to behold! Now, knowing
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full well that the Movement is a type of the one that is arising at this time, and that the failures of the former should be the stepping stones of the latter (1 Cor. 10:11), should we not be thankful and happy for having been given a better diet than that which angry beasts are still subsisting on?
And should we not gladly comply with this exemplified Divine request to abstain from flesh food, so that our strength and character be equal to our task? Only by so doing shall we be fitting ourselves for the work and for the Kingdom, where "the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." Isa 1 1:6-9.
Should we not now as intelligent human beings, Divinely enlightened candidates for the Kingdom, privileged to prepare the way for such a happy and perfect day, give up flesh food before the lions and the serpents do?
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WHAT SHOULD A VEGETARIAN KNOW?
With a reasonable variety of fresh vegetables legumes, grains, nuts, and fruits, also milk and eggs or their equivalents, the vegetarian can easily balance his diet to supply all his body's needs. He should therefore not neglect to include in his diet as wide as possible a variety of such foods both cooked and raw, remembering that the latter are even more essential and more complete.
"If we plan wisely," asserts Inspiration, "that which is most conducive to health can be secured in almost every land. The various preparations of rice, wheat, corn, and oats are sent abroad everywhere, also beans, peas, and lentils. These, with native or imported fruits, and the variety of vegetables that grow in each locality, give an opportunity to select a dietary that is complete without the use of flesh-meats." -- Ministry of Healing, p. 299.
Why is it, though, that some strict vegetarians rather than improving their health and building up resistance against disease, often suffer from malnutrition and become even more susceptible to various physical ailments than before they gave up flesh foods? -- Because in most cases flesh food is discarded without supplementing the diet with a satisfactory substitute. Many have the mistaken idea that by merely increasing their intake of protein foods -- nuts,
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legumes, and grains, they adequately replace the deficiency. By so doing they do not at all replace the deficiency, but instead unbalance the nutrients. Ever remember that flesh is composed of about 80% grass and 20% grain. Biological experiments unmistakably demonstrate that animals cannot thrive on whole grain proteins divorced from the associated leafy plants. The health seeker must bear in mind that often the immediate result of an unbalanced diet is constipation, followed by rheumatism or arthritis, if not by other even more dreadful and destructive diseases. Balance your diet, and Nature will take care of the rest.
The truth that the substances in superior quality flesh are derived from grain and grass, approximately 20% of the former and 80% of the latter plainly demonstrates that flesh is adequately substituted only by the proportionate use of both grain and leafy plants. Be not misled. Your body needs both grain and vegetable proteins in exactly these proportions. Indeed, they are all essential, and man's constitution demands that for health and longevity there be neither a missing link nor a weak one in the chain of nutriments.
There is also another important lesson in the fact that just as the All-wise Creator did not bless any particular locality with all the riches of creation, but scattered and scientifically proportioned them throughout
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the earth. He has likewise carefully distributed the essential body-building and upkeeping materials throughout the food kingdom, has not placed them all in one plant.
To maintain perfect health, therefore, be sure to make use of all the thirteen types of foods grouped below, and give them the proper proportions in your diet. Approximately 80% of your diet should consist of the first eight classes of foods (Group 1), and 20% of the second three classes of foods (Group 2). The last two classes of foods (Group 3) are seasonings for all foods.
GROUP 1
EIGHTY PER CENT OF THE DIET
80% of one's diet must consist of the foods in this group:
1st -- Leaves (watercress, beet tops, spinach lettuce, parsley, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, chard, etc.)
2nd -- Stalks (Celery, rhubarb, asparagus, etc.)
3rd -- Herbal Fruits (pineapple, okra, eggplant, peppers, string beans, tomatoes, etc.)
4th -- Tubers (carrots, potatoes, radishes, onions, yams, beets, turnips, etc.)
5th -- Cucurbits (squash, melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, etc.)
6th -- Tree Fruits (peaches, dates, bananas oranges, pomegranates, olives, avocados etc.)
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7th -- Vine Fruits (berries, grapes, etc.)
8th -- Dairy Products
GROUP 2
TWENTY PER CENT OF THE DIET
Only about 20% of one's diet should be made up of the foods in this group:
1st -- Grains (oats, rice, corn, rye, wheat, barley, etc.)
2nd -- Legumes (beans, lentils, peas, etc.)
3rd -- Nuts (pecans, coconuts, almonds, walnuts, chestnuts, etc.)
GROUP 3
SEASONING FOR ALL FOODS
All foods may be seasoned with the foods of this group:
1st -- Oils (olive oil, soy bean oil, sesame oil, nut oils, cottonseed oil, etc.)
2nd -- Sweets (honey, raw sugar, maple sugar, sorghum, etc.)
THE SUMMER AND THE WINTER DIET
As God caused vegetation to grow in the summer and to be dormant in the winter, He consequently constituted man to thrive on fresh garden produce during the summer and on dry during the winter. The fact that no tree can survive the summer without its leaves, but that it does well without them during the winter, again points out that a human being cannot fare
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well if he neglects to make his diet of fresh garden produce when in season, but that he can fare splendidly on dry, winter, foodstuffs when the fresh are out of season.
Moreover, as the Lord did not from the beginning provide present-day transportation facilities, did not make it possible for man to import or to export foodstuffs from one remote locality to another, He constituted him to thrive best on the things which his own locality or the one closest to it can produce. To him, therefore, all foods grown elsewhere become secondary, and those which are not in season he does not need. In other words, while the fresh produce is the best for one's health in the summer, the dry is the best for him in the winter, unless he lives where the fresh produce naturally grows during the winter months, too.
From these considerations one can logically conclude that the person who lives in a warm climate needs to eat more of the fresh foods, but a person who lives in a cold climate needs to eat more of the dry, preserved, concentrated, heat-producing foods. He who does otherwise is, as it were, firing his house furnace full blast in the summer and running his house cooling system full blast in the winter! Is it not a wonder that a man thus tampering with his body, can long survive through it all? If a deciduous tree should were it possible, shed its leaves in the summer, or put them
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on in the winter, it would never have a chance again to try such an off-season idea.
In pre-engine transportation times only a "ruler" could obtain out-of-season foodstuffs: strawberries, cherries, etc., when the snow flurries covered the trees and the icicles spanned from the roof to the ground.
Having this in mind Inspiration warned: "When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: and put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat." Prov. 23:1-3.
In Solomon's time only a ruler could have used the numerous dainties made from white flour refined sugar, and other commercial foods, but modern machinery now brings the ruler's "meat" to everybody's table, and consequently the modernized world is feeding on "deceitful meat," meat that does not supply the body's needs, that does as much good to men as a fisherman's bait on a hook and line does to a fish that goes after it.
Fruit is a summer food, designed to keep the body cool. And moreover it is more of a dessert than a meal.
Canning of foodstuffs has become another health-destroying device, because the majority of people try to subsist on canned goods the year around. If you wish a prosperous and happy life, then break away
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from artificial, lawless life and thus from the world's ills.
FOOD COMBINATIONS
There are a number of theories as to the combinations of foods, but since one contradicts another, they cannot all be correct, and, therefore, rather than convincing, they are creating doubts as to whether there is anything to be worried about after all.
People, though, lived and kept well all through the centuries without giving even a thought to food combinations. Why? Stop and think: Only since the years of modern transportation and commercial preparations of foods has this matter urged itself upon the public at large. This being so, the trouble is obvious: Modern transportation facilities, as previously pointed out, have flooded the markets with imported foodstuffs from all parts of the world, making it possible for anyone to purchase out-of-season foodstuffs and, in many instances, of the kinds that the consumer's locality does not even grow. Naturally, then, these foreign, off-season products cannot combine well with the local seasonal ones. Herein mainly lies the trouble with food combinations. Again, consider what results you will obtain if you have both the heating system and the cooling system in your home going at the same time!
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And, moreover, food that is adaptable to the consumer's body needs in one climate may not be in another. This is discernible from the fact that in the days when people lived entirely on what they raised in their own localities, they did not have the trouble that the world is now having. The same truth is manifested in the fact that the Creator caused certain kinds of foodstuffs to grow in one locality and other kinds in another locality but at the time created no means for quick distant transportation.
Specifically speaking, there are on the one hand health authorities who maintain that protein foods such as "milk, cheese, eggs, nuts, and beans," make bad combinations with carbohydrate foods such as "artichokes, bread, barley, cereals, cakes, flour, potatoes, pumpkins rice and spaghetti." On the other hand, there are health authorities who hold that these two classes of food combine excellently. Who is right? -- In view of the fact that cheese, eggs, and milk are made up of grains and grass, it seems illogical to conclude that a grain-and-vegetable product cannot combine well with grains and vegetables. Moreover, we might well observe that calves grow perfectly healthy on meals made up of milk, grain, and grass.
Then there is the contention that grains and vegetables ought never be combined. But contrary to this theory, cattle are raised best on grass combined with grain.
