Preparing And Serving Foods For Best Nourishment, Part II
Lesson 27 - Preparing And Serving Foods For Best Nourishment, Part II
Cooked Foods
Cooking Impairs or Destroys Nutritional Value
In Section One of this subject, it was emphasized that shredding, grinding, blending, juicing and over-washing of foodstuffs impair their nutritional value. Cooking, of course, is the most destructive process of all.
When food is heated, all of the enzymes are destroyed. Very little, if any, Vitamin C can survive the process of cooking. Other vitamins and minerals are also impaired.
Amino acids (the building blocks of protein) are radically changed. The protein in raw nuts and seeds, and uncooked fruits and vegetables, are readily available to the body and are therefore said to be of high biological value. As the various stages of digestion occur, the long chains of amino acids are split for use by the body in synthesizing its own protein.
But when proteins have been cooked, or otherwise processed, they coagulate into enzyme-resistant linkages, so that cleavage by the body is inhibited and liberation of the amino acids for body use may not occur. This can result in putrefaction—decomposition of protein matter by micro-organisms, producing malodorous and toxic substances, evidenced by foul-smelling bowel movements.
The subject of the contraindications to the use of cooked food will be treated in greater depth in a future lesson.
Deviations from the Ideal Hygienic Diet
At no time should we compromise the three major tenets of the Hygienic food program:
- Whole foods are superior to fragmented and refined foods.
- Raw foods are superior to cooked foods.
- Plant foods are superior to animal foods. Admittedly, because of various anatomical, physical (or emotional) weaknesses and defects, not everyone can adhere to the philosophical dietary ideal with complete success. (See “Hygienic Considerations In The Selection of Foods” by Dr. Ralph C. Cinque, in the Supplementary Text Material section of this lesson.)
However, it is of major importance that the student first understand what constitutes an ideal diet—before he can be competent to make decisions about deviations from this ideal—either for himself or for others.
Realizing that many people may not be ready, or willing, to immediately embark on an all-raw food program, Lesson 27 includes recipes for more or less conservatively cooked foods.
Less harmful substitutes for conventional recipes are provided, to enable people who insist on using cooked foods to do it with the least possible destruction of nutritional value compatible with the desired result.
Preparation Of Cooked Foods
Cooking at High Temperatures
The general rule is: the higher the temperature, the greater the destruction of nutrients. However, cooking a long time at low heat causes more damage to food than quickcooking by bringing water to the boiling point, then reducing the heat and steaming for ten minutes or so.
Pressure cooking, involving the highest temperatures, is the most destructive of nutrients, and should never be used.
Microwave Cooking
Microwave cooking is a threat to humans because of leakage of the microwaves. People with pacemakers are warned to stay away from these appliances when they are in operation. This warning is necessary because of the danger of leakage.
Besides, it is not really known whether the microwave produces destructive changes in the food. And what’s the rush? Most vegetables steam to a tasty, crisp-cooked state in ten minutes or less. Don’t use microwave ovens.
A person who worked in a restaurant kitchen several years ago told me that someone came in one day to monitor the microwave ovens with a device that detected leakage and found one of them to be “leaking like a sieve” (as he put it). Of course no one knew how long it had been leaking like this, exposing the kitchen workers!
Charcoal Broiling
A 1978 report from Dr. Arthur Upton, director of the National Cancer Institute, confirmed warnings against charcoal broiling. He cautioned that this may be a source of cancer-producing substances; charring of the surface of the food produces a tar fraction like the tar in cigarette smoke, and another dangerous substance is formed by breakdown of amino acids.
Dr. David Kriebel, research associate at Washington University in St. Louis, also warned against charcoal broiling in 1978. He said that heat applied from underneath and fat dripping into the coals result in the formation of a known carcinogen—benzopyrine—which rises onto the surface of the meat.
Stir-Frying
The advantage of stir-frying in a heavy skillet or wok is that the food is cooked only three to five minutes until crisp and tender. Usually this method works best for vegetables.
The disadvantage is that the oil is heated, and, while the oil is not maintained at the high temperatures used for French frying, it is still highly inadvisable to use heated fats. I have sometimes successfully stir-fried some vegetables using water only, but it is
tricky.
Steaming vs. Baking
Steaming vegetables in as little water as possible only until tender-crisp (about five to ten minutes) preserves nutrients better than baking. Root vegetables can be steamed until the starch is dextrinized and the flesh is palatable, and will require longer cooking time (about 20 to 30 minutes).
Baked root vegetables require higher temperatures and longer cooking times, resulting in greater destruction of nutrients.
Cooking Fruit
There is almost no excuse or reason for cooking fruit. I almost omitted the word “almost”. There may be some exceptions—I can think of one. Plantains (similar to bananas) are fruits, and do require cooking, if you use them. They are ripe when very dark, and may be steamed or baked until the starch is dextrinized.
As for baked apples and cooked applesauce, it is a shame to cook good, organically grown apples. Commercial apples, however, are not much good raw or cooked. But it is possible that some extremely debilitated people may temporarily be unable to tolerate the raw fruit and therefore resort to cooked fruit.
Some people think they must cook dried fruit—not so! Buy untreated dried fruit and soak overnight or longer—it will be tender and palatable.
Dates, moist figs, dried bananas and dried apples require no soaking—they are much better and tastier without soaking. Dried raisins, prunes or cherries may be used either way. Dried apricots, peaches, pears and hard, dry figs should be soaked.
Saturating fruits with sugar and baking them into pies is a sacrilege.
Nuts
Nuts should be eaten without any roasting, frying or other cooking. Cashews (not really nuts, and not really raw) may sometimes be used as a topping for casseroles. (See Eggplant Casserole recipe.)
