The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1905-07-01
Home Health
Club
D. DAVID q. lEEDel. p. D.. IN
La Porte, Ind.


| have been asked a number OF
times to tell the Home Health Club
readers about raw foods. have hesi-
tated to do this for several reasons,
the chief of which is that the Home |
Health Club avoids, as far as possible.
any kind of fad or fancy and tries 10
keep to its regular work OF helping
the sick and suffering by teaching the
natural laws Of health.
The raw food idea has found many
disciples, and one young man has even
gone so far as to confine himself, like
a certain king of which the Bible tells
us. to an exclusive diet of grass. Now,
l like the idea of the simple life, but
this | call silly. l recently heard OF
a tramp who wished to excite the sym
patty of a farmers wife by appearing
almost famished. He ran into the
yard and began TO eat ravenously OF
the blue grass which grew there. The
wise little wife was equal to the oc-
casion, and said: Poor map, come
around to the back door, the grass IL
much better there"
There are men to be fouhd In many
communities who would be benented
by being turned out to grass Tor
few months. They are the kind that
weigh over $50 pounds and are usually
found near a saloon. Their diet Is
mostly meat and their drink Is coffee
and beer.
While man is so constituted that 1t
Is possible for him to live upon raw
| food for a considerable length of time,
! it is proven by thousands of years ex-
perience that the larger portion OF his
| food is better adapted to his needs BY
cooking. There are many articles OF
good and wholesome food that cannot
be used for any length of time without
being cooked Moreover, there are
many dangerous diseases that are
| avoided by cooking. There are no
savage races known who do lot prac-
| tice the art of cooking to some extent.
| All progress in the scale of develop.
ment and civilization is always accom-
panied by development in the art OF
cooking.
Nearly all fruits are both palatable
and easily digested in the raw state.
| This is also true of nuts, but 1t Is moi
true of cereals, nor Of roots and vege-
tables. Neither is 1t true of meats
| 1t is because of our knowledge Of
cooking that the dietary of humanity
is so greatly enlarged, because by
cooking there are many articles Of
wholesome, nutritious and palatable
food which in their raw state are moi
only unpalatable but wholly indigesti'
BILE.
Generally speaking, all foods, ex'
cepting fruits, having organized struc
ture, require cooking. Some vegetable:
are eaten raw by preference, such Al
lettuce, celery, radish, young onions
etc.. and but little, II any, advantage
is to be gained by cooking them. Raw
meat soon becomes wearisome, and l
eaten exclusively will even excite dis
gust. Milk, eggs and some shellfisf
are an exception to this rule.
The starches found In cereals ar
very difficult to digest unless groun'
very fine or cooked until changed int
dexterine and grape sugar by the heat
The use of raw wheat may for q tim
, appear to be very beneficial, as tn
organs of digestion are aroused int
greater activity and the mucous linin
, of the intestines are irritated by tn
| hard, woody fiber of the husks, and i
, that way peristaltic action is increase
!. and constipation is for the time re
, | lieyed, but the continued use of thes
irritating particles will either set u
an Inflammation in the intestines Q
they will become toughened and hal
ituated to 1t and the effect is no longe
beneficial.
a Cooking develops certain flavor
9 especially in meats. Most food IL q
q tered and made softer and is there
: fore more easily masticated and mike
: with the digestive elements. BY cool
a ing. many varieties of parasites an
n disease germs are destroyed and som
|. articles of food which might otherwis
!. be highly injurious are rendered nj
a only harmless but nutritious. The al
Il pearance of food and its ability to a
8 ford gustatory enjoyment is an impol
q tant factor developed by cooking, an
> while l advocate the plant, Get BAG
> to Nature" yet ! believe that Natul
= intended that man should so develc
v his mental powers as to take adval
a tage of all of the forces which she |
= bountifully supplied, and by the use
= fire in the preparation of his foo
"a comply with the laws of Nature Al
= live long and well.
70 CLUB NOTES.
g Watoga.-Dr. David H. Reeder,
of Porte, Ind. Dear Doctor:-We re;
70 with profit your weekly lectures al
q answers to Club Notes In this pap
8, and receive many valuable hints (
is health. The trouble is that it is We
N hard for some people to give up the
Of old ways. have used good deal