Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-21
FOOD AND HEALTH
By wINIFRED STUART GIBBS.
Food Specialist.

How often do we stop to remember
that foods should be interesting to
the body as well as to the mind? The
various organs of the digestive system
may not in a literal sense be endowed
with reasoning powers, but the fac.
remains that the stomach Is no more
Interested in dry foods than Is the
mind in dry" facts
Succulent foods, for example, are
usually on the list prescribed for those
who have been eating a onesided diet
and succulent arc simply juicy foods
or foods containing plenty of mois
ture- The very words "Succulent
chops and steak" carry d psychologist
cal appeal, just as the thought of
chop or steak that has been dried
up" In cooking is repellent Succu
Greenstuff, radishes. a celery and GU
cumbers that crackie between the
teeth, melons dripping with golden
juices, lettuce equally acceptable as
salad in Summer or Winter, and
spinach and cabbage, 70 mention but
Il few.
Now this matter of moisture ir
foods is important and capable of con
siderable discussion. A few genera
water" by no means exhaust tho sub.
ject. Let US by all means be con
Sclentious and take at least four
glasses of water daily beside that con
tanned in our food, but let us nIsc
give FEW moments to the considera
ton of the water actually present in
our common foods, as we'll as to the
uSo OF water as q. medium for cook
ing.
Even very dry appearing footstuffs
contain certain amount of water anC
the Skillful cook will strive to make
as careful adjustment of the proper
ton of moisture present in the finished
product as does nature in the case
of raw foodStuffs.
To return TO the Interesting
characteristics of foods The diction.
airy says that the world "succulent'
means literally, full OF juice" and
then proceeds to give the secondary
or fgurative use of the term, add.
ing, Full of mental nourishment, not
dry nor jejune."
SO it is quite reasonable to draw
an interesting parallel, remembering
that succulent or juicy foods are
body regulating properties of their
moisture, but also because of the fact
that the presence of this fluid In
creaseS the value Of all parts OF the
food
The system that is craving moisture,
whether or not there is an actua
sentation Of thirst, will be far from
satisfied II given only suCcuient foods
that have been dried in the cooking
or foods that are In and of them
selves low in moisture content. Not
only does the presence of a reason
able amount Of moisture add litera lly
10 the food value. but II also helps
by means Of the added palatableness
and central attractiveness.
When cooking foods in water use
soft water. if possible. When hard
water is used there will be a deposit
Of lime on the sides of the utensil. a
sure sign that the food Will be less
satisfactorily cooked.
AS is generally known. the tempera
ture at which water boils Is 212 de
grees F., and any increase of tenn.
perature beyond this point is used &c
convert the excess of moisture into
steam. Any one who is directly con
cerned with the preparation of food
will do well to study the possibilities
OF conserving the valuable salts in
vegetables and some fruits that are
ordinarily lost in cooking. 1t has been
| established that steaming is by far
the most economical method of pre-
pairing such foods. Boiling is apt to
be wasteful, as the mineral matter Is
| frequently lost when the excess OF
| water is thrown away after cooking
Steaming. on the other hand, improves
both flavor and mineral content.