Chestnuts (starchy protein) may be eaten raw, if not bitter, but are delicious roasted. If you prefer them that way, prepare them as follows: wash and discard those that float. With a sharp knife, make a slash along the flat side in each chestnut. Put in boiling water, boil five or six minutes. Bake in a covered dish for about 20 minutes at 375 to 400 degrees (or until skins are slightly browned). Both skins (the outside shell and the inside skin) can then be removed together, either by hand pressure, or by using a knife, usual-
ly leaving the nut whole and unbroken. Chestnuts may also be cooked or steamed until tender—this takes less time than roasting (baking)— perhaps about ten minutes.
Eat as Much Raw Food as Possible
Cooking at any temperature destroys all the enzymes—they are inactivated by a temperature only a few degrees above body temperature.
Dr. Paul Kouchakoff, a Swiss researcher, found that a largely raw food diet offsets the adverse effects of cooked food, so as not to cause leukocytosis (an excessive number of white corpuscles in the blood). Most people can tolerate a diet of 80% raw food with 2OKo cooked food, as a transition diet (with the goal of eventually progressing to an all-raw food diet, or, at least, to less, and less cooked food). The critical temperatures at which most cooked foods become subject to production of this “pathological” reaction (leukocytosis) is 191 to 206 degrees.
“Cooking” at Low Temperatures
There is a way to “cook” food and dextrinize starch without heating the food to these critical temperatures. Many years ago, before I knew about Natural Hygiene and the “no-breakfast plan” (or fruit only for breakfast), I used to prepare my breakfast the night before by putting wheat or rye berries, or wild rice kernels, in a wide-mouthed thermos, pouring boiling water over it, and quickly capping the thermos.
It is my understanding that this method produces a temperature of perhaps 150 degrees in the food, although it was always soft and fluffy and ready to eat the next morning. This method of preparation also neutralizes the phytic acid in the wheat and rye. (Phytic acid is antagonistic to calcium and other minerals, as pointed out previously.)
An article in The Health Crusader revived my memory of this practice. The article stated that this method could be used for brown rice by soaking it overnight, draining in the morning, then putting it in a wide-mouthed thermos, pouring boiling water (distilled), over it, and quickly capping the thermos. The rice will be soft and fluffy in time for the evening meal. Potatoes or yams or other vegetables can also be “cooked” in this same manner. Experimentation will determine the length of time necessary to tenderize the various vegetables.
Steaming
The next best way to cook food is steaming. Most vegetables may be steamed unprepared, whole and uncut. Very large carrots may be cut in two or more pieces, rutabaga may be cut into medium-sized pieces.
I previously used a steam marvel (a stainless steel perforated platform inside the pot), but discontinued the practice for the same reason that I discontinued the use of all metal cookware. I use Corning ware for some purposes, but I prefer my tight-lidded, porcelain-enameled “Show pans”.
The stainless steel steam marvel darkened the steaming water, so it was obvious that there was some leaching of tiny metal fractions.
Steam vegetables in a very small amount of water a very short time. This requires care and watchfulness, but the vegetables are not drenched with contaminated steam.
Dr. Vetrano agrees on this point. She says she does not use the steam marvel, or any rack, for several reasons. It tempts you to add more water than necessary, the water becomes steam, condenses on the lid and flows down over the vegetables anyway. Without the rack and all that water, the cooking juice tastes better and the vegetables taste better.
She suggests the use of three layers of the discarded outer leaves of lettuce to protect the vegetables from burning, in which case very little water will be necessary.
Steam just long enough to slightly tenderize without losing shape or color. (See Dr. Vetrano’s article in this lesson.)
Other Cooking Methods
Other types of cooking, at higher temperatures, and for longer periods of time, are progressively more destructive and less advisable. However, some recipes will be included in this lesson for casseroles and other combinations that require such less advisable cooking methods, and are intended to serve only as replacements for even worse cooking practices, since many people will not be weaned away from conventional meals immediately, and require recipes other than those for simply prepared, lightly steamed vegetables.
In all cases, the least destructive method of preparation will be recommended, consistent with the preparation of tasty vegetarian meals which will be acceptable for transition meals, reluctant families, children, or entertaining.
Cooking Vessels
Many years ago I discarded my aluminum “waterless cooking” pans, having been convinced that the leaching of aluminum fractions into the food was harmful. About eight years ago, I stopped using my stainless steel cook ware, having seen evidence that even stainless steel cookware leached metal fractions (as previously described in the use of a stainless steel steam marvel, and also confirmed by other reports).
I used Corning ware for a long time, finding it less than satisfactory, because the lids are riot tight enough. Now I am using “Show pans,” a good quality of heavily enameled ware, with tight covers. These utensils spread heat quickly and evenly and hold the heat. Very little water is required, and a vapor seal forms between the edges of the pot and the cover. The oxidation is thus minimal and the vegetables are tenderized in a short time. Flavor is retained, and loss of vitamins and minerals is minimal.
It is my understanding that no leaching occurs in the use of glass, Corning ware, or enameled cookware. If enameled cookware is chipped, it should be discarded. Good quality enameled cookware is highly chip-resistant.
General Information About Cooking
Leafy vegetables (or any vegetables) should never be cooked so long that they change color. Cook as short a time as possible, and serve immediately.
The practice of adding bicarbonate of soda to vegetables to preserve their green color destroys their food value and taste, impairs their digestibility, and is certainly not necessary.
