Food economy is not a call to a starvation diet, but to a balanced
ration of wholesome, well prepared food. Overeating of even the best
food produces poisons that injure the tissues, overwork the organs
of digestion, and in time may bring the body to actual starvation
conditions.
A man's appetite is not always a safe guide. Artificial surroundings
in childhood make the normal appetite the exception rather than the
rule. Few children are taught, by parents, teachers, or preachers,
the importance of restricting the appetite. The seeds of intemperance
sown by those who prepare food for the family table bring a larger
harvest than does the work of all the devil's agencies in saloons and
tobacco shops combined. Millions of dollars are worse than wasted
by the conversion of food materials into strong drinks to satisfy
appetites perverted by wrong habits of eating. Why are our schools and
churches more interested in the maintenance of a worn-out, traditional
educational system, and an abstract, impractical religion, than in some
of these vital teachings? We look to legislation to cure degenerate
appetites for which we are largely responsible through false education
in home and school and church. Starving ones of earth are deprived
of food when we convert it into strong drink; the process requires
the time and strength of a great army of workers; and transportation
facilities now used for carrying whisky, tobacco, and other body- and
mind-destroying substances, might be used in transporting the foods we
waste. It is estimated that we waste enough in our kitchens to feed ten
million people. "Blessed art thou, O land, when ... thy princes eat in
due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!"
_Some Economies_
Dr. Osler has said that "pie north of the Mason and Dixon line, and hot
bread south of it, have done more harm than alcohol." The best breads
contain the whole grain; they are well baked, require considerable
chewing, resist the pressure of the teeth, and save dental bills.
Thorough mastication neutralizes an abnormal appetite.
Rich pastries, harmful condiments, tea and coffee,--narcotics
recognized as extravagant, harmful, and useless beverages,--are being
discarded for the sake of both health and economy. Remove the cream and
the sugar from tea and coffee, and they have no food value.
Use the coffee mill to grind wheat, rye, and corn, that you may enjoy
the vitamines, the mineral salts, and other elements often removed by
the manufacturer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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