Foods; nutrition and digestion

WATER. Pure and carbonated; mineral waters contain iron, sulphur, lithium, etc.

Hot drinks should be served at a temperature of from 122 to 140 degrees F. When water is used as a hot drink it should be freshly drawn, brought to a boil and used at once. This sterilizes and develops a better flavor.

Cold water should be thoroughly cooled, but not iced, unless ice water is sipped very slowly and held in the mouth until the chill is off. Water is best cooled by placing the receptacle on ice rather than by putting ice in the water.

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FRUIT JUICES. Under fruit juices are

Grape juice, apple juice,

Currant juice, pineapple juice,

Orangeade and lemonade.

They are especially grateful to fever patients and are often used to stimulate the appetite. They are particularly valuable for the acids which they contain, which stimulate the action of the kidneys and the peristaltic action of the digestive tract; they also increase the alkalinity of the blood.

Apples contain malic acid, lemons citric acid and grapes tartaric acid. The ferment in the ripe pineapple juice aids in the digestion of proteins.[14]

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Lemonade. Wash and wipe a lemon. Cut a slice from the middle into two pieces to be used in the garnish before serving; then squeeze the juice of the rest of the lemon into a bowl, keeping back the seeds. Add sugar and boiling water; cover and put on ice to cool; strain and pour into a glass.

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Fruit Lemonade. To change and vary the flavor, fresh fruit of all kinds may be added to strong lemonade, using boiling water as directed above.

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Egg Lemonade. Beat an egg thoroughly, add 2 tablespoonsful of sugar, 2 tablespoonsful of lemon juice and gradually pour in one cup of cold water. Stir until smooth and well mixed. Serve thoroughly cold. This drink is very easily digested, the lemon having partly digested the egg; 2 tablespoonsful of sherry or port may be added.

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Bran Lemonade. Mix ¼ cup of wheat bran with 2 cups of cold water. Allow this to stand over night and in the morning add the juice of a lemon.

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Pineapple Lemonade. Mix ½ cup of grated pineapple with the juice of 1 lemon and 2 tablespoonsful of sugar; add ½ cup of boiling water, put on ice until cool, then add 1 cup of ice cold water. Strain and serve.

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Grape Lemonade. To one cup of lemonade, made as directed above, rather sweet, add ½ cup of grape juice.

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Orangeade is prepared as lemonade. The juice of one sour orange to 2 tablespoonsful of sugar and ½ cup of boiling water is about the right proportion.

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Mixed Fruit Drink. Mix ¼ cup of grated pineapple, the juice of ½ a lemon, the juice of ½ an orange, 1 cup of boiling water and sugar to taste. Put on the ice until cool. Strain and add more cold water and sugar according to taste.

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Pineapple Juice. Pour ½ cup of pineapple juice over crushed ice and serve in a dainty glass. This is especially helpful in cases of weak digestion and in some throat troubles—as stated above, the pineapple aids protein digestion.

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Lemon Whey. Heat one cup of milk in a small sauce pan, over hot water, or in a double boiler. Add two tablespoonsful of lemon juice; cook without stirring until the whey separates. Strain through cheese cloth and add two teaspoons of sugar. Serve hot or cold. Garnish with small pieces of lemon.

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Wine Whey may be made in the same way, using ¼ cup of sherry wine to 1 cup of hot milk.

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Grape Juice, Apple Juice and Currant Juice are tonics and make a dainty variety for the sick room. They should be used according to their strength, usually about ⅓ of juice to ⅔ water. They should be kept cold and tightly corked until ready to serve.

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Grape Lithia. Add 4 ounces of Lithia water to 1 ounce of grape juice and two teaspoons of sugar.

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Grape Nectar. Boil together 1 pound of sugar and ½ pint of water until it begins to thread. Remove from the fire and when cool add the juice of 6 lemons and one quart of grape juice. Let stand over night. Serve with ice water, Apollinaris, or plain soda water.

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Tea Punch. Pour boiling lemonade, sweetened to taste, over tea leaves. Allow the liquid to stand until cool. Then strain and serve with shaved ice and slices of lemon. This makes a delicious cooling drink for hot weather.

MILK. Milk is a complete food and a perfect food for infants, but not a perfect food for adults. It may be used as

Whole or skimmed;

Peptonized; boiled;

Sterilized, pasteurized;

Milk with lime water, Vichy or Apollinaris;

With equal parts of farinaceous liquids;

Albuminized milk with white of egg;

Milk with egg yolk, flavored with vanilla, cinnamon or nutmeg;

Milk flavored with coffee, cocoa, or meat broth;

Milk punch; milk lemonade;

Koumiss; kefir or whey, with lemon juice, as above.