Butter, cream or oil should never be added to vegetables while cooking—fats should never be cooked. If you must use them, add when serving. A small amount of butter is preferable, to oil. Better yet—try using a piece of avocado instead—it is tastier, and far superior nutritionally. Eggplant is an excellent and tasty vegetable, but requires extra care in preparation (see recipes). If very young and sweet, eggplant may be used raw. Use slices as a sandwich for tomatoes; sprouts, lettuce, or any other raw food.
If soups are used occasionally, they should be thick, not watery.
Potatoes, yams, salsify, rutabaga, kohlrabi, beets, carrots and parsnips may be steamed or baked. Steam whenever possible. Steaming is faster and preferable nutritionally, Steamed potatoes and other root vegetables retain more nutrients—because of lower heat and shorter cooking time. Scrub clean and steam in skins. The red color of steamed beets seeps into the steaming water unless cooked whole, with skin intact.
Baking sometimes produces a tastier product—my husband and I love baked potatoes and sometimes indulge ourselves. Baked carrots, parsnips and beets are also delicious, and may be indulged in occasionally.
Carrots, parsnips and beets sometimes spatter the oven, so a covered dish should be used. This also shortens the baking time. Select beets about two inches in diameter, or cut in half. These three vegetables will all bake in about thirty minutes or less, and are a delicious combination when used together. They have a special sweetness when baked.
For greater nutritional value, steam these vegetables, or eat carrots and beets raw (or grated, which some people find necessary, into salads. Any grating should be done immediately before eating). Young garden parsnips may also be eaten raw. If you like these vegetables baked, use occasionally as a special treat.
Potatoes may be, baked in an open pan. Pierce white potatoes with a fork before baking. Bake without foil or any coating. Scrub well, and bake in open pan in 400 degree oven. Small potatoes take about 45 minutes, large ones one hour or longer. Baking time may be reduced by cutting potatoes in half.
Another “trick” for reducing baking time of white potatoes is to plunge them into very hot water for two or three minutes before baking. Bring water to boiling point and remove from heat before inserting potatoes. I would suggest reserving this method for use in emergencies only, when time is limited. If you need the potatoes sooner than they can be baked, it would be better to steam them instead.
Always preheat the oven to the desired temperature before inserting the vegetables which are to be baked.
New potatoes (little, round, red or small white potatoes) are high in sugar and low in starch and cook very quickly. They steam in about 10 minutes, and bake in 15 or 20 minutes, depending on size. If you eat raw white potatoes, new potatoes are preferable. However, white potatoes shouldn’t be eaten raw.
Fresh green lima beans (or other fresh, podded beans or peas): Buy in the pod, shell them, and steam until tender. Fresh green peas are delicious raw.
Yams, Sweet Potatoes, Butternut or Acorn or Hubbard Squash: These may be steamed or baked. Squash may be halved, quartered, or cut up for steaming. For baking, bake sweet potatoes or yams whole. Cut squash in half (or, in the case of very large squash, cut up in serving size pieces); remove seeds if you wish. Bake squash cut side up to conserve juices. Bake squash in covered pan as it may spatter the oven. Whole sweet potatoes or yams in an open pan will not spatter the oven if you don’t leave them in too long. Sweet potatoes, yams and winter squash take about thirty minutes to bake, depending on size.
Globe Artichokes: These may be baked in the oven in a covered casserole—no added water is necessary. Just wash and put in casserole wet. Bake at 375 to 400 degrees until just barely tender. Length of time depends on size—45 minutes average. Or steam in as little water as possible; it will take more water than most other vegetables, and will take 15 or 20 minutes, depending on size. The usual way of cooking artichokes, covering with boiling water, is faster, but much more wasteful of nutrients.
To eat artichokes, pull off the leaves, one at a time, and scrape off the tender edible flesh at the base with your teeth. The larger outer leaves are not as tender as the inner leaves. When you reach the “heart,” scrape out the fuzz called the “choke” and eat the remaining heart, which is the most delicious part.
Tasty steamed vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, yellow crookneck or zucchini squash, Brussels sprouts, etc.—add parsley, diced celery and celery leaves and/ or sweet bell pepper to any vegetable, if desired. Steam in a small amount of water until just barely tender—still crisp, and color unchanged. Do not overcook. This is worth repeating and re-emphasizing. If not overcooked, no seasoning should be necessary (even if no parsley, celery or sweet pepper have been added).
Overcooked Brussels sprouts are actually repulsive. Overcooked cauliflower is almost as bad. Don’t cook cabbage at all. Cooked cabbage takes a long time to digest, and I can’t think of any reason to cook it. Cooking certainly doesn’t improve the taste (nor the digestibility or nutritional value). If overcooked, it is quite unpalatable. If steamed slightly and still crisp and green, it is barely acceptable.
When vegetables of the cabbage family (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage) are overcooked, they are not only unpleasant to the taste (and smell), they also cause digestive distress.
Corn on the cob: Green corn freshly picked is delicious eaten raw, if not too mature. Several hours after picking, it is no longer a green vegetable. The sugar has turned to starch, which should be dextrinized by heating. If reasonably young and fresh, it is dextrinized and tender in only a few minutes (two to five minutes). If more mature, it may be necessary to steam as long as ten minutes. Usually, steaming longer than ten minutes actually makes mature corn tougher.
Asparagus: Raw asparagus tips are delicious. Snap off the white ends with your hands; they break easily near the edible part. To cook, place in pan at an angle so the tips are not in the water. The tough, discarded ends can be used to prop up the tips. Steam two or three minutes, till barely tender.