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Moreover, grain is seed, and seed is nothing less or more than the fruit of vegetables.
Now comes the question: Should grain be combined with fruit? -- As far back as history records, man has followed the custom of eating bread with every meal, and no past generation has left a complaint of ill effects on health.
The most popular question to be answered with reference to food combinations is that of whether fruit should be combined with vegetables. The solution to this question may be found in the laws which were ordained in the week of creation. Not given the same degree of intelligence as man, the cow was made to live on grass exclusive of fruit, and the monkey was made to live on fruit exclusive of grass. This we know from the fact that cattle are well equipped to help themselves to grass, and monkeys, to help themselves to fruit. Moreover, cows do not naturally care for fruit, and monkeys do not naturally care for grass so long as fruit is available. From these examples in nature we might logically conclude that not all fruits should be mixed with all vegetables.
When one considers that milk is made up of both grain and grass properties, and that although grain combines with fruit, grass does not, therefore the combination of milk and fruit, generally speaking, is somewhat questionable.
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RAW FOOD
As uncooked food is much more nutritious than the cooked, it is urgent that all foodstuffs which can be eaten raw should not be eaten cooked, or at least not all of the time. Many articles of food are cooked only because of custom. Spinach, asparagus, okra, young green peas, turnips and carrots, to mention just a few examples, though as a rule cooked, are even more delicious when eaten raw. Persons who are not accustomed to using raw foods should start on small amounts, then gradually increase them. They should however, be very well masticated and should be taken along with cooked and bland articles of food, lest the lining of the stomach become irritated.
USING COMMON SENSE
"There is real common sense in health reform. People can not all eat the same things. Some articles of food that are wholesome and palatable to one person, may be hurtful to another. Some can not use milk, while others can subsist upon it. For some, dried beans and peas are wholesome, while others can not digest them. Some stomachs have become so sensitive that they can not make use of the coarser kind of Graham flour. So it is impossible to make an unvarying rule by which to regulate everyone's dietetic habits." -- Counsels On Health, pp. 154, 155.
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"But not all foods wholesome in themselves are equally suited to our needs under all circumstances. Care should be taken in the selection of food. Our diet should be suited to the season, to the climate in which we live, and to the occupation we follow. Some foods that are adapted for use at one season or in one climate are not suited to another. So there are different foods best suited for persons in different occupations. Often food that can be used with benefit by those engaged in hard physical labor is unsuitable for persons of sedentary pursuits or intense mental application. God has given us an ample variety of healthful foods, and each person should choose from it the things that experience and sound judgment prove to be best suited to his own necessities." -- Ministry of Healing, pp. 296, 297.
THE ENLIGHTENED, PROGRESSIVE WAY OF LIFE
"As thy days, so shall thy strength be." Deut. 33:25.
This scripture plainly reveals that God never intended that man should be sick or weak, and pass away before his days be full, but that he should retain his strength commensurate with his age, and die, not of disease, but of ripe old age.
"And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he [the wicked] came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath
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laboured for the wind? All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness." Eccles. 5:16, 17.
Naturally those who go on living independently of God, are not only committing wickedness, even though unconsciously, but are also laboring in vain. Furthermore, their eating in darkness, not having Divine light on the subject, causes them to eat food such as brings, not strength, but sorrow, wrath, and sickness.
The two Divine Guides of life, the Word and Nature, as we have already seen are the best and the only teachers that speak with authority. Anyone, therefore, who neglects their counsel is unwittingly walking in darkness and heading for trouble, and if he should finally get into it certain it is that he will be anxious to get out of it. But as he may hastily grope about, he will find himself just as helpless to get out as he was to keep out. Any theory, therefore, however plausible or logical it may seem, is definitely misleading unless it be one hundred percent in harmony with the two never-erring Guides of life -- the Bible and Nature.
As these Teachers authoritatively speak that man was made out "of the dust of the ground" (Gen. 2:7), there is good reason that the body of man and the soil of the earth contain the same minerals. Naturally, then, it is because flesh cannot adequately perpetuate itself on flesh that the
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plant is the agency which picks up the minerals from the soil and prepares them for human and animal consumption. Obviously, grains, nuts, fruit, and vegetables, man's original, best, and lawful diet, if used in the right proportions, will keep his mind keen, his body healthy, his morals and his integrity unquestionable.
There are number of books on the market, some advocating one thing and some another, but Nature and the Book of God both positively recommend these health-maintaining and character-building principles, and though fanatics may add to or subtract from, they are helpless to control the results. The "no-grain" diet and the "fireless kitchen" ideas, although seemingly based on true principles, are only two of the many fruits of fanaticism. We, therefore, authoritatively declare that all who stay in the middle of the straight and narrow path, all who wisely make their daily menu only from the lawful foodstuffs, will doubtless preserve their health, and grow away from a beastly to a more noble and human-like nature; reap many blessings and avoid great curses.
OVEREATING
Since the average normal stomach holds about a quart, the average meal for an active person should never amount to more than a pint and a half. Overloading the stomach is as harmful to the system as to
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swill intoxicating liquor. Yes, even, more so. One of the resultant evils of such an erroneous habit is that, besides causing gastro-intestinal disorders, it enlarges the size of the stomach, and as a consequence the whole body becomes misshapen. Especially is this so with the youth who are in the growing stages, for one organ has influence over another. Besides such injuries overeating wears out the whole organism -- shortens the life. A milling machine grinds only a certain amount of grist before it breaks down, be it during a long or short period of time. The human machine in like manner can take care of only a fixed amount of food, then it, too, retires. Thus it is that one can, as it were, chew away his life.
Overeating causes fermentation, fermentation causes irritation, irritation causes constipation, and constipation opens the gateway to a multitude of diseases. Overloading anything is bad on its everything.
Let the reader, therefore, now be well reminded that man passes through three distinct periods in life: (1) the years of his growth, (2) the years of his prime, and (3) the years of his decline. While he is ascending the hill of development he needs food for growing besides for the upkeep of his body. But after he has reached the peak of maturity, and he moves out across the ridge prime of his life, he needs only to eat enough to keep himself going. And when he passes over the crestline of
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life, becomes older and less active, he then needs proportionately less. Taking more food than his body requires and his work calls for, wastes not only the food but needed energy, too, because he then overtaxes his digestive organs, forces them to do more than they are able, and uses his energy to grind needless food, to throw out excess poisons and wastes -- he overburdens his whole organism. And if this injudicious practice be continued on and on, also eating at any and all times, eating for fun rather than for health and strength, as men are in this age habitually doing, eventually the organs of the body will become unable to carry out such an unreasonable demand. Consequently, those who eat in such darkness, must pass through a period of misery, and end their lives long before their work is finished, before their usefulness is used up.
"Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!" Eccles. 10:17.
"The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want." Prov. 13:25. Christians should eat to live, not live to eat.
EATING BETWEEN MEALS
Suppose you leave a little food in your breakfast dish, then at lunch add more to it, but again not use up the whole, and repeat
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this again and again, day after day. Can you imagine how the plate and the food will look and smell in a few days? Yet a person who eats between meals, eats before the previously taken food leaves the stomach, is unconsciously creating a condition that is just as bad.
If given no chance to empty from one meal to the next, the stomach is bound to ferment and to produce gas and toxins, so that what little energy is realized from the food, the system must use to throw out the poisons. Rather than take food between meals, flush your stomach with pure fresh water -- promote a good healthy appetite for the next meal. Moreover, if after a reasonable length of time all the food has not left your stomach, rather than eat only because the regular time for meal has come or only because you have a false hunger, keep on drinking warm water until your stomach becomes light and your appetite stimulated. Correct eating habits make one's earnings go further, promote health, increase energy, sweeten the breath, and develop amiability. What a gain without having to invest!
"Regularity in eating is of vital importance. There should be a specified time for each meal. At this time, let everyone eat what the system requires, and then take nothing more until the next meal. There are many who eat when the system needs no food, at irregular intervals, and between meals, because they have not sufficient
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strength of will to resist inclination. When traveling, some are constantly nibbling if anything eatable is within their reach. This is very injurious. If travelers would eat regularly of food that is simple and nutritious, they would not feel so great weariness, nor suffer so much from sickness.
"Another pernicious habit is that of eating just before bedtime. The regular meals may have been taken; but because there is a sense of faintness, more food is eaten. By indulgence, this wrong practice becomes a habit, and often so firmly fixed that it is thought impossible to sleep without food. As a result of eating late suppers, the digestive process is continued through the sleeping hours. But though the stomach works constantly, its work is not properly accomplished. The sleep is often disturbed with unpleasant dreams, and in the morning the person awakes unrefreshed, and with little relish for breakfast. When we lie down to rest, the stomach should have its work all done, that it, as well as the other organs of the body, may enjoy rest. For persons of sedentary habits, late suppers are particularly harmful. With them the disturbance created is often the beginning of disease that ends in death.
