Dora C. C. L. Roper

“ The evolving of man from the stage of a jelly fish to a being possessed of a bony framework in an upright position by the eating of animals has developed a higher self. After having reached this stage of evolution the nature of some people has become so highly sensitized that meat, as a food, becomes repugnant to them. What they need is a stepping stone. The very food which has produced this state of over refinement or destruction must be used for construction and minimized by degrees. ”

“ Common sense and judgment, following a natural instinct, will go a long way toward attaining better health. But those who, through the constant use of cooked, or highly spiced and fermented food, have lost their natural instincts and intuitions, will find the study of the science of dietetical chemistry of inestimable value toward a better understanding of natural laws, and be enabled to make the selections and combinations of foods more suitable to their temperament. ”

“ Inharmony, disease, and misfortune are largely caused by living a life contrary to the laws of nature.
The fulfillment of high ideals must be accompanied by common sense and judgment, so it becomes an evolution instead of revolution. ”

“ The ordinary mixed diet with the addition of meat two or three times per week is the safest method for most people who are compelled to work eight, ten, or twelve hours out of every twenty-four and have to deprive themselves of the proper amount of fresh air, sunshine and physical exercise, which brings all the muscles and organs of the body into proper action. ”

“ Mothers of girls should think it more important to furnish healthful exercise, wholesome food and restful sleep during the years of budding womanhood, than to worry about lessons in music and art, or a business education. ”

“ Spinach or lettuce, macaroni, cheese, pea or tomato puree. Tomato soup or salad, baked beans, lettuce, prunes.
Drink sufficient pure natural water between your meals. There is danger in over-drinking as well as in under-drinking.
All who are in the habit of eating more than their systems require and especially those who indulge in large amounts of bread at dinner, would do well to begin their meal with a soup. Legume and cream soups will furnish a satisfactory meal by themselves. Take toast or sun-dried bread at the end of the meal, with black coffee or postum. ”

“ Many people at the ages of sixty and seventy still lead an active life, while others retire from activity at forty-five or fifty. Therefore, the food should conform to the person's mental and physical requirements. If the teeth are poor and the digestive powers weak, the food should be light, consisting mainly of well cooked cereals, baked potatoes, rice, cooked greens, a small amount of meat, raw fruits and raw greens in combination with fatty foods, as salads, milk and buttermilk, toasted breads and soups. ”

“ I hope that the following pages may serve as a stepping stone for all who desire to eat less meat, as well as for those who wish to become vegetarians.
In adopting a raw food diet, or in reducing heat-giving elements, such as artificial sugars and hot drinks, it is important to apply more external heat to the body for a while, or else have the morning meal served in a sunny room. Plenty of outdoor exercise is necessary to properly utilize a vegetarian diet. ”

“ All who leave the land of their birth should make themselves acquainted with the art of living and the peculiarities of the new country in which they intend to live.
To depart entirely from their old customs and habits is as dangerous as to neglect the study of the new environment or the failure to adopt necessary changes. ”

“ It is possible for normal individuals under fairly normal conditions of life to nourish perfectly their bodies on a vegetarian diet, provided they are willing to live mainly on sun-kissed foods instead of on a mass of sloppily-cooked, devitalized, starchy vegetables, and soft nitrogenous foods that burden the digestive organs and produce obesity and slow consumption. ”

“ Many parents are impressed with the idea that their children require a large amount of sweets, in order to make them grow. We cannot force nature without paying the penalty. At maturity, we reap what has been sown for us, or what we have sown for ourselves. ”

“ Tropical fruits and vegetables which are looked upon as luxuries in Northern Europe are necessary articles of food in the country where they grow, therefore the stranger should make himself acquainted with such foods, and by degrees learn to eat them. ”

“ The physiological laws of our bodies are based on very economical plans: nature utilizes everything and wastes nothing. Cooked foodstuffs, whether they are wasted within our bodies by over-indulgence, or in the garbage can, create decomposition and germs.
MENUS FOR DINNER FOR YOUNG CHILDREN.
One-half orange, one ounce boiled fish, one-half of an apple, toast. One-half of an apple, one or two eggs, one to two tablespoons raw rylax. Cereal salad with carrots and fish. Legume soup, butter and bread, raw carrots. Well boiled macaroni, two tablespoons of cold grated cheese. ”

“ Numerous and careful researches regarding food requirements made during the last fifty years have led to the realization that the majority of civilized men and women consume from two to three times the amount of food necessary. ”

“ Pure air and sufficient food properly combined and proportioned are essential. Choose more of the lighter forms of protein and starchy foods, as fish, eggs, almonds, green peas, bacon, a moderate amount of lamb and beef, rice, sago, wheat, and vegetable gelatines. Foods rich in minerals are celery, apples, tomatoes, greens, oranges, and practically all the fresh fruits and vegetables, especially the small berries. Melons and starchy vegetables in large quantities are suitable for muscular workers. ”

“ The total fuel requirement depends upon whether the individual leads a quiet or active existence. For a person who lives mainly indoors, and makes little use of the muscles of the arms, shoulders and trunk, 1000 to 1200 calories is sufficient for twenty-four hours. If more food is eaten than the body requires, the excess will manifest itself by the development of chronic ailments and obesity, or feeble-mindedness. ”