Greens: Kale, turnip, dandelion, collard, and broccoli leaves. For greatest nutritional value, eat young tender greens raw. Larger, more mature greens may be steamed in a very small amount of water until just tender. Add diced turnips to turnip greens. Very small turnips are usually mild and sweet enough to be eaten raw. Diced celery and/or sweet pepper may be added when steaming greens. No seasoning is necessary.
Do not use cooked mustard or spinach greens. Mustard greens have a characteristically sharp taste, since they contain mustard oil, an irritant. Spinach, beet greens and Swiss chard are too high in oxalic acid, a calcium antagonist. Small, immature spinach leaves (or mustard or beet greens) may be used raw occasionally in salads. Swiss chard, which is extremely high in oxalic acid, should never be used.
Kale is an excellent green, especially when young and immature, and eaten raw. Broccoli leaves are also greens of high nutritional value. Eat as many as possible raw. Very large broccoli leaves may be steamed.
Jerusalem artichokes, chayotes, kohlrabi: Eat them raw! They have a pleasant taste when steamed slightly, but have a much better taste when uncooked.
Use cooked celery only to season other cooked vegetables—otherwise eat it raw. Strong celery tops may be slightly steamed as an individual vegetable.
Tender celery cabbage should be eaten raw—if tough and stringy, steam it slightly.
Okra: Sometimes palatable raw, if immature. Usually cooked with other foods (soups, casseroles, as a thickener). Tomatoes tend to reduce or neutralize the “sliminess”. If you don’t like okra, forget it! Foods which have properties that require “neutralizing” are best avoided anyhow.
Use cooked tomatoes seldom, if ever. Cooking tomatoes accentuates their acidic properties.
Salsify (oyster plant): Steam until just tender.
Don’t ever cook fresh, raw water chestnuts. I can’t think of any possible reason or excuse for cooking this delicious food. It is so excellent and succulent raw, and cooking would really rob it of most of its exceptional qualities. Just compare fresh water chestnuts with canned water chestnuts. The canned variety does, surprisingly, retain its crispness, but the sweet, juicy flavor is gone.
Lettuce is sometimes steamed or “wilted.” Very tough blemished outer leaves might be used as a steamed vegetable, but raw dark green lettuce leaves are of great value and should be a staple of the daily diet.
The purpose of “wilting” lettuce with water, heating or vinegar is somewhat nebulous. It completely destroys its delightful crispness, and the use of vinegar adds a toxic ingredient. The enjoyment of wilted lettuce appears to be either a habit, a perverted taste, or a concession to dental or digestive impairment, though it would seem to cause more problems than it ameliorates.
If lettuce must be broken down for temporary adaptation to dental or digestive problems, a less destructive method would be the use of the blender. Even though oxidation
would occur, at least no vinegar or water would be added, and destructive heat would not be applied.
If chicory, endive or escarole are too tough or unpalatable to be used raw, they may be slightly steamed and used as a cooked green vegetable.
Raw, crisp, juicy cucumbers are an excellent addition to salads—even people with impaired digestions can tolerate them if they avoid over-mature ones with large seeds and tough skins. Cooking would destroy their palatability and most of their value.
Seasonings
All seasonings are unhygienic. Raw foods require no seasoning. Lightly steamed or baked individual vegetables should require no seasoning.
When several foods are cut up and combined into a casserole, stew or soup, we are getting farther away from the simplicity of Hygienic food preparation and the pleasant, natural, individual flavors of foods. It is then that we are confronted with “seasoning” problems.
Many people request recipes for such casseroles, stews or soups, for use during the transitional period to Natural Hygiene, to meet the demands of their families, for variety, and for special occasions. Such recipes are therefore included in this lesson, with the admonition that they be used infrequently, and not as a regular part of the diet.
These dishes may be “seasoned” with parsley, celery tops, sweet bell peppers. Tomatoes may be used, sparingly, as seasoning for dishes which do not contain any starches or starchy proteins. Garlic and onions may be used as seasonings, if desired, if care is taken to precook them for twenty minutes; this eliminates the irritation of the mustard oil they contain. Do not use garlic or onions as seasoning if they cause subsequent distress or aftertaste, which they sometimes do. If you do season with garlic or onions, use very sparingly.
Dr. Esser says that occasional, limited use of garlic as a flavoring in the preparation of a cooked food, or rubbing it over a salad bowl, is harmless and inconsequential.
Vogue Vegebase is available in health food stores. It is mostly dried powdered vegetables, and, if you must use a prepared seasoning, Vegebase is preferable to the use of salt, pepper, or other preparations. The sooner you can get away from the use of all such preparations (including Vegebase), the greater will be your progress toward the ideal. All seasonings, even the mildest, are irritants to some extent.
It is also important to remember that most of the senses have a role in digestion. Seeing, smelling, touching and tasting the food all help in sending the proper signals for the secretion of the digestive juices, and their adaptation to the character of the food. Complicated mixtures of foods interfere with this process and make it less efficient as well as digestive problems.
When we compound the problem by adding seasonings (perhaps required for “fancy” recipes or because of jaded appetites), the true taste of individual foods is further disguised. It thus becomes extremely difficult for the digestive system to supply secretions that can adequately cope with these meals, and digestion becomes inhibited and impaired.
If Vegebase (or any seasoning) is used, it should be added just before serving. Cooking with seasoning tends to toughen the food.
Miscellaneous Recipes
Note: None of these recipes are recommended for regular use. The farther away we get from eating plants as they grow, the greater the destruction of nutritional values These recipes are provided as less harmful substitutes for conventional recipes.