"In many cases the faintness that leads to a desire for food is felt because the digestive organs have been too severely taxed during the day. After disposing of
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one meal, the digestive organs need rest. At least five or six hours should intervene between the meals...." -- Ministry of Healing, pp. 303, 304.
RIGHT HABITS, HYGIENE, AND EXERCISE BRING GOOD HEALTH
To overcome poor digestion drink warm water an hour before and two hours after meals. Eat slowly and thoroughly masticate your food, mixing as much saliva with it as possible. Always leave the table while yet hungry; and by all means keep your bowels open. Three bowel movements a day are advocated by health authorities; never less than two. Mark this point, do not lightly pass over it, for here is where the greatest share of diseases spring forth. Quickly attend to this business, for you cannot afford to make your body a septic tank for any length of time. If you have been constipated, and are suffering as a result, you need a thorough cleansing, not by three bowel movements a day, but by five. Even then it will take a period of time before any apparent healing results can be obtained.
Remember, too, that your body is the Lord's tabernacle, that it should be kept clean within and without. Clean clothes and two hot baths a week, with cold water finish, also a quick cold shower or sponge bath daily, are essential -- a splendid tonic
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to keep out colds, and to help you keep up with the day's task.
Keep your house immaculately clean, within and without, especially the floors, furniture, and dark corners; and remember that uncovered and unclean cabinets and toilets kill the oxygen. Have the home attractive and orderly -- everything in its place. Ever remember that cleanliness is next to godliness, and that heaven-like law and order save energy, means, and time.
And do not forget that even more essential to health are fresh water, sunshine, pure fresh air and outdoor exercise. A home garden provides all these, and besides supplying the table with fresh life-giving food, it saves cash, too. Yes, home garden work can even keep the children out of mischief and at the same time help them to develop strong physiques, noble characters, and usefulness -- to learn to he industrious.
Never sleep in a room with closed windows. Breathe deeply; drink water at every opportunity; two quarts a day are not too much for a grown person -- only two glassfuls an hour or more before breakfast, three between breakfast and dinner, two between dinner and supper, and in some cases one after supper; more in a hot climate.
Be not overanxious to avoid sunshine. Always keep in mind that roses and fruit obtain their beautiful colors only when they come in direct contact with the rays
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of the sun, and that without the sun nothing can keep alive. Health makes a person beautiful, whereas artificial makeup on an anemic complexion never does. But if a sunless complexion is more appealing to you, then consider well and make your choice as to whether you wish to look better or to feel better. Moreover, you can use a hat with a wide brim to shade your face and still get the benefit of the sun's rays.
It is because no one can afford to stint himself on these three indispensables (sunshine, air, and water), that the Creator has lavished the earth more abundantly with them than with any other gift, and has placed them within the easiest reach of all living. These are the cheapest and most essential body requirements obtainable. Futile it is to stay away from them.
Those who fail to observe these health principles, cannot, of course, hope to regain health or even to maintain it at its present level.
PLEASANT SURROUNDINGS
All God's creation is artistically designed and beautifully dressed, causing happy smiles and deep thinking each time one beholds it. All this He did for the good of humanity. Is it not true then, that your home and its surroundings affect not only your health but also your countenance?
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Pleasing surroundings bring happiness, and happiness brings health. By beholding we become changed. Make sure, therefore, that your change is for the better; then you will find natural beauty crowding out all artificial makeup.
THE CITY LIFE
Man was not made to live in a city modernized according to man's short-sightedness, but rather in a well-dressed garden planted according to the Creator's pattern. Yes, the Garden of Eden was man's model city site. What a contrast between It and the cities of today! Anyone knows, of course, that when a large number of domesticated animals are as closely confined as are the people in the modern cities, they become subject to all manner of diseases. Human beings are no exception. It is no exaggeration to say that those living in the cities are living in Death's stockyards. Hence, if you must live in a city home, then rather than remain in a crowded district, let your dwelling be as far out and as much like the Eden home as possible. This you can do by having a neatly designed, well-cared-for garden and plants of all kinds artistically planted around the home.
Always remember that city life is artificial and not in God's plan for His children today any more than it was for them in the days of Lot; that curse and destruction
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devoured all the ancient cities, and that they were finally buried deep under the ground; that the city evils today surpass the evils of all times, and that doom is as certain today as it was yesterday; that if you cannot now move out of the city, and if you wish to escape its doom and be found worthy to share the future blessings with the faithful, you have a task to perform -- you must sooner or later, at a moment's notice, run away from it with your back against it. This you must do if you are in it when the call comes to you as it came to Lot. Yes, he came out, but with what a loss! You cannot afford to take a chance on faring no better than he did!
WORK AND REST, YEAR ROUND
Time, we know, is divided into two parts, night and day. In the summer (the season for raising and gathering the supplies for the winter months) the days are long, but during the winter (the season in which there is no farming to be done) the nights are long. These Divine regulations definitely suggest that one should put longer hours in working during the summer months than he should during the winter months. And how long should they be? -- Evidently as long as the sunlight lasts. Yes, the parable of Matthew 20:1-17, too, plainly declares that the Lord commanded His servants to start early and
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work through to the end of the day, to sunset
So while the natural way of life demands longer working hours during the summer months, it demands shorter working hours during the winter months -- a daily average year-round of 12 hours work and 12 hours rest. One who complies with all the requirements which Truth herein recommends, complies with the natural laws of his being, with the laws which promote good health and which bring happiness into the home. But if he disregards these laws, he cannot of course, expect to receive more than his investment permits. And, too, a person should clearly see that the full amount of work is just as essential to good health as is the full amount of rest, that one should balance the other; and that to the extent he violates these laws, just to that extent will he suffer the penalty they impose. "Because thou hast...eaten of the tree," again warns the Creator,"...in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground." Gen. 3:17-19.
Think of the unnatural life the world is now living! It endeavors to get along on as little work and rest and on as much fun and play as possible. It eats denatured and out-of-season foods, drinks alcoholic, spirituous, and drug-containing liquids all day long -- what a swill! A wonder that it still lives! Indeed, it is "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and
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naked;" and not knowing its condition, it says, "I am, rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing"!
THE USE OF PURGATIVES
Purgatives have their place as do fire extinguishers. Although it is wise to have the extinguisher on hand, better if you never need to use it. So it is with the use of purgatives -- good to have them in the medicine chest, but better not to have to use them. An enema, if it can answer the purpose, is better than a purgative, that is, if the trouble is not higher up than the colon.
Some obtain even better results from one can, or less, of evaporated milk, or half milk and half fruit juice, than from a commercial purgative; others from a glass or two of sweet milk taken between meals, and still others get the same or even better results from buttermilk. Such laxatives are not only harmless, but are also nourishing food. They will lose their effect though, if the same is taken day after day. Rotating them brings more permanent results.
A proper diet should correct any case of constipation. Prunes, figs, dates, dried olives, and other such fruits give excellent results. Start with a half dozen dried prunes (chewed well) at the beginning of a meal, then keep alternating with other articles of food such as previously named. Occasionally, hot lemonade before breakfast
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is also an effective intestinal cleanser. A well-balanced diet, though, 80% bulk vegetables, and 20% grains, as before pointed out, will cure constipation and resultant diseases, besides maintain good health.
THE WATER IN EDEN
We are told that in the garden of Eden, man's Divinely designed home, there was but one kind of water. It was not from a well or from a roof, but from a spring; yes, it formed the river that watered the garden. Plainly, then, spring water is the natural, the best, to drink.
But beware of false springs, springs which issue, not from a clean reservoir, but from someone's cesspool or septic tank. Spring water from clean sources is even better when obtained a little farther down than the spring itself, because while rippling down the hill, the water becomes oxidized, and thus lighter, and besides being further purified, it receives added life as the sun's rays beat upon it. Distilled water, like rain water, is robbed of all its minerals; it is dead. And as such was not the water provided in the Eden home, it is evident that a certain amount of mineral salts which is imbedded in the soil and picked up by spring water as it runs over or under, must be beneficial to the body.
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WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT SLEEP?
(From The Reader's Digest, June, 1945)
Between the ages of 25 and 70 the average person spends 15 years sleeping. Lack of sleep has made generals lose battles, nervous patients lose their minds, wives lose their husbands. Obviously an understanding of sleep is important to us all, but how many of us know the scientifically established facts about it? What's your score on the following statements, some true,
some false?
Healthy sleepers never toss and turn.
False. Everyone changes his position many times because the muscular arrangement of the body is such that we cannot relax all over at once. Thirty-five shifts a night is average.
The most refreshing sleep comes early.
True. Studies at Colgate University show that many of the benefits of sleep have been fully obtained by the end of the first few hours.
If you sleep six hours instead of eight, you must expend more energy the next day to accomplish the same work.
True. Laboratory tests show that we use up to 25 percent more calories to compensate for lost sleep.
To make up lost sleep we must sleep a few hours longer for several nights in succession.
False. One normal night's sleep will give us all the recovery that extra sleeping can bring.
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Sleeping with someone makes restful sleep more difficult.
