The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1884-12-13
Healthful Food.

The person who decides what shall
be the food and drink of q family, and
the modes of its preparation, is the one
who decides, to greater or lesser de-
gree, what shall be the health of that
family, and she who adapts the food
and cooking of her family to the laws
of health removes one of the greatest
risks which threatens the health of
those under her care s.Who drinks
beer, thinks beer" says an old proverb.
but nobody can think at all rightly
with bad, ill-cooked food in the stomach.
And, says a sensible writer, if we only
would study cause and effect as we
should, we would find that great
many evils now attributed to Providence
or Satan would fall into position and
label themselves ''piecrust, 'grease,"
SODA" '.hurry," and the stomach,
that long-suffering, much-enduring,
patient little servant, will be found to
be at the bottom of half the ills flesh is
heir to. and over which we mourn.
In winter the body requires ample
supplies of fuel to keep up the animal
heat in addition to what is necessary to
make up for muscular and mental
waste. These supplies are found in
such food as contains large proportions
of carbon; for coal, under one name or
another, keeps our engines moving,
our fires burning, our hearts beating.
The oils-butter and lard-are COM
posed mainly of carbon, and this ele-
ment enters largely into all the starchy
foods, as the grains, rice, potatoes,
peas and beans. Corn meal. besides
containing starch, has larger proper
ton of oil than any other grain except.
perhaps, buckwheat, consequently corn
meal and buckwheat are especially APP
propriate as winter diet. Acids or
fruits should be used with all food con-
tanning oils, as they are indispensable
to perfect digestion and healthy
condition of the blood. For students
and sedentary people Graham mush is
highly commended. Corn meal is
good for muscular labor, but poor
for mental exertion. Phosphate of
lime is needed to give firmness
to the bones, and to supply ma
terial for the teeth. Pure milk or
kernels of wheat are the only articles
that contain all the necessary elements.
A portion of the outer covering of a
wheat kernel holds slime, silica, and iron,
which arr needed for the body, and
they are found in no other part of the
grain. 1t is therefore plain that bread
made of unbolted flour is more health
full than bread made of superfine flour.
Experiments have shown that fine flour
alone will not sustain life more than a
month, while unbolted flour furnishes
all that is necessary for the body.
Beans, barley, and wheat have about
three times as much BODYBUILDING and
teeth-feeding elements as the best beei
steak, and no children grow up to Wig
orous and healthful manhood or wo.
manhood where close attention is moi
paid to the bone building during the
periodsof growth. The flesh and fat
can be put on afterward. but not one
hundredth part of an inch can the bones
be made to take on after the season Of
growth has come to an end.
Food. therefore. must be abundant,
substantial, nutritious, and fresh; suit
able to the climate and the season, az
well as to the age and condition of the
persons. And it should be remembered
that nutritiousness aud digestibility
are not interchangeable, and must not
be COMPOUNDED Many articles of food
49, nutritious that are not >easily
digested, and vice versa, Cleveland
| Leader.