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EGG PREPARATIONS. These consist of

Albumin water (diluted white of egg), flavored with fruit juice;

Egg lemonade; egg orangeade;

Egg with meat broth;

Egg with coffee and milk;

Chocolate eggnog.

Often the white of egg, dissolved in water or milk, is given when the yolk cannot be digested, because of the amount of fat which the yolk contains.

Where one is inclined to billiousness, the egg is better digested if beaten in wine.

The albuminous or egg drinks are best prepared cold.

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Eggnog. To make eggnog, separate the white and the yolk, beat the yolk with ¾ of a tablespoonful of sugar and a speck of salt until creamy. Add ¾ of a cup of milk and 1 tablespoonful of brandy. Beat the white until foamy, add to the above mixture and serve immediately. A little nutmeg may be substituted for the brandy. The eggs and milk should be chilled before using. Eggnog is very nutritious.

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Egg Broth. Beat the yolk of 1 egg, add 1 tablespoonful of sugar and a speck of salt. Add 1 cup of hot milk and pour it on gradually. Flavor with nutmeg.

Dried and rolled bread crumbs may be added, or beef, mutton or chicken broth may be used in place of the milk, and the sugar may be omitted. The whole egg may be used if desired.

This is very delicious made with beef broth, instead of hot milk. Pineapple juice or coffee may be used.

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Coffee Eggnog. 1 egg, 1¼ teaspoons of sugar, ½ scant cup of milk or cream, ½ scant cup of coffee.

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Egg Malted Milk. Mix 1 tablespoonful of Horlick’s Malted Milk with 1 tablespoonful of crushed fruit and 1 egg; beat for five minutes. Strain and add 20 drops of acid phosphate, 1 tablespoonful of crushed ice and ¾ cup of ice water. A grating of nutmeg may be used for flavor.

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Grape Yolk. Separate the white and the yolk of an egg, beat the yolk, add the sugar and let the yolk and sugar stand while the white of the egg is thoroughly whipped. Add two tablespoonsful of grape juice to the yolk and pour this on to the beaten white, blending carefully. Have all ingredients chilled before blending and serve cold.

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Albuminized Milk. Beat ½ cup of milk and the white of one egg with a few grains of salt. Put into a fruit jar, shake thoroughly until blended. Strain into a glass and serve cold.

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Albumin Water. Albumin water is used chiefly for infants in cases of acute stomach and intestinal disorders, in which some nutritious and easily assimilated food is needed. The white of 1 egg is dissolved in a pint of water, which has been boiled and cooled.

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Albuminized Grape Juice. Put two tablespoonsful of grape juice into a dainty glass with pure chopped ice. Beat the white of one egg, turn into the glass, sprinkle a little sugar over the top and serve.

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FARINACEOUS BEVERAGES. These are all made by slowly adding cereals, such as barley, rice, oatmeal, etc., to a large quantity of boiling water and cooking from two to three hours and then straining off the liquid and seasoning to taste. They are particularly valuable when only a small amount of nutriment can be assimilated. Since the chief ingredient is starch, long cooking is necessary to make soluble the starch globules and to change the starch into dextrin, so that it can be more readily digested. Since these drinks are given only in case of weak digestion, it is important that they be taken slowly and held in the mouth until they are thoroughly mixed with the saliva.

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Barley Water. (Infant feeding). Mix 1 teaspoonful of barley flour with two tablespoonsful of cold water, until it is a smooth paste. Put in the top of a double boiler and add gradually one pint of boiling water. Boil over direct heat five minutes, stirring constantly; then put into a double boiler, over boiling water, and cook fifteen minutes longer. This is used as a diluent with normal infants and to check diarrhoea.

For children or adults use ½ teaspoonful of barley or rice flour, 1 cup of boiling water and ¼ teaspoonful of salt. Cream or milk and salt may be added for adults, or, lemon juice and sugar, according to the condition.

Barley water is an astringent and used to check the bowels when they are too laxative.

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Rice Water. Wash two tablespoonsful of rice, add 3 cups of cold water and soak thirty minutes. Then heat gradually and cook one hour until the rice is tender. Strain through muslin, re-heat and dilute with boiling water or hot milk to the consistency desired. Season with salt; sugar may be added if desired and cinnamon, if allowed, may be cooked with it to assist in reducing a laxative condition. 1 teaspoonful of stoned raisins may be added to the rice, before boiling, if there is no bowel trouble.