True. The slight motions of the other person keep us from sinking into the deepest and most refreshing sleep.
Men who are able to get along with very little sleep are among the most energetic.
False. Napoleon and Edison went with only a few hours' sleep a night, but they took cat naps during the day. In any 24-hour period they apparently slept a normal length of time.
Lack of sleep alone may lead to really serious illness.
True. Animals die more quickly from lack of sleep than from lack of food.
We fall completely asleep and also wake up in one split second.
False. When we are half asleep, either at the beginning or the end of the night, we pass through a period when we cannot speak but can clearly hear sounds. Our power to move is then asleep, but our hearing faculties are awake.
Sleeping on the left side strains the heart.
False. It makes no difference whether the average person sleeps on his back or on either side.
Drinking hot liquids before going to bed is one of the best ways of insuring good sleep.
False. Pressure of liquids on the bladder causes restlessness. Only small amounts of liquids should be drunk during the evening if you want to pass a restful night.
It is unhealthy to sleep in summer with an electric fan on in the room.
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False. If the fan is turned to the wall to avoid drafts and placed on heavy felt to absorb sound, it will improve your chances of a restful night.
Physical fatigue can make it difficult to get to sleep.
True. A warm bath is probably the best way of reducing the tension that comes from too much unaccustomed exercise before going to bed.
The worst thing about insomnia is worrying about its effects on the next day's work.
True. Dr. Donald A. Laird, who studied sleep habits at Colgate University, suggests that when sleep is difficult you decide to get up later the next day. Knowing that you have plenty of time in which to rest, you will dose off easily.
Mattress and springs should be of medium softness to insure the most restful sleep.
True. A soft bed is the worst enemy of sound sleep, a hard bed almost as bad.
A nap after lunch is sheer self-indulgence and cuts down a person's efficiency.
False. Studies at Stephends College, Missouri, show that when students slept for an hour after lunch their scholastic records were higher than when they used the time for studying.
Mental effort to is worst possible preparation for getting to sleep.
True. A dull evening, ending with a walk to tire your muscles, is the best preparation for sleeping.
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WHAT SHOULD A CHRISTIAN KNOW?
So far these Divinely-revealed health principles speak loudly that a large majority of Christians who ever pray for health but never do a thing to correct their erroneous habits, are only wasting their breath. Now, though, has come the opportune moment, the blessed moment, for each to realize that it is an irony to try to convince the Lord that the sinners' bodies should be made whole, but His laws of health ignored or put aside!
All Christians should now awake to the realization that praying for health is not their only duty; that their doing nothing more than praying, and nothing more than listening to a preacher, is not only making their bodies sick, but also keeping their minds inactive and their souls in darkness of advancing Truth. Anyone placing on the doctor's shoulders the whole burden of his health, and on the minister's shoulders the whole burden of his spiritual well-being, gains neither health nor truth. Each must bear his own yoke in order to be fair to himself.
As to the next means by which church members as a body may regain both their physical and spiritual health, the Lord asks the question and then answers it Himself:
"Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are
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cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thyself from shine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and shine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am.
"If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger and speaking vanity, and if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day: and the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." Isa. 58:9-11.
This greatly needed project of caring for the poor and sick, called forth by the One Who is interested in us all, can, we believe, now be managed as it was in the days of the prophets: by a faithful second tithe paid by a people who realize that it is better to give than to receive, -- better, indeed, to help others than to have others help them; that he who gives is happier than he who receives. Figuratively speaking, each Christian should determine to be a water pipe, a pipe which ever gives and yet never goes empty, instead of a
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sewer pipe which ever receives and never gets filled.
Sickness and death among God's faithful people will not, however, entirely disappear before time and knowledge of Truth bring the fulfillment of Isaiah chapters 33 and 35:
"Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: shine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.
"But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams, wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us. Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.
"And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity."..."Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hen, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
"And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of
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water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein."
"No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: and the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." Isa. 33:20-24; 35:5-10.
FAITH ESSENTIAL TO GOOD HEALTH
The final touch of a perfect life, though, is faith: faith that you have proved and found your ways to be God's ways, that what you are doing is doubtless the Divine best there is, that it is the very thing that will help you most, that it is already helping you, and that it will never fail you; faith that the One Who controls all things, small and great, is at the helm of the ship you are riding in, and that He is well able to land you on the shores of health, happiness, and peace, -- yes, even on the everlasting shores of Gloryland. Of this you are sure because you are doing all to know the Truth and to comply with
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its requirements, even though against your natural desires, and your personal will.
Remember that faith removes great mountains, while unbelief brings great dooms. "As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee." "Believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Matt. 8:13; Mark 11:24. Never talk doubts, never habitually complain or talk of your illness. Let your conversation be building up, never tearing down.
THE LABORATORY TEST AND THE DIETITIAN'S OPINION
The following tests and opinions are adapted and paraphrased from these sources: The Modern Home Physician, by Pac. Press Pub. Assn.; Chicago School of Nursing; Clinical Dietetics, by Risley and Walton, Chemistry of Food and Nutrition by Sherman; Intelligent Selection of Foods, by Original H. F. Store, New York City N.Y.; Our Babies, by Dr. Herman N. Bundesen.
WATER AND ITS FUNCTION
The human body is made up of about 67% water constituent. An individual can live for weeks without food; but he cannot live without water longer than from three to five days.
Water is the vehicle by which all the body processes are carried forward. The average person needs about six glasses of water a day. Most persons drink too little,
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and at improper times. Do not drink at meals or try to wash down your food.
Water makes up the greater part of the cells, carries food to the tissues, and removes waste. It is the chief constituent of the digestive juices, and regulates body temperature.
Water suitable for human consumption should be clear, of an agreeable taste, and not too hard. It should be free from poisonous minerals, organic matter, and bacteria.
Hard water has a greater amount of dissolved minerals than soft water. The hardest water comes from deep wells.
Water is easily contaminated, and is one of the commonest transmitters of typhoid fever and cholera. If there is any doubt as to its purity, it should be subjected to purification. The simplest and most reliable process of purification in the home, is boiling. The so-called filters attached to water faucets only give a false security. A large sand filter removes all harmful bacteria.
THE FUNCTION OF FOOD
Proteins furnish material for building, growth, and repairs, the fats and carbohydrates provide heat and energy. Obviously, those who are already grown up, and who do not exert themselves at working so as to need repairing material, need less proteins than do others; and those who live in a warm climate, and who do not work hard need less carbohydrate foods
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than do others. When the latter are insufficient, then protein is utilized for energy, but when in excess, then they are stored in the body in the form of fat, a source of emergency energy.
THE CALORIES
One gram fat yields 9.3 calories
One gram protein yields 4.1 calories
One gram carbohydrates yields 4.1 calories
The requirements of calories vary with age, kind of work, and sex.
According to Forchheimer, the total energy requirement for a man weighing 154 pounds, without any voluntary movement, is from 1450 to 1820 calories. Patients confined to bed, though, are never at absolute rest, except during sleep, and therefore the energy value of their food should not fall below this minimum, except it be under special conditions and for brief periods.
The approximate daily calories required for man under varying conditions are as follows:
Doing very hard
muscular work 5500 calories
Moderate muscular work 3400 calories
Light to moderate
muscular work 3050 calories
Light muscular work
(sedentary) 2700 calories
Without muscular work 2450 calories
The person who is overweight needs to cut down on weight-producing foods and
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keep strictly within the limits of his minimum caloric requirements.
The person who is underweight needs a well-balanced diet, with full caloric requirements.
The average man at work requires approximately 3000 calories daily. There is, however, a great divergence of opinion among dietitians as to the relative amounts of the proteins, carbohydrates, and fats required for a well-balanced diet. Perhaps the individual himself will have to determine by experience.
THE MINERALS
The mineral salts are:
1. calcium
2. magnesium
3. potassium
4. sodium
5. phosphate
6. sulphate
7. carbonate
8. chloride
9. iron
10. iodine
Manufactured foods are partially robbed of these essential minerals. This is clearly seen when white flour is compared with the whole wheat, and polished rice with the brown rice:
Per Cent of Ash
White Flour .50
Entire Wheat 1.75
Polished Rice .40
Unpolished Rice 1.00
The following foods are valuable sources of calcium, phosphate, and iron:
Almonds milk, whole
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Barley
beans, dried
bread, entire
wheat
cauliflower
dates
egg, yolk
figs, dried
lentils, dried
oatmeal, dry
olives
peanuts
peas, dried
raisins
turnip tops
walnuts
wheat
wheat bran
Calcium particularly found in:
almonds
beans, dried
cauliflower
egg, yolk
figs, dried
lentils, dried
milk, whole
oatmeal, dry olives
peanuts
peas, dried
prunes
turnip tops
walnuts
wheat bran
Phosphate particularly found in:
almonds
barley
dried beans
egg, yolk
peas, dried
walnuts entire wheat
lentils, dried
oatmeal
peanuts
raisins
wheat bran
Iron particularly found in:
beans, dried
bran, wheat
egg yolk green vegetables
wheat
Other minerals have their chief food sources as follows:
Sodium Potassium
bread nuts
fruits table salts
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Milk vegetables
Molasses
Magnesium
beans
beets
cereals
pineapple
potatoes Sulphur
gluten
soy beans
(We may expect that in health and on an ordinary diet the sulphur requirement will usually be covered when the protein supply is adequate.)