Eggplant
Cookbooks often suggest soaking eggplant or dredging it with salt to draw out the “bitter juices”. Do not soak or salt eggplant. If the eggplant is fresh and not over-mature, it will not be bitter. Select small to medium firm eggplants with shiny skin and deep color. Most eggplant is not tasty when eaten raw. As previously indicated, very young sweet eggplant may be sliced and eaten raw as a sandwich with fillings of sprouts or other raw vegetables. There are many excellent cooked dishes that can be prepared with eggplant, and it is a favorite of many vegetarians who use cooked food.
Eggplant Steaks
Slice in half-inch slices, spread out on cookie sheet. Run distilled water on slices so they are quite wet on both sides. Sprinkle Vegebase sparingly on both sides. Broil lightly on both sides. Turn off broiler and let slices remain in hot oven about ten minutes longer to become slightly more tender. Can be eaten plain as a nonstarchy vegetable, or just dotted with butter before serving.
Or, if desired, put a thick slice of raw tomato (or raw sweet red bell pepper) on each steak and a slice of Swiss unprocessed mild cheddar cheese. Leave in warm oven until cheese is just barely melting, or lightly brown under broiler.
Variation: Summer squash (cut in half lengthwise) or turnips (thick slices) may be prepared the same as eggplant steaks.
Easy Eggplant Casserole
2 medium diced eggplants (unpeeled) (dice in rather large pieces) 2 medium tomatoes, peeled and cut up
4 strips celery, sliced
1/2 sweet pepper (red or green) diced
Vegebase (to taste) (start with one-half tablespoon)
Place all in casserole, add about one inch of water. Steam (covered) on top of stove about three minutes. Add eight ounces of ground cashew nuts (on top). Bake uncovered in 373 degree oven about 20 minutes or until cashews are slightly browned. If eggplant is softer than you like it, try (1) steaming a shorter time than three minutes or (2) browning cashew nut topping under broiler (instead of baking). Serves three or four.
Crumbly Eggplant Casserole
Broil eggplant slices slightly (barely lightly browned). Prepare desired amount of Spanish sauce (see recipe), Grind desired amount of cashew nuts. Put Spanish sauce ground cashews and broiled eggplant slices alternately in casserole (in layers), ending up with Spanish sauce and light sprinkling of ground cashews over the top. Lightly brown under broiler. Should be crumbly, with little or no liquid.
Suggested quantities to serve three or four:
1 large or 2 medium eggplant or 3 or 4 small eggplants (small or medium eggplant are best, large ones may be bitter)
1 recipe Spanish sauce
10 to 12 ounces ground cashews (by weight)
Stuffed Eggplant
Cut raw eggplant in half lengthwise. Scoop out flesh in as large pieces as possible, leaving about one-quarter inch of flesh on the shells. Moisten the pieces and the half shells with distilled water and arrange on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle sparingly with Vegebase. Slightly brown under broiler.
Cut pieces of eggplant into smaller pieces (about one inch). Combine with Spanish sauce (see recipe—one recipe of Spanish sauce for approximately two medium eggplants). Mixture should be moist but not wet.
Put several tablespoons of this mixture into each half-shell. Cover with ground cashews. Alternate two more layers of mixture and ground cashews, with cashews on top. Brown slightly under broiler, End leave in hot oven five minutes longer to tenderize half shells.
Variation: Sliced Polly-O All Natural Mozzarella Cheese can be substituted for the ground cashews.
Eggplant Surprise
8 ounces cashew nuts
2 small to medium tomatoes, peeled and cut up
2 strips celery, sliced
1 teaspoon Vegebase
As little water as possible
Blend all together. Start with one-half cup water, add more water if necessary; mixture should be quite thick. Spread thickly on broiled eggplant slices (eggplant steaks—see recipe) and brown very slightly in broiler. This quantity is enough to cover slices from two medium eggplants. This mixture can also be used as a topping for other nonstarchy vegetables.
Spanish Sauce
4 or five medium tomatoes (peeled and sliced) 1 sweet pepper (preferably red) diced
4 strips diced celery
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
10 medium mushrooms (optional)
Vegebase to taste (optional). If Vegebase is used, use sparingly.
Add small amount of water, about one-fourth cup or less. Tomatoes will supply most of liquid necessary to steam this mixture for just a few minutes, just long enough to slightly tenderize the ingredients. May be used with any nonstarchy vegetable.
To use onions as an ingredient of this Spanish sauce, precook the onions for 20 minutes before adding to other ingredients.
Company Squash
Use tender young yellow crookneck or zucchini squash or both. Slice slantwise (oval slices) about one-fourth inch hick. Place in casserole with enough distilled water to wet slices thoroughly. Pour off most of excess water. Sprinkle wet slices with Vegebase (sparingly). Sprinkle with paprika (optional). Bake at 375 degrees ten minutes covered, ten minutes uncovered until slightly brown (or brown under broiler). If firmer squash is desired, cut thicker slices.
Tasty Cauliflower
Cut into small florets. Steam in minimum amount of water about six to eight minutes until just barely tender. Then toss with small amount of Vegebase and brown slightly under broiler. (If desired, sprinkle with paprika before)
Spaghetti Squash with Sauce
Sauce:
Diced sweet red pepper
Parsley, chopped
Diced celery
Mushrooms
Small fresh sliced onion, if desired
If onion is used, precook for 20 minutes. In wok or skillet, stir fry all ingredients in small amount of water—no oil. Cover and allow to steam a few minutes.
Bake spaghetti squash whole at 375 degrees—20 to 30 minutes, depending on size. Cut in half before serving. Run a fork through the hot flesh and it separates into
spaghetti-like strands. Put mound of sauce in each cavity. (Seeds may be removed, if desired, before adding sauce.)