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Oatmeal Water. Mix 1 tablespoonful of oatmeal with 1 tablespoonful of cold water. Add a speck of salt and stir into it a quart of boiling water. Boil for three hours, replenishing the water as it boils away. Strain through a fine sieve or cheese cloth, season and serve cold. Sufficient water should be added to keep the drink almost as thin as water.

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Toast Water. Toast thin slices of stale bread in the oven; break up into crumbs; add 1 cup of boiling water and let it stand for an hour. Rub through a fine strainer, season with a little salt. Milk, or cream and sugar may be added if desirable. This is valuable in cases of fever or extreme nausea.

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Crust Coffee. Dry crusts of brown bread in the oven until they are hard and crisp. Pound or roll them and pour boiling water over. Let soak for fifteen minutes, then strain carefully through a fine sieve.

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Meat Juice. Meat juice may be prepared in three ways:

(1) Broil quickly, or even scorch, a small piece of beef. Squeeze out the juice with a lemon squeezer, previously dipped in boiling water. Catch the juice in a hot cup. Season and serve. If desirable to heat it further, do so by placing the cup in hot water.

(2) Broil quickly and put the small piece into a glass jar. Set the covered jar in a pan of cold water. Heat gradually for an hour, never allowing the water to come to a boil. Strain and press out the clear, red juice, season and serve. One pound of beef yields eight tablespoonsful of juice.

(3) Grind raw beef in a meat grinder; place in a jar with a light cover and add one gill of cold water to a pound of beef. Stand it on ice over night, strain and squeeze through a bag. Season and serve.

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Meat Tea. Meat tea is made in the proportion of a pound of meat to a pint of water. Grind the meat in the meat grinder, place in a jar and cover with cold water. Set the jar in an open kettle of water and cook for two hours or more, not allowing the water to boil. Strain, squeeze through a bag, skim off the fat and season.

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Meat Broth. Meat broth is made from meat and bone, with and without vegetables. The proportion is a quart of water to a pound of meat. Cut the meat into small pieces, add the cold water and simmer until the quantity is reduced one-half. Strain, skim and season with salt. Chicken, veal, mutton and beef may be used in this way. They may be seasoned with onions, celery, bay-leaves, cloves, carrots, parsnips, rice, barley, tapioca; stale bread crumbs may be added.

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Soups. Clear soups are made by cooking raw meat or vegetables, or both together, slowly, for a long time, straining and using the liquid. The flavor may be changed by browning the meat or vegetables in butter before adding the water.

Cream Soups are made in the proportion of one quart of vegetables, (such as corn, peas, beans, tomatoes, celery or asparagus) to one pint of water and a pint of milk. Cook the vegetables thoroughly in water and mash through a colander. To this water and pulp add a cream sauce made in the proportion of 4 tablespoonsful of flour, 4 tablespoonsful of butter and a pint of milk for vegetables poor in starch or protein. Add 2 tablespoonsful of flour, 2 tablespoonsful of butter and a pint of milk for those rich in protein. Season to taste.

Tomato acid should be counteracted by the addition of one-eighth tablespoonful of soda before the milk is added.

Potato soup may be flavored with onion or celery, or both.

Jellies.

Custards.

Gruels. (Farinaceous)

Toasts.

Creams.

Oils.

Cereals.

Breads.

Egg Preparations.

Meats.

Vegetables.

Fruits.

(1) Cook soup meat (containing gristle and bone) slowly for a long time in just enough water to cover. Strain and set the liquid away in a mold to cool and set. If desired, bits of shredded meat may be added to the liquid before molding.

(2) Use meat broth and gelatin in the proportion of one tablespoon gelatin to three quarters of a cup of hot broth. Pour into mold and set on ice.

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Starch Jellies.—Starch Jellies are made by cooking in a pint of fruit juice or water until clear, two tablespoons of tapioca, arrowroot, sago, cornstarch, or flour. Sweeten to taste.

If water is used, fresh fruit may be used either in the jelly or in a sauce poured over the jelly.

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Fruit Jellies.—These are made:

(1) Of fruit juice and sugar in equal quantities, cooked until it will set when cooled;

(2) Of fruit juice and gelatin in the proportion of one tablespoon of gelatin to three fourths of a cup of fruit juice, or one half box gelatin to one and a half pints of juice. Sugar to taste. Made tea or coffee, or cocoa or lemonade may be used in the same proportion.