As a rule appreciable amounts of Iodine are contained in:
bananas
beets
green peas
lettuce
melons
radishes
tomatoes
turnips
Where iodine is lacking in the soil it is also lacking in the water. In such regions goiter is more prevalent than elsewhere.
OXYGEN AND ITS FUNCTION
A man can live for weeks without food, for days without water; but only a few minutes without oxygen. Oxygen makes possible the utilization of food. It is an odorless, tasteless, colorless gas, slightly heavier than air.
In chemical combination with hemoglobin, oxygen is carried in the blood stream. Oxygen oxidizes the elements
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yielding heat and energy. Thus anemia lowers the energy. It is just as important to have an abundant supply of pure oxygen as it is to have an abundant supply of food elements.
Carbohydrates
The carbohydrate foods are non-nitrogenous foods. The carbohydrates contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Their energy is used by the body either in the form of work or heat. They include all vegetables and fruits containing either starch or sugar. Those which produce the most energy are:
cereals
honey
sugar
potatoes
All starchy foods require a great amount of cooking than other foods, because the starch is surrounded by a covering which cannot be digested when raw.
The principal starchy foods are:
artichokes
barley, natural brown
beans, dried
bread
cereals
flours
lentils peas
potatoes
prunes
pumpkin
rice
spaghetti, whole wheat
Fats
Fats have the greatest food value of all foods, nearly two and one-half times as great as that of carbohydrates.
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The principle fats are:
almond oil
avocados
coconut oil
cottonseed oil
sesame oil cream
egg yolk
olive oil
peanut oil
soy bean oil
Proteins
The proteins are nitrogenous foods, and are derived chiefly from:
eggs
peas
grains
soy beans and other beans
milk
nuts
Though not so easily digested as the carbohydrates, these foods furnish energy and build up the body.
Vitamins
Though we do not as yet thoroughly understand the vitamins, yet it is generally considered that they are to maintain health, and to prevent scurvy, pellagra, beriberi, and other diseases.
Vitamin A is soluble in fats, and although exposure to oxygen weakens it, it is not affected by heat.
Deficiency of vitamin A causes retarded growth, increased susceptibility to infections, especially of the lungs, nose, and eyes, inability to see well at night, and makes the skin and hair dry and scaly.
The average daily requirement of vitamin A is about 7000 units. The following list indicates the best sources of vitamin A:
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One ounce of Units
Spinach contains about 3000
carrots, raw " " 1000
cheese " " 1000
leafy lettuce " " 500
butter " " 600
squash " " 700
Other sources of vitamin A, are:
Apricots; artichokes; yellow asparagus; avocados; bananas; beans; beet greens; blackberries; broccoli; Brussels sprouts; cantaloupes; celery; unbleached corn; yellow corn meal; yellow dandelion; dates; escarole; green beans; kaIe; oranges; parsley; peaches; yellow peas; peas, dried; pineapple; prunes; sweet potatoes; tomatoes; tomatoes, yellow; turnip greens; water cress.
Vitamin B complex is compounded of vitamin B1 or thiamin, vitamin B2 or riboflavin, and vitamin B6 or nicotinic acid. As to the daily requirement there is no definite knowledge. Lack of these vitamins causes pellagra, beriberi, loss of appetite, sore lips, intestinal indigestion with constipation and retarded growth.
Foods rich in vitamin B complex are:
Beans, red kidney;
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beans, soy; cabbage; carrots; cereals, whole grain; cheese; eggs; flour, whole wheat; kale; mustard greens; peanuts; peas, fresh green or dried; prunes; spinach; tomato juice; turnip greens; wheat germ; brewer's yeast.
Vitamin B1 or thiamin, is the anti-neuritis vitamin. It is mainly found in whole grain cereal and nuts. Alkalis and heat weaken it, and hence it is best obtained from raw foods.
The average daily requirements of vitamin B1 for infants is about 50 units, and about 250 units for adults. Daily requirement for mothers during pregnancy is 600 units or more.
The best sources of this vitamin are:
One ounce of units
wheat germ contains about 200
prunes " " 20
peanuts " " 60
spinach " " 20
malted milk " " 50
canned corn " " 15
whole wheat bread " " 22
almonds " " 25
Other sources of Vitamin B1 are:
Apples; avocados; bananas; cauliflower; dates; grapefruit;
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beans, green; beans, lima; beans, navy; beets; brussels sprouts; cantaloupe; carrots; lettuce; onions; parsnips; pears; pineapple; plums; tangerines.
Vitamin C is the anti-scorbutic vitamin, and is also called Cevitamic Acid or Ascorbic Acid. It is found mainly in citrus fruits, and though it is soluble in water, It is weakened by oxygen or alkalies.
Deficiency of vitamin C causes scurvy, sore and bleeding gums, sore and swollen joints, and a tendency to hemorrhage. The average daily requirement is 300 units for infants and 1000 units for adults.
Its main sources are:
One ounce of units
orange juice contains about 250
lemon " " 250
grapefruit " " 250
raw cabbage " " 150
tomatoe juice " " 100
strawberry juice " " 100
cranberries " " 80
pineapple juice " " 40
Other sources of Vitamin C:
Apples; fresh asparagus; avocados; bananas; beans, green; beet greens; endive; greens; kale; lettuce; onions; peaches.
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Vitamin D is the anti-rachitic vitamin, and its chief source is sunshine. Deficiency of this vitamin causes rickets, delayed dentition, bow-legs, abdominal protrusion, and weakness. The average dally requirements for infants is from 500 to 1000 units, and from 500 to 600 units for adults.
Besides in sunshine, this vitamin is found mainly in:
5 drops viosterol in oil contains about 800 units
1 ounce egg yolk contains about 50-100 units
1 ounce butter contains about 25 units. It is used in the prevention of rickets and other bone diseases, such as osteomalacia and non-union after a fracture, infantile convulsions, and arthritis.
Scientists and child specialists, as well as health experts the world over, insist that every baby and every growing child should be exposed o the direct sunshine every day if possible. But since children cannot always get enough sunshine in some parts of the United States during many months of the year, they may need viosterol or other vitamin "D" preparations from September to June, and on all other days
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when they are not given a sun-bath with most of their clothing removed.
Health records show that the number of baby sicknesses and baby deaths starts to climb at the beginning of winter season -- due to colds, bronchitis, pneumonia, and influenza. This may be due to lack of sunshine or vitamin D.
Vitamin E is the anti-sterility vitamin. It is soluble in oil, and is not affected by heating or cooking. Deficiency of this vitamin causes habitual abortion and sterility.
An ordinary diet supplies all the vitamin E that is needed, but in case of habitual and repeated abortion, an additional supply of vitamin E may be necessary, though the average requirement is not known.
The best sources of vitamin E are:
Cottonseed oil; wheat germ oil; rice germ oil; whole grain cereals; leafy vegetables.
Other sources of Vitamin E:
Milk; vegetable oils; oats; egg yolk; corn; peas.
Vitamin K, the coagulation vitamin, forms prothrombin. The necessary average daily amount is not known.
It is found in: spinach and other leafy vegetables;
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alfalfa; tomatoes; cereals; cabbage; soy bean oil; cereals.
This vitamin prevents hemorrhage in newborn infants and in cases of jaundice and other diseases of the liver and intestines, though it has not been found helpful in hemophilia and menorrhagla.
Other vitamin-like substances which have been partially investigated and described include the following:
Vitamin K from blue grass juice, which seems to cause more rapid growth.
Vitamin P. or citrin is helpful in purpura and some types of hemorrhage, and is obtained from lemon peel.
Vitamin F. from fatty acids, seemingly promotes growth.
Acid and Alkaline Foods
If the tissues and fluids of the body become less alkaline, a greater quantity of alkaline foods is required.
Though cranberries, prunes, and plums produce an alkaline ash, they increase the acidity of urine. On the other hand, though lemons and oranges are acid, digestion changes them into alkali and rather than being acid-forming, they become alkalinizers.