Rice
Long grain rice cooks up light and fluffy—medium rice slightly sticky, and moist short grain rice even stickier.
Plain Cooked Brown Rice
1 cup Long Grain Rice
3 cups cold water
Saucepan with tight lid.
Bring water to boil, add rice and boil for one minute. Turn heat down, cover tightly, and simmer about thirty minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is fluffy and tender. To prevent sticking, don’t stir. If fluffy and tender but not dry, put in warm oven uncovered for a few minutes.
Mixed Wild and Brown Rice
1 cup Long Grain Brown Rice
2 1/2 cups cold water
Bring water to a boil, pour over rice, cover and bake in 375-degree oven forty minutes or until dry and fluffy. Add more water if necessary (check after 30 minutes to see whether additional water is necessary.) If rice is tender, but too wet, uncover for five minutes or so.
Mixed Rice Casserole
3/4 cup Long Grain Brown Rice
1/4 cup Wild Rice
4 strips sliced celery
1 large diced sweet red pepper
1/4 pound sliced mushrooms (optional) 3 cups cold water
2 teaspoons Vegebase (or Vegebase to taste)
Bring water to a boil, add brown rice, cook five minutes, (simmer). Add wild rice and other ingredients. Bake covered in 375-degree oven about forty minutes, or until rice is tender and fluffy. Check after 30 minutes to see whether additional water is necessary. If rice is tender, but too wet, uncover for five minutes or so.
Stuffed Sweet Red Peppers
3 large sweet red peppers
4 strips diced celery
2 sprigs chopped parsley
1/4 pound sliced mushrooms Vegebase to taste
Steam all but peppers five minutes in small amount of water. Add to plain cooked mixed wild and brown rice (see recipe). Cut peppers in half, remove seeds, and spoon in rice mixture. Bake in covered casserole in 375-degree oven until peppers are tender (about ten or fifteen minutes).
Vegetable Chop Suey with Rice (Starch)
A few pieces of celery top, chopped
A few sprigs chopped parsley
1 large sweet red pepper, sliced (sweet green pepper may be substituted)
4 strips sliced celery
2 large strips celery cabbage and/or an equivalent amount broccoli florets and leaves 3/4 cup freshly shelled green peas
2 large carrots, cut up in bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup cauliflower florets
1/4 cup Jerusalem artichokes, cut up in chunks
Vegebase to taste (add Vegebase just before serving)
Blend half of the peas in one cup of water. Add the balance of the peas whole, and the other ingredients. Steam ten minutes. Serve over cooked or baked brown rice. Sprinkle alfalfa sprouts, raw snow peas and raw water chestnuts over each serving. If raw snow peas and raw water chestnuts are not available, use frozen snow peas (if desired) and canned water chestnuts, in which case they should both be added to the pot to heat up before serving. Snow peas and water chestnuts, even if not raw, add a crisp tastiness to vegetable chop suey. Serves three or four.
Vegetable-Sesame Casserole
Green beans or broccoli
Cauliflower florets
Sliced summer squash, zucchini, yellow crookneck or Pattypan (or thinly sliced
turnips)
Sesame Seeds and Vegebase, half and half, mixed
Steam green beans (or broccoli) and cauliflower in small amount of water for five minutes. Sprinkle with small amount of Vegebase and sesame seed mixture. Top with slices of squash or raw turnips. Sprinkle with balance of Vegebase-sesame seed mixture. Brown lightly under broiler. (Squash or thin turnip slices will tenderize under broiler.)
Zucchini Cheese Casserole
4 medium zucchini
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and cut up
4 strips celery, sliced
1 small sweet pepper, diced
Vegebase to taste
Place all in electric skillet (or casserole on top of stove). Steam until tender, about six to eight minutes. Turn off heat. Lay slices of unprocessed cheese over top. Cover and serve when cheese is just barely melted.
Lentil Casserole
1 cup lentils
4 strips diced celery
1 small diced sweet pepper
2 cups water
Vegebase to taste
Steam lentils approximately 15 minutes or until almost tender. Add celery and pepper and steam five minutes longer. Do not overcook. Add Vegebase before serving.
Protein Vegetable Chop Suey
A few pieces of celery top, chopped A few sprigs of chopped parsley 1 large sweet pepper, sliced (red preferred) 4 strips sliced celery
2 large strips celery cabbage and/or an equivalent amount of broccoli florets and leaves
3/4 cup freshly shelled Green Peas
1 cup of sliced Bok Choy or other Chinese vegetables
1 cup mung bean or soybean sprouts
Vegebase to taste (add Vegebase just before serving)
Blend half of the peas in one cup of water. Add the balance of the peas whole, add half of the bean sprouts and all of the other ingredients, except the Vegebase, which is to be added just before serving. Steam for ten minutes. Serve over the remaining raw bean sprouts, or sprinkle the raw bean sprouts on top. Cooked unsprouted soybeans may be substituted for the bean sprouts, and served with alfalfa sprouts. See suggestions for snow peas and water chestnuts in Starch Vegetable Chop Suey recipe, which may also be used with this Protein Vegetable Chop Suey. Serves three or four.
Lentil Soup
1 cup lentils
A few pieces celery tops, coarsely chopped
4 strips sliced celery
A few sprigs parsley, chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped kale or Bok Choy
3 cups water
Vegebase to taste
Simmer lentils 20 minutes, add vegetables, simmer five minutes longer. Soup should be thick, not watery. If too thick, add a little more water. Add Vegebase before serving.
