A harmless and healthy substitute for coffee (tea
[Pg 41]
or cocoa) can be prepared as follows. Even
habitual coffee-drinkers will be unable to perceive
any difference in taste between coffee and this
substitute. Good and well-sifted wheat is put
into a frying-pan over the fire and well fried, until
it has turned completely red, and begun to
grow dark in colour. Then it is powdered
just like coffee. A spoon of the powder is then
put into a cup, and boiling water poured on to it.
Preferably keep the thing over the fire for a
minute, and add milk and sugar, if necessary, and
you get a delicious drink, which is much cheaper
and healthier than coffee. Those who want to
save themselves the trouble of preparing this
powder may get their supply from the Satyagraha
Ashram, Ahmedabad.
From the point of view of diet, the whole mankind
may be divided into three broad divisions.
(1) The first class, which is the largest, consists
of those who, whether by preference or out of
necessity, live on an exclusive vegetable diet.
Under this division come the best part of India, a
large portion of Europe, and China and Japan.
The staple diet of the Italians is macaroni, of the
Irish potato, of the Scotch oatmeal, and of the
Chinese and Japanese rice. (2) The second class
consists of those who live on a mixed diet. Under
this class come most of the people of England, the
[Pg 42]
richer classes of China and Japan, the richer
Mussalmans of India, as well as those rich Hindus
who have no religious scruples about taking meat.
(3) To the third class belong the uncivilised
peoples of the frigid zones, who live on an exclusive
meat diet. These are not very numerous, and
they also introduce a vegetable element into their
diet, wherever they come in contact with the
civilised races of Europe. Man, then, can live on
three kinds of diet; but it is our duty to consider
which of these is the healthiest for us.
An examination of the structure of the human
body leads to the conclusion that man is intended
by Nature to live on a vegetable diet. There is the
closest affinity between the organs of the human
body and those of the fruit-eating animals. The
monkey, for instance, is so similar to man in shape
and structure, and it is a fruit-eating animal. Its
teeth and stomach are just like the teeth and
stomach of man. From this we may infer that
man is intended to live on roots and fruits, and not
on meat.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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