Plain Junket.—Dissolve in a cup of lukewarm milk (never warmer), a tablespoon of sugar or caramel syrup. Add a quarter of a junket tablet, previously dissolved in a tablespoon of cold water. Stir a few times, add vanilla, nuts, or nutmeg if desired. Pour into a cup and set aside to cool and solidify. This may be served plain or with whipped cream, or boiled custard.

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Egg-Milk Custard.—When eggs are used for thickening, not less than four eggs should be used to a quart of milk (more eggs make it richer).

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Boiled Custard.—One pint of milk, two eggs, half cup of sugar, half saltspoon of salt. Scald the milk, add the salt and sugar, and stir until dissolved. Beat the eggs very thick and smooth. Pour the boiling milk on the eggs slowly, stirring all the time. Pour the mixture into a double boiler, set over the fire and stir for ten minutes. Add flavoring. As soon as a thickening of the mixture is noticed remove from the fire, pour into a dish and set away to cool. This custard makes cup custard, the sauce for such puddings as snow pudding, and when decorated with spoonfuls of beaten egg-white, makes floating island.

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Baked Custard.—Proceed as in boiled custard, but instead of pouring into a double boiler pour into a baking dish. Set the dish in a pan of water, place in the oven and bake until the mixture is set in the middle.

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Farinaceous Custards.—Make like boiled custard, using one less egg and adding one quarter cup of farina, tapioca, cornstarch, arrowroot, or cooked rice to the hot milk and egg.

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Sago should be soaked over night before using.

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Tapioca should be soaked one hour before using.

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Coffee Custard.—Scald one tablespoon of ground coffee in milk and strain before proceeding as for boiled custard.

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Chocolate Custard.—Add one square of grated chocolate to the milk.

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Caramel Custard.—Melt the dry sugar until golden brown, add the hot milk, and when dissolved proceed as before. Bake.

Take the meal or flour (oatmeal, two tablespoons, or cornmeal, one tablespoon, or arrowroot, one and a half tablespoons). Sift it slowly into one and a half cups boiling water, simmer for an hour or two. Strain off the liquid; add to it one teaspoon of sugar, season with salt, and add one cup of warm milk.

Water Gruel.—If water gruel is desired, let the last cup of liquid added be water instead of milk.

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Cream Gruel.—A cream gruel may be made by using rich cream instead of milk or water.

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Barley Gruel.—Barley gruel (usually a water gruel) is prepared as follows: Moisten four tablespoons of barley flour in a little cold water and add it slowly to the boiling water. Stir and boil for twenty minutes.

TOASTS.—Cream Toast.—Toast the bread slowly until brown on both sides. Butter and pour over each slice enough warm cream to moisten (the cream may be thickened slightly and the butter may be omitted.)

Milk Toast.—One tablespoon of cornstarch or flour; one cup of milk, salt to taste, and boil. Butter the toast and pour over it the above white sauce.

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Water Toast.—Pour over plain or buttered toast enough boiling water to thoroughly moisten it.

Plain Souffle.—Two tablespoons flour; one cup of liquid (water, milk, or fruit juice); three or four eggs; sugar to suit the fruit. If thick fruit pulp is used, omit the thickening. Beat the egg yolks until thick. Add sugar gradually and continue beating. Add the fruit (if lemon juice add some rind also). Fold in the well-beaten whites. Bake in a buttered dish (set in a pan of hot water) for thirty-five or forty minutes in a slow oven.

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Fresh Fruit Souffle.—Reduce the fruit to a pulp. Strawberries, peaches, prunes, apples, bananas, etc., may be used. Sweeten the pulp. Beat the egg-white to a stiff froth, add the fruit pulp slowly. Chill and serve with whipped cream or soft custard.

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Chocolate Souffle.—Two tablespoons flour; two tablespoons butter; three quarters cup of milk; one third cup of sugar: two tablespoons hot water. Melt the butter, add the flour and stir well. Pour the milk in gradually and cook until well boiled. Add the melted chocolate, to which the sugar and hot water have been added. Beat in the yolks and fold in the whites of the eggs. Bake twenty-five minutes.

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Farina Souffle.—Cook the farina (four tablespoons) in a pint of boiling water. Stir this with the egg-yolks, add sugar or salt, and later fold in the egg-whites, flavor, and set away to cool.