“ Adopting a vegetarian diet should be done with great care, and not in a hurry, especially when the person is not in perfect health.
The best time to begin is the Spring. People who have lived on excessive meat should cut it down to two and three times per week, substituting cured meat and fish part of the time. ”

“ A child should have his face and hands washed before and after each meal. He should not be allowed to carry foodstuffs and candy about the house, or touch carpets and furniture with sticky and greasy fingers. If he requires food between meals, give him four or five meals per day, but have him eat his food in the proper place. ”

“ Do not eat unless you are hungry. Do not over-indulge in athletic or any other kind of exercise. Remember that natural feeding, pure air and sufficient sleep call for natural breathing and natural exercise. Unnatural feeding and late hours create disease or nervousness. ”

“ The breeding of flies, mosquitoes and other disease carriers is greatly favored by allowing children to eat at any and all times without napkins, or special preservation of their dress, or without cleaning their hands before and after eating, or before and after playing with animals and pets. ”

“ An individual with great adaptability may make this change without much discomfort, but many people who desire to leave off meat, do so because they are already sick from wrong eating. If they feel benefited by the change for a while it is generally because their system is eliminating the toxins which are the result of excessive meat eating. ”

“ A certain amount of manual labor is absolutely necessary for the brain-worker. It favors deep breathing and creates a demand for more air and water, and thus improves digestion, oxidation and nutrition. ”

“ If cooked foods are required, study carefully the preparation of nutritious soups, well boiled cereals, salads, and add as many raw foods as possible.
Exercise more in the open air, live and work in sunny well ventilated rooms, retire early and live as close to nature as you can. ”

“ In some portions of the United States the climatic conditions are very changeable; we have extreme heat and cold, an excess of rain with wind storms and dryness alternating within a short time. West of the Rocky Mountains we have a mild sea air. ”

“ Bran or bread soup, apple salad with grated cheese, lettuce. Milk or huckleberry soup, unleavened apple pancakes. Clabber milk with cream and grapenuts or stale bread, nuts. Corn bread with apple salad and lettuce, nuts. Plain milk rice with currants, nuts or cheese. Bread dumplings with stewed prunes or pears, celery, nuts. Buttermilk soup with dried fruit, nuts or eggs. Peas with mashed carrots and lettuce salad. Rice and tomato soup, cabbage, plum pudding.
For people of a bilious temperament eggs should not be mixed with milk or sweet foods at the same meal. ”

“ The body poisons are carried off quicker and nervous headaches and despondency are avoided. Short walks out of doors before retiring are very beneficial for people who suffer with cold hands and feet. ”

“ Learn by experience to select the kinds of food which yield nourishment and avoid those which disagree.
MENUS FOR DINNER.
Apple salad, lettuce, broiled steak, shredded wheat with butter. Cream of pea soup, beef or roast pork, potatoes, stewed prunes. Broiled chops, young peas, creamed potatoes, oranges. Tomato salad, lettuce, veal with mushrooms and rice. Cream of tomato soup, veal chops with peas, stewed prunes. Sweet potatoes with roast beef, tomato puree, celery, nuts. Lettuce salad, mashed carrots, baked beans with lemon, bacon. Beefsteak with eggs and potatoes, celery, prunes. ”

“ The study of the book shows that the author, like many American physicians, is not a staunch believer in "drug cures," but considers that spiritual, mental and physical healing applied in the natural way are the only means to produce chemical changes within our bodies. ”

“ String beans with stale bread and butter, bacon and egg. Finely chopped spinach, bacon, egg, stale bread, butter. Three to five cherries, light omelet, lettuce. Cereal salad with apples, two to three tablespoons of cottage cheese. Baked oats with prunes or cranberry sauce and bacon. Whole wheat with sterilized cream and celery. Peach and cereal salad, beachnut bacon and one egg. Baked potato greens, meat, egg or fish. Legume puree or soup, carrots, bacon.
Legumes are a very important food for young children, and their use should begin during the second year. ”

“ Dress by an open fire or in a sunny room. A chill before breakfast produces indigestion and a desire for unnecessary hot foods. Never sleep by night lamps or any other artificial light. They are injurious to the eyes and absorb oxygen. ”

“ Radishes, green onions, whole wheat bread and butter. Asparagus salad with ham hash, bread and butter. Salted mackerel with creamed potatoes, milk. Pineapple with grapefruit, fish, apple salad, lettuce. Cherries with water eggnog, triscuit with chipped beef. Cherries with pineapple, cream cheese, egg food or fish. Bananas with tomato, cranberry or rhubarb compote. Apple or apricot sauce with Imperial Sticks or fruit toast.
People who have difficulty in digesting eggs will find it more agreeable to eat the yolks and whites at different times of the day ”

“ Pineapple salad with whipped cream and toast or triscuit. Apple or banana salad, lettuce, orange juice, nuts. Potato salad with lettuce and soft boiled eggs, ham or bacon. Strawberries or raspberries with rich milk and zwieback. ”

“ Sleep at least nine hours in a well ventilated room, facing east or south. Avoid constipation. Combine mental work with moderate amounts of useful and enjoyable exercise and physical work. Protect the eyes from strong artificial light. ”

“ Plum salad, lettuce, mayonnaise dressing, walnuts. Strawberries, lettuce and oil or mayonnaise dressing, almonds. Apple or tomato salad, cheese and raw bread. Clabber milk, triscuits or zwieback, dried fruits, nuts. ”