Alkaline-Forming Foods
alfalfa, powder; alfalfa tablets; alfalfa mint tea; almonds;
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almond butter; apples; apricots; apricots, sundried; artichokes; avocados; bananas, ripe; bananas dried; beans, lima; beans, string; beans, wax; beans, kidney; beets; beet juice; beet leaves; blackberries; blackberry juice; blueberries; blueberry juice; broccoli; broth, potassium; broth, vegetable; buttermilk; cabbage, red; cabbage, white; cantaloupe; carrots, raw; carrot concentrates; carrot juice; cauliflower; celery; celery juice; celery knobs; celery powder; cherries; cherry juice; chicory coffee substitutes; coconut; coconut; milk powder; coconut products; cranberries; cucumbers; currants; currants, sun-dried; dandelions; dates, sun-dried; eggplant; endive; figs; figs, Smyrna; figs, sun-dried; garlic; garlic juice; garlic powder; goat's milk; goat's milk products; grapes; grape Juice; grapefruit; grapefruit Juice; honey, pure all varieties; huckleberries; juices, fruit; juices, vegetable;
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kale; kelp; kohlrabi; leek; lemons; lemon juice; lettuce; limes; lime juice; loganberries; loganberry juice; miLk; muskmelon; okra; okra, powder; olives, ripe; olive oil; onions; onion juice; onion powder; oranges, tree ripened only; orange juice; oyster plant; parsley; parsley juice; parsley powder; parsnips; peaches; peaches, sun-dried; pears; pears, sun-dried; peas, fresh; peppers, sweet; peppermint leaves; persimmons; pineapple; pineapple juice; plums; potatoes, sweet; potatoes, white; prunes, sun-dried; pumpkins; radishes; raisins, sun-dried; raspberries; rice polishings; romaine; rhubarb; rutabagas; savory sorrel; soy beans; soy bean milk powder; soy bean oil; soy bean products, all varieties; spinach; spinach juice; spinach powder; sprouts; squash, hubbard; squash, summer; strawberries; strawberry juice; strawberry leaves; swiss chard; tea substitutes;
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tomatoes; tomato juice; turnips; turnip tops; vegetable juices; watercress; watercress powder; watermelons; wheat germ.
Acid-Forming Foods
barley; beans, white; bread; candy; cashew nuts; cereals; corn; corn meal; cornstarch; cottage cheese; crackers; cream of wheat; eggs; flour, rye; flour, whole wheat; gluten flour; grapenuts; lentils; macaroni; maize;
millet, rye; oatmeal; peanut butter; pecans; peas, dried; rice, brown; rice, polished; rice, wild; sauerkraut; sauerkraut juice; spaghetti; sugar, raw; sugar, white; syrup; tapioca; walnuts; zweiback.
BETTER LINE UP WITH ALL THE LAWS OF GOD
Everything in God's creation is either right or left, east or west, north or south, positive or negative. Some foods are acids, others are alkaline. And hence, because
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the one is practically worthless without the other, it is necessary that the health-seeker avail himself of both. The correct proportions of which the diet should consist, may be judged from the fact that the greater percentage of garden produce is alkalinizing. It is also enlightening to observe that the foods which should make up 80% of the diet are predominantly alkalinizing, whereas the foods which should make up 20% of the diet are predominantly acid-forming. The truth, then, is obvious: Alkalinizing foods should be used more freely than the acid-forming. (See list on pp. 72-75.) This same principle governs the needed quantity of all minerals. For instance, in comparison with gold, steel is very cheap and plentiful, but what a predicament the world would be in if steel were as high-priced and as scarce as gold!
FOOD AND COOKERY
In the preparation of meals one should bear in mind that many varieties of vegetables are now sprayed against insect infestation, and that therefore they should be carefully cleaned.
Always make use of the water in which vegetables and fruits are cooked it contains much of the valuable minerals. Bear in mind, too, that withered and overcooked vegetables lose their food value. The fresher they are, the better -- a good reason why each family should grow its own garden
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produce. Back yards make good garden spots, and where there is no back yard, a well-dressed garden in the front yard with a few flowers here and there will bring more to the home than a fine lawn.
The necessity of special effort in preserving and utilizing the food value contained in fresh vegetables is widely recognized. Notice, for example, an excerpt from the Reader's Digest, May, 1942:
"As they come from the garden, vegetables contain everything needed to support human life in vigorous health. Thousands of people live on vegetables and nothing else. Whatever else you like in your diet, if you are an average person your health will benefit if you eat more vegetables.
"Many housewives buy and serve plenty of vegetables -- and still have under-nourished families! Millions of Americans able to afford an abundance of good food are actually on a deficient diet and therefore constantly below par. Some wealthy homes provide a diet less satisfactory in terms of bodily vigor than that of a Chinese coolie. Why?
"Scientists say one reason is that in nearly every household the food is prepared and cooked in a way that removes 70 to 80 per cent of its essential minerals and vitamins.
"Take, for example the sweet potato. The average housewife peels it, cuts it up, covers it with water, boils it, then mashes
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it. Let us see what this process does. Peeling a below-ground vegetable throws away most of its mineral salts. Boiling removes nearly half of its usable calcium and phosphorus, which are necessary in building sound bones and teeth, and a third of its iron, which is essential in building red blood and warding off anemia. Mashing the potato exposes its pulp to the air thus oxidizing a large part of the vitamins not already lost by peeling and boiling. The family might almost as well be served a dish of library paste.
"Food can be cooked without serious loss of vitamins and minerals. And rightly cooked food is not only more nourishing but more tasty, because the mineral salts and vegetable sugars are retained. You will have less trouble with the member of your family that 'doesn't like vegetables.' It may not be possible for every family always to provide an ideal menu, but it is possible to extract maximum nourishment from whatever you do provide.
"Much of our knowledge of how improper cooking destroys minerals and vitamins is derived from experiments made a few years ago by W.H. Peterson and C.A. Hoppert at the University of Wisconsin. These scientists mixed 30 pounds of each vegetable, to equalize variations in individual plants. Several portions were boiled, some with just enough water to cover their surface, others with twice as much water. Another set of samples was streamed. Still
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another set was prepared in a pressure cooker. Then the scientists analyzed each result for chemical content and compared it with that of the raw vegetable.
"The greatest damage to nutritive elements, it was discovered, is caused by boiling. Most minerals useful to the human body are soluble in water, boiling water thus removes them. The longer the boiling, and the more water used, the worse the results. The same is largely true of vitamins; these chemicals are destroyed by heat. No wonder nutrition expects say that if you boil your vegetables you would do better to throw the vegetables away and drink the water they were cooked in!"
Do not chop, crush, or peel fresh vegetables or fruits before you are actually ready to serve or to cook them; oxygen destroys some nutritive elements. Frozen foods should be put on to cook while yet frozen. If used raw, they should be eaten immediately after thawing.
Leafy vegetables should be washed thoroughly in salt water before chopping, so as to wash away insects and to prevent loss of food value through bleeding. The fresher the produce, the richer in food value.
Whenever possible, cook fruits and vegetables with the skins on. If you must peel them do it after cooking. Never throw away the water in which vegetables or their skins are cooked. Make use of it in gravies,
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soups, or stews. Ever remember that when you throw away food value, you throw away your health and money, too. Thus, though your body becomes weaker, your yoke of making a living becomes heavier.
Fry foods only when no other method will do. Never add soda.
Avoid the use of white sugar and commercial sweets. Use instead the raw sugar and natural sweets.
Rather than drink coffee, tea, chocolate, cocoa, or soft drinks, use milk, imitation coffee, hot or cold malted milk, and fruit juices -- what boons!
Canned foods do not take the place of fresh foods. If you must use canned goods, use them sparingly along with fresh foods, especially in the season when the latter are available. Preserved foods are winter foods. Most commercially prepared foods are not so healthful as the home prepared.
Bolted flour should be used very sparingly, if at all. Let your baking consist of whole flours, except it be in special cases where the doctor prescribes otherwise. Vinegar, mustards, and condiments should be left alone. Don't let milk stand in the sun -- guard against deterioration of the vitamins.
Special Don't and Do's
By all means brush your teeth after each meal, making sure to remove all food particles,
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especially from the tops of your back teeth. Food particles between the teeth ferment in about four hours, and the fermentation dissolves the enamel of the teeth, resulting in tooth cavities and thus toothaches. Dentures are costly and no more satisfactory than wooden legs; better keep your own teeth. Tooth pastes soften the gums and subject the teeth to pyorrhea; powder is preferable. Salt water wash toughens the gums and kills bacteria, prolonging the life of the teeth. As tooth brushes become contaminated with pyorrhea germs, they should therefore be kept in salt water or in the sunshine.
Make friends. Be cheerful and calm at all times. Remember that "a merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." Prov. 17:22. Fears, rages, great burdens and anxieties, increase the volume of gastric secretion, causing acid stomach and gastric ulcers.
"The relation that exists between the mind and the body is very intimate. When one is affected, the other sympathizes. The condition of the mind affects the health to a far greater degree than many realize. Many of the diseases from which men suffer are the result of mental depression. Grief, anxiety, discontent, remorse, guilt, distrust, all tend to break down the life forces and to invite decay and death....Courage, hope faith, sympathy, love, promote health and prolong life. A contented mind, a cheerful spirit, is health to the
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body and strength to the soul." -- Ministry of Healing, p. 241.
"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Matt. 6:31-34.