Millet-Squash Casserole
1/2 cup Millet, browned slightly (dry) in skillet
2 cups boiling water
Cook about 20 minutes, then add four strips sliced celery, one small sweet bell pepper, diced, and cook about five minutes more. Add three sliced zucchini squash and cook a few minutes longer until tender and all water is absorbed. Add Vegebase to taste before serving.
Vegetable Soup or Stew
Soup should be very thick, even less water for stew. Start with a small amount of soaked garbanzos, beans, or split peas. (See bean instructions.) Cook beans or peas until soft, add vegetables ten minutes before serving, except add summer squash two minutes before serving. If onion is desired for seasoning, add at least twenty minutes before serving, while beans are softening.
Any combination of vegetables may be used, with the exception of tomatoes.
Vegetable Soup or Stew with Rice or Wild Rice (or Barley)
(An economical way to use wild rice)
Omit beans or peas. Cook rice separately until tender. Cook vegetables five to ten minutes, as in previous recipe, and add rice and Vegebase. (Barley may be used instead of rice, using the same method.)
Vegetable Soup with Potatoes
Omit beans or peas. Cook cut-up potatoes (unpeeled) until almost tender, add vegetables and cook five to ten minutes longer, add Vegebase.
Vegetable Soup with Fresh Podded Beans or Peas
Cook fresh beans or peas until almost tender. Add vegetables, cook five to ten minutes longer. Add Vegebase to taste.
Tips for Vegetable Soups or Stews: Start with small amount of water, you can always add more. If using dried beans or peas, don’t use starchy vegetables like potatoes or carrots. Fresh podded beans or peas may be used with carrots, if desired. Never use cabbage in soup or stew. If cabbage family vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts) are used, great care must be taken not to overcook them. Celery, green beans, kale, Bok Choy, carrots and parsley are especially good in soup. Parsley may be cooked in the soup, or add a small amount of raw chopped parsley before serving.
Broccoli-Cashew Soup
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup tender broccoli stems (do not use tough fibrous parts)
1 small onion, sliced
1 clove fresh garlic, chopped
3 strips sliced celery (with celery tops)
3 sprigs parsley (chopped)
1 small sweet red pepper, cut up
1/2 cup cashews (ground fine in mill or blender)
4 cups water
Vegebase to taste
Precook onion and garlic ten minutes, add broccoli stems and cook five minutes more; add celery, parsley and red pepper and cook two or three minutes longer. Add the raw broccoli florets, the cooked vegetables and liquid to the ground cashews and blend. Place mixture in soup pot with enough additional water to total approximately four cups liquid. Simmer a few minutes until it thickens. If too thick, add more water; if too thin, add more ground cashews. Add Vegebase to taste.
Summer Squash-Sesame Seed Soup
Same ingredients and instructions as fox Broccoli-Cashew Soup. Use approximately one-fourth to one-half cup of sesame seeds to eight medium zucchini or yellow squash. Or try using half sesame seeds and half cashews for a different flavor.
Potato Broccoli Soup
Blend two medium potatoes (unpeeled) with one small onion in three cups water. Heat until it thickens—it must be watched, it can easily burn. Cook over slow burner for about ten minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Add optional amounts of cut-up broccoli, diced celery, celery tops, parsley and sweet red pepper, and continue cooking for ten minutes longer. If too thick, add more water. Add Vegebase to taste before serving.
Vichysoisse
Cut up two leeks or four large spring onions (white part only) and put in blender with two medium cut-up potatoes (unpeeled), one large cut-up carrot, and two cut-up strips celery. Add one cup water and blend. Put in saucepan, add one to 1 Vi cups more water. Heat to boiling point and turn down to barely simmering for ten to fifteen minutes or so (until thick). Add Vi cup heavy cream (preferably un-pasteurized). May be served hot or cold. Add Vegebase just before removing from the heat. Serves two or three.
Split Pea Soup
1 cup dried green or yellow split peas 3 to 4 cups water
1 small chopped onion
1 or 2 cloves minced garlic
Combine and simmer for approximately one hour. If desired, mash before adding other ingredients. Add two strips sliced celery, two sprigs chopped parsley, one small chopped sweet pepper, and simmer five minutes longer. If desired, add sliced zucchini or yellow squash and simmer two minutes longer. Soup should be very thick. Add Vegebase before serving. Serve with sprinkling of alfalfa sprouts.
Beet Borsht
Cook sliced beets slightly (about five to ten minutes). Put in blender with small amount of raw beets. Suggested amounts: two large beets cooked, two small beets raw. Add to blender mixture two strips sliced raw celery, two small raw carrots. Use water from cooked beets and add more water as necessary to blend. Should not be too thin. Add Vegebase. Chill. Add sour cream or yogurt to taste before serving.
Buckwheat
Buckwheat isn’t a wheat—it isn’t even a grain, but it is used as grains are used. It is a cultivated annual herb, native to Siberia, grown chiefly in the Eastern United States, Northwest Europe and in the mountainous districts of Japan. The groats are actually the fruit rather than the seed (as most grains are) of the buckwheat plant.
It is sold as raw (light) buckwheat groats, roasted (dark) buckwheat groats, ground buckwheat groats, and buckwheat flour. The dark groats have a distinctive taste which most people either love or dislike intensely. The light milder groats taste a little like barley.
Buckwheat flour sold in supermarkets, and buckwheat pancakes in restaurants, may not even contain any buckwheat, but may be a combination of corn, rye, wheat and other ground cereals. Buckwheat groats are available in health food stores and natural food stores.
Buckwheat is usually associated with pancakes, but Hygienists usually use the groats in casseroles.
