The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1908-01-14

IOOuS through the agitation or new
society which proclaims that most of
the ills of life are due to the foods
which we eat or do not eat The the
ory Of the followers of this new sci
ence is that nature has furnished
somewhere within it's garden of
plants food which will prove a cure
for any OF the diseases known to
man. II we properly mixed and used
these foods according to natures de-
mands there would be no sickness.
There is of course sufficient basis
OF truth in this theory to make it
seem plausible to many The old
fashioned kitchen gardens of our New
England settlers contained many
plants which were raised as much for
their medicinal virtues as for any nu-
tritive value. Medical science has
clearly established that the various
plants and herbs contain elements
which the system needs. 1t is ac-
knowledged that spinach, dandelion
and grapes beneficially affect the kid
neys; that garlic, olives, onions and to-
matoes promote digestion; that cell
cry, pieplant and lemons tend to re-
lieve rheumatic disorders of certain
variety, and that insomnia is often
cured by the liberal use of onions and
lettuce. In addition to these remedial
foods carrots are recommended for
asthmatic troubles, turnips, onions
and salt for scuryy, peanuts for those
suffering from corpulent diabetes,
spinach and onions for gravel, and
elderberries for dropsy.
Medicinal Value of Onion and Lemon.
Whole treatises have been written
on the medicinal values of the onion
and the lemon. The former is said
to be the best nervine known, and
tones up the system of one suffering
from nervous prostration as nothing
else can do. The lemon is not after
ali such bad thing to hand q friend
II may save doctors bill If properly
! used: 1t promotes digestion in many
cases, purifies the blood and acts as
tonic. A lemon makes not only a
| palatable. drink, but when admins
| tered in hot water it proves beneficial
J in low fevers, liver troubles, rheuma-
tism and biliousness. In the tropics
the lemon and grapefruit are eaten
| freely to ward off malarial fevers and
to tone up the system. A lemon will
| often prevent a cold or break up a
new one.
In recent series of experiments
conducted by the Agricultural Depart
| ment to ascertain the dietary value
OF fruits and nuts it was demon
strated that fruits and nuts formed a
complete diet. The fruits were shown
to contain little protein, and nuts had
to be relied on in the fruitarian plan
| to balance the ration. The fruits are
rich in carbohydrates and nuts in
fat Thus a pound of peanuts, which
cost seven cents, furnish one thou
| sand calories of energy at cost of
| three and one-half cents, and pro-
tein at a cost of thirty-six cents a
| pound. For the same result a porter
| house steak, selling in the market at
| twenty-five cents per pound, would
| cost twenty-five and one-half cents
and $3.50. Yet the despised peanut
has not until recently been considered
an important article of diet. AS a
means for exercising the Jaws while
| viewing a circus it has always stood
| high, but not as an acceptable table
food. In the opinion of scientists II
ranks to-day higher than good bread
but not quite as high as dried beans
| These latter rank higher than almost
any other common food we can place
on our table.
Characteristic Dishes of the Nations
The physiological effect of foods on
the human race is a study involving
considerable investigation. The first
choice of foods was supposed to have
been due to our sense of taste. A
new fruit or vegetable appealed tC
the palate, and therefore it was added
J to the diet OF a nation or race. In
| vestigations have shown that another
factor was potent in the original Sc
lection of foods. Many animals pos
( sess a shrewd instinct in choosins
their foods when sick. A cat will
wander a long distance in search o,
catnip, or horse or COW travel many
weary miles after salt. Savages anC
half-civillzed nations have an instinc
or have learned by experience tha
! certain strange foods possess medic
! inal values. The physiological effec
! of these foods has convinced scien
lists that there has been less haphaz
ard selection of foods than many sus
| pect.
Tastes differ widely in respect Il
food National dishes have Away
| distinguished tho leading civiIize,
countries from one another. French
German o. English cooking differ
less i'm the method of preparing tn
/ different dishes than I'm the ingredl
ents employed. The French with thei
! snails, mushrooms and olive oil vii
impart a new flavor 20 a steak o
roast, and the Germans with thei
fondness for garlic and onions vii
| completely transform the flavor
When we come 10 the Oriental ma
! tions we find entirely new dishe
which owe their peculiar taste {
popular local ingredients. Currie an
chutney mixed with rice and the
cooked with chicken transforms on
common barnyard fowl into quite
different article of diet Chutney (
a compound OF fruits. spices. chilIie
and lime Juice, ingredients which al
| possess medicinal value. The Chimes
are not so crude as to- brol or boil
rat without havoring St to coucee
| its identity Tons OF these animal