Know that your health is your treasure; that without it all else is lost; and that you live, move and have your being to get all your work done daily, efficiently, and on time. Work promotes health and brings happiness. If a tree quits bearing, the owner cuts it down, and if a human being does not produce when he should, then what is he good for? The Master did not care to keep a barren tree: "And when He saw a fig tree in the way, He came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away." Matt. 21:19.
"He spake also this parable, A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I
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come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: and if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down." Luke 13:6-9.
"Six days [out of a week] shalt thou labour, and do all thy work." Ex. 20:9. "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread." Gen. 3:19.
Certainly everything in God's creation makes its own living; the birds do even from the very day they leave the nest, yet they never take anxious thought. Only man has ever sought to enslave, to make a living from another man's sweating -- the most intelligent being has become the greatest brute! Let every able-bodied Christian produce enough to make his own living and to help the disabled, too.
It is doubtful, moreover, whether anyone who fails to get his work done well and on time will ever fit himself for the Kingdom and be on schedule when the fiery chariot takes off, and the saints shout, "Glory! Alleluia!"
NO NEED OF STAYING HUNGRY AND HELPLESS
There are many persons who, when the cook for even good reasons fails to prepare a meal for them to sit down and eat
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to the full, become upset and will stay hungry for the rest of the day rather than look after their own food. For this there is no excuse if one is at home or near a grocery store.
Occasional meals, and good ones at that, can be instantly set on the table, ready to be enjoyed by any person who needs a meal. Every home practically every day of the year has in the cupboard staple articles of food such as bread, prepared cereals, dried fruits, and often even fresh fruits honey, eggs, milk, and especially canned goods that need only be opened and put on the table.
Yes, any member of the family, even the children in an emergency, can immediately make his or her selection of the foodstuffs that are already in the house, and can without inconveniencing himself or others, sit down to a meal that is both palatable and nutritious. A slice of bread or a dish of ready-to-use cereal, a little honey or jelly, and a glass of milk, an orange or an apple, a few raisins or dried prunes or the like, will make an excellent meal, and much more healthful than is found in the average American home, even in the homes that employ cooks. With the added advantage that it takes only about five minutes to get such a meal together, there should be no hardship.
When you find that for some reason your meal is not prepared as you expected,
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just help yourself like a person who knows his business, rather than act like an invalid, or like a bird while yet in its nest, or even like a newborn kitten before its eyes come open.
Then to top this over, immediately after you are through, wash your own dishes. You will not have many, and it will take but a moment. Thus you will lighten the heavy burden of some other member of the family, and make yourself and others happier, as well as keep the dining room and kitchen orderly with nothing lying around to be pushed here and there to make the home unsightly or the family irritated. Housekeepers, too, will find this system very advantageous-the dishes will wash easier, the kitchen and dining room, in fact the whole house, will look orderly at all times, and there will be no need of thinking about the dishes anymore, or of having your peace disturbed, or perhaps of having to stop in the middle of another job later in the day in order to get the dishes done for the noon or evening meal. Anyone will find this to be systematic, convenient, and time-saving.
When you are away from home, moreover, if there is no suitable restaurant nearby which you can conveniently patronize, you will in a fairly good grocery store find, almost as conveniently as in the home cupboard, a greater variety of things which you will enjoy for your meal. Such a meal
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you will find nutritious, palatable, more for you money, and more suitable for your body's need.
At first it may seem inconvenient, but after you do this several times, you will never want to go back to your old way of trying to find something to eat in one restaurant, then in another. Your auto will make a good dining room if there is no other place to sit. Dishes you do not need to carry from home or worry about who is to wash them: You can buy fiber dishes in the store, and when you are through with them you can easily afford to toss them with the waste. Thus you can have the best of everything, as fancy as need be, as clean as you care to have it, and as cheap as at home.
Now to mention a few articles of food which can be found in almost every good grocery store the year round, and which are nutritious and convenient for away-from-home meals:
Bread or buns, cottage cheese, fresh or canned milk, buttermilk, dried or fresh fruits, besides a large assortment of canned goods which need not be warmed. Then, too, you will find all kinds of juices, and in season there are berries, melons, grapes, tomatoes, peppers, onions, parsley, lettuce, and many other good things which need not be cooked. With these you may sit down like a king having a picnic!
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RECIPES
Abbreviations used:
c. - cup
lb. - pound
oz. - ounce
tsp. - teaspoons
pt. - pint
qt. - quart
tbsp. - tablespoon
RADISH CABBAGE SALAD
1 c. radishes; 1 c. cabbage; 1/2 c. flaked peanuts; 1/8 c. chopped onions; salt to taste.
Slice radishes, and chop cabbage fine, then combine all ingredients, and serve on lettuce leaf with mayonnaise or some other dressing. Serves 4.
CARROT SALAD
2 c. grated carrots; 1/2 tsp. onion juice; 3 eggs (hard boiled);
1 tbsp. lemon juice; 1 finely chopped bell pepper; 1/2 tsp. salt;
1/2 c. mayonnaise.
To the grated carrots, add onion juice, chopped egg, lemon juice, pepper, and salt. (If desired, peas may be added.) Mix in the mayonnaise saving a dash for top of salad. Garnish with parsley. Serves 6.
PROTEIN SALAD DRESSING
2 egg yolks (hard boiled); 1 tbsp. vegetable oil; a little salt;
1 tbsp. lemon juice; 1 tbsp. honey; 1 tbsp. peanut butter, (raw preferred);
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Mash the egg yokes and combine well with all other ingredients. This makes 1/3 c. dressing. The whites of the eggs may be cut into thin strips and used for garnishing salad.
ENRICHED VEGETARIAN SOUP
1 medium-sized potato; 1 c. pea puree; 1/2 c. chopped celery; 2 eggs;
1 small onion; pinch of mint; 1/4 c. rice; 1 tbsp. vegetable fat; 1 c. ground gluten; salt to taste.
Shred potato and celery, or put through grinder. Level with water, then add two extra cups of water; bring to boiling, and season with salt and mint. Stir in the rice slowly to keep it boiling, and cook for 30 minutes. Place the egg and gluten together, and beat with a fork. Heat the fat in a skillet, scramble the mixture in it, and add it and the puree to the boiling vegetables. Simmer 30 minutes and serve hot. Serves 8. (For gluten, see recipe below for "Enriched Gluten Cutlets".)
B-PLEX
(For use in gravies and other dishes.)
12 pieces toast (burned); 1/4 tsp. onion salt; 1/4 lb. yeast; 4 tbsp. soy sauce; 2 tbsp. tomato juice; 1/4 tsp. celery salt.
In 2 qts. water put 12 pieces of toast
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which have been burned and almost black. Boil until the water is dark. Strain off the liquid and boil down to a thick syrup.
Add this syrup to the remaining ingredients, and melt. Cook in heavy pan until thick and coffee-colored. Put in jar and keep in cool place.
ENRICHED GLUTEN CUTLETS
5 lbs. white flour
6 tbsp. soy sauce
3 qts. water
1 onion
2 tbsp. B-plex
1 tbsp. salt
Gradually mix the 3 qts. of cold water into the flour until the mixture becomes a fine lump of dough. Knead it well, cover with cold water, and let stand half an hour. Then to wash out the starch, put the dough in lukewarm water and work with the hands. When the water becomes milky, pour it off, add fresh water, and continue the process until the starch is washed away -- the water cleared. (It is important that all the starch be washed from the dough.) There then remains a lump of gluten. Stretch out the gluten fairly thin by holding it in both hands and pulling on it from first one side and then another until it is as thin as pie crust. Next lay it on a floured board and spread half of it with one shredded carrot, then fold in several times and thoroughly work the carrot into the dough. Finally, shape the gluten into flat cutlets about 1/4 inch thick and 3 inches wide.
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To 4 cups of water add B-plex, soy sauce, onion (ground), and salt. Drop the cutlets in and simmer for 2 hours, adding water if necessary. Put in glass container and store in cool place until ready to use. Makes 2 dozen cutlets.
Other choice and suitable vegetables may be used in place of carrots.
VEG PATTIES
1 raw potato; 2 onions (small); 1 tsp. salt; 4 tbsp. vegetable oil; 1/2 c. cooked oatmeal; 1 c. bread crumbs; 1/2 c. ground walnuts; 2 eggs (large); pinch of sage; 1 tsp. chopped parsley; 2 tbsp. soy sauce, or B-plex.
Grind potato and onion together, add salt and sage, and simmer in oil until brown. Then mix in oatmeal, crumbs, nuts, eggs, parsley, and soy sauce. Shape into patties and brown in a hot oven or fry in a skillet with a little oil.
It may be made into a loaf and sliced for sandwiches, or served hot with tomato sauce. Serves 6.
STUFFED PEPPERS
8 large peppers; 1 1/2 c. uncooked rice; 3/4 c. chopped onions; 1/2 c. grated carrots; 1 can tomato soup; 1/2 c eggplant; 2 tsp. sage; 1/4 c. finely chopped okra;
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salt to taste; 1/2 c. chopped parsley; 3 tbsp. oil (1/2 c. ground corn may also be used if desired).
Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Wash peppers, carefully cut off the seed end, and through it stuff the pepper with mixture; then to cap it place the top back on. Put layers of cabbage leaves, sauerkraut or some other vegetable on bottom of kettle (if desired) then put stuffed peppers tightly in the kettle and level with water. Cover with lid and steam slowly until rice is cooked.
The same dressing may be wrapped in cabbage or broccoli leaves, large beet or turnip leaves, or young spring grape vine leaves, and cooked as the stuffed peppers. (Wilt leaves in boiling water before using.)
For added zest, a tomato sauce or thick clabbered milk may be poured over peppers when served. Serves 8.
MODERNIZED TURKISH PILAF
2 c. rice; 2 1/2 c. cold water; 3 tbsp. soy sauce; 1 1/2 c. finely chopped onions; 1 rounded tsp. salt; 1 1/2 c. finely chopped celery; 1/2 c. oil.
Thoroughly wash loose starch from rice by rubbing it between the palms of the hands while in water, and rinsing. Repeat the process five or six times (or until water is clear). Put rice in top of double boiler, and add the cold water in which
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the salt has been dissolved. Let steam in double boiler for 1 3/4 hours. It is important that an airtight lid be used, and that it not be removed even once during the 1 3/4 hours, or else the steam will escape and the rice will not be fluffy.
Just before rice is done, heat the oil in a skillet, then add the onions, celery, soy sauce, and a pinch of salt. Brown lightly. With a fork carefully work 3/4 of this into the rice, being careful not to mash the rice into a paste. Shape into a mound on a platter, and top with the rest of braised onions and celery. Serves 6.
VEGETABLE MEAL-IN-ONE-POT
(Tomato soup, buttered carrots, baked okra fresh peas, spinach or other greens, rice and gravy, mashed or browned potatoes, creamed onions, -- all cooked in one pot!)
Directions
4 fresh carrots
1/2 lb. fresh okra
2 c. fresh peas
4 sm. potatoes
1 c. tomato puree
2 onions
1 lb. spinach or other greens
1 c. raw rice
Scrape the carrots and put them whole in a deep kettle. Lay the okra (whole) next to the carrots, then cover with the peas. Put the potatoes (whole) on top of these, also the onions cut into halves, and then a layer of spinach. Cover with slightly salted water and then add 3 more cups of water, also salt and oil. Slowly bring to boiling. Then put the rice in a muslin bag,
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not more than 1/3 full, and place in the kettle. Cook until rice is done. (If potatoes are peeled boil the peelings, strain, and pour the liquid on the vegetables in place of the water, or put them in bag and let them cook together with the vegetables.)
Take out the rice, then gently remove the onion, the potatoes, the spinach, the carrots, and the okra, and place each in a separate dish. Pour the broth into a saucepan, leaving the peas in the kettle. Add the tomato puree to the broth and serve as soup. To the peas add a little cream, and serve.
The rice may be served with gravy, and the potatoes may be mashed, or sliced and browned in a little oil. Add a little oil to the carrots
The okra may be rolled in bread crumbs and browned in the oven. The spinach may be served plain. Cream the onions. (Each may be salted to taste.)
CRISP OKRA
Slice okra lengthwise, and sprinkle with salt. Then dip in egg batter, and roll thoroughly in bread crumbs. Moisten with oil, and bake in medium hot oven until brown and tender. Serve as is, or with cream or tomato sauce.
ESCALLOPED VEGETABLES
1 green pepper (cut in inch long strips); 1 c. cooked vegetables (any
kind but tomatoes);
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1/2 onion, finely chopped; 5 tbsp. oil; 2 tbsp. flour; 1 tsp. salt; 1 egg; 1/2 c. dried bread cubes; 2/3 c. oiled cracker crumbs; 1/2 c. milk.
Combine pepper, onion, and oil, and cook five minutes, while stirring. Thoroughly blend flour and salt, and add to the mixture. Next, gradually pour in the milk, while stirring, and bring to boiling. Then add vegetables, egg, and bread (cut in quarter-inch cubes and browned in a pan with one tbsp. oil). Finally, put mixture into an oiled baking dish, cover with cracker crumbs, and bake in a hot oven until brown. Serves 6.
CRUSTED BAKED GREENS
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
2 bunches fresh spinach (or other greens)
1 c. milk
2 tbsp. oil
1 c. cooked rice
1 good-sized onion, chopped fine
Beat eggs, salt, and milk together. Braise the onion in the oil, and then combine with all other ingredients. Cover the bottom of a pie tin with pie crust. Put in it a layer of the filler to about 1 inch thickness and cover with pie crust. (Wet edges of lower crust before covering with top crust.) Do not punch holes in top
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crust, for you must retain all the steam possible. To begin baking, cover with another tin and let it bake in medium hot oven about twenty minutes. Then take cover off, punch the steam bubbles with a fork, and let bake until light brown. Serve hot. Serves 4-6.
Other greens, or even dried squash, may take the place of the spinach. Or you may substitute the whole with cooked rice, eggs, oil, parsley, and salt to taste. (Less cooking required with latter combination.)
WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
2 1/2 oz. baker's yeast
2 oz. shortening (not oil)
6 oz. sugar or honey
2 oz. salt
7 c. water
5 lbs whole wheat flour
Thoroughly blend yeast, shortening, sugar (or honey), and salt in the water. Mix with flour and knead thoroughly. (Mixture should be only medium stiff.) Allow to rise in a moderately warm place until it doubles in bulk. Mix down and let rise again. Repeat kneading and let it rise the third time. Divide into 7 equal portions, and round each. Let rise the fourth time, and then shape into loaves, and let rise 1 inch above top of bread pan. Then place in oven at 325 degrees. When well browned, remove and thoroughly cool before putting away. Makes 7 one-pound loaves.
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FLUFFY CORNBREAD
4 c. corn meal; 1 c. boiling water; 1 c. white flour; 3/4 c. brown sugar;
pinch of salt; 1 pt. cold water; 1 c. oil; 6 eggs (separated).
Scald corn meal with the boiling water. Stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. Then beat in the cold water and the oil. Pour into the scalded corn meal, and mix through and through.
Separate the egg yolk and beat the whites; beat the yolks thick and stir into the whites. Then gently fold the batter into them. Bake in a medium hot oven. Serves 10.
WHEAT FLAKES
1 c. whole wheat flour; 1/2 c. bran; 1/4 c. sugar; 1/4 c. soy flour; 1 tsp. salt; 4 tbsp. shortening; 1/4 c. molasses.
Mix dry ingredients thoroughly, then rub shortening into dry mixture, and stir in molasses. Add just enough water to hold the ingredients together. Stir as little as possible. Spread in pans, bake slowly till firm. Put through flaker and then toast In oven.
SWEET ROLLS
2 oz. baker's yeast; 1 pt. water; 1/4 lb. shortening; 1 lb. white flour; 1 tbsp. salt; 1 1/2 lbs. whole wheat flour; 1/2 lb. sugar; 3 eggs.
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Dissolve yeast, shortening, salt, sugar, and eggs in water. Add flour, and mix to a soft dough. Knead thoroughly and let rise in a moderately warm place until doubled in size. Mix down and let rise again until it puffs when punched with finger. Mix down the second time, and let rise again, then cut into three sections. Roll our each section 1/4 inch thick. Brush with oil, spread over it the sugar and sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll tight as for a jelly roll. Cut into 1/2 inch rolls and place about 2 inches apart on oiled trays. Set in warm room and let rise. Bake in oven at 300 degrees. When brown, remove from over and turn top side down until cool. (Will make 4 dozen small rolls.)
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SIMPLE SPONGE CAKE
2 tbsp. hot water; pinch of salt; 1 c. sugar (scant); grated rind of 1/2 lemon; 3 large fresh eggs; 1 tbsp. lemon juice; 1 c. flour.
Put water to heat with a pinch of salt. Beat the eggs until very light and add to the hot water. Beat until thick, add sugar and flavoring. Again beat for a few minutes then fold into the flour. Turn each layer into oiled pan, and bake 25 minutes in medium hot oven.
The same recipe may be used for cup cakes. Raisins may be added to the dough if desired. Top with icing.
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Your health today is as good as you purposed it to be by the way you lived yesterday; and your health tomorrow will be as good as you purpose it to be by the way you live today.
Facts are facts whether believed or not.
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"Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord. O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all shine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases: Who redeemeth thy life from destruction, Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." Ps. 103:1-5.
Now that "ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." John 13:17.
Happy, indeed, "is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help." Ps. 146:5.
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IMPORTANT
You have now read me through and through, and have seen my mission and the prominence which, for your life's sake, you must give me in your home and in your life. Hereafter you may consult me daily, whether at home or abroad. O. yes, I am tailor-made to fit your pocket, and as I need only a corner of it, you will have no trouble taking me along on your journey, be it short or be it long.
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