Kasha (Buckwheat Groats)
3/4 cup buckwheat groats
4 strips sliced celery
1 small diced sweet pepper
If light buckwheat groats are used, brown them slightly (dry) before cooking. Pour approximately 3Vi to 4 cups boiling water over combined ingredients. Simmer until tender—do not overcook. Be watchful so it won’t burn—may need more water. Serves three or four. Add Vegebase to taste before serving.
Buckwheat Pancakes
Since most people who enjoy buckwheat associate it with pancakes, I have endeavored to offer the least harmful recipe possible for buckwheat pancakes. This recipe is a long way from Natural Hygiene, and should seldom, if ever, be used.
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey or other sweetener 2 cups Buckwheat flour
(ground in blender or mill from light raw buckwheat groats)
1 to 2 cups water or raw potato water or unpasteurized buttermilk (raw potato water: one small diced potato (unpeeled), put in one cup measure, fill with warm distilled water, and blend. Good substitute for milk.) Batter should be thin
Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water with honey. Let stand ten or fifteen minutes or longer (until bubbly). Add balance of liquid. Add flour. Mix well. If baked on natural soapstone griddle, no oil or butter will be necessary. If baked on regular uncoated griddle, add approximately one tablespoon melted butter or oil to batter, and it may be necessary to also lightly oil the griddle. The griddle should be hot enough for water to jump around. If water disappears, it is too hot.
Buckwheat Pancakes (Overnight Recipe)
Soften yeast in 1/4 cup water with half of honey. Let set until bubbly. Add balance of liquid and flour. Beat. Batter should be thin. Pour batter into large pitcher, cover, and set in warm place overnight. In morning, add other half of honey. Stir thoroughly. Bake.
Vegeburgers
These may be made with almost any combinations of vegetables and nuts (and/or seeds). If any starchy vegetables are used (such as carrots), combine with ground raw peanuts. If no starchy vegetables are used, combine with ground sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans (or other nuts).
Suggested ingredients: Celery, Sweet Pepper, Parsley, Cauliflower, Carrots, Green Beans, Broccoli, Bok Choy, Turnips, Kohlrabi.
Coarsely shred vegetables by hand or in food processor. It will be necessary to blend approximately half of the vegetables in a small amount of water and combine them with the shredded vegetables. Add ground nuts and/or seeds. If too dry add more water; if too wet, add more nuts. Shape into patties and broil on both sides until slightly browned. These make great “sandwiches” between leaves of romaine lettuce and are good hot or cold. They do not hold together as well as burgers that use a raw egg in the mixture, but, if handled carefully, are quite acceptable, and taste great.
Beans
Soybeans contain about three times as much protein as other beans, and little or no starch. Dried soybeans take a long time to cook—they may take 3 1/2 to 5 hours. Dried soybeans should be soaked overnight in distilled water to cover, in refrigerator. Next day, add more water to cover (use the soaking water) and cook until desired softness is attained, adding more water as necessary. If the soybeans are to be used in a baked casserole, or ground, or chopped, they should not be cooked until soft, but removed when still rather firm and chewy. Cooking time may be shortened (perhaps halved) by freezing after soaking (in soaking water) several hours or over night.
Some nutritionists advocate longer soaking of soybeans (24 to 48 hours) and the discarding several times of the soaking waters, in order to be certain of the destruction of the toxic anti-enzyme factor that is said to block the digestion of proteins. The longer soaking time shortens the cooking time.(All dried beans should be soaked, preferably overnight, before using.)
Green soybeans will take much less time to soften, probably from 15 to 30 minutes, depending on variety and condition, and need not be soaked. Other beans fresh from the pod (limas, cranberry beans, black-eyed peas, etc.) will soften more quickly, and only need a brief cooking period—no soaking.
Sprouted soybeans (or other sprouted beans) may be eaten raw, or steamed a short time to improve their palatibility.
Please refer to Lesson 26 for a discussion on using the soaking water versus discarding it. You will find it in the section on sprouting.
Soybean Casserole (or any dried beans)
Soak one cup dried soybeans overnight in two cups distilled water (in refrigerator). Cook until just firm and chewy. Add two strips diced celery, a few chopped celery leaves, a few sprigs of parsley (chopped), one small diced sweet pepper. Add enough water to cover. Cover casserole and bake in 375-degree oven until done, with lid removed during last half hour of baking. Soybeans may take an hour of baking.
This recipe may also be used for any dried beans. Add Vegebase before serving. Dot with butter if you use it.
Crunchy Soy Bean Treat
Soak and cook dried soybeans as usual (see Soybean Instructions)—not too soft, should still be rather firm and chewy.
Grind or chop to consistency of coarsely chopped nuts. Add diced celery (about two strips per three servings); a few chopped celery leaves; a few sprigs chopped parsley; one diced sweet pepper. Place in casserole or loaf pan. Add the soybean liquid and/or water to almost cover. Bake uncovered in 375-degree oven until lightly browned and liquid is absorbed. Add butter when serving, if you use it—also Vegebase to taste.
Soybean Loaf (or Garbanzo Bean Loaf)
Soak and cook dried soybeans or garbanzo beans as usual—not too soft, should still be somewhat firm and chewy. Grind or chop to consistency of chopped nuts (not too coarse). Add diced celery (about three strips per three servings); a few chopped celery leaves; a few sprigs chopped parsley; one diced sweet red pepper; about one-half cup broccoli florets, cut up in small pieces; and about one-half cup zucchini squash, cut in thin half slices per three servings). Mix ingredients together lightly, add Vegebase to taste, and add enough cooking liquid from the beans (and/or water) so it will hold together. Put in loaf pan, top with slices or strips of sweet red pepper or pimiento. Bake uncovered in 375-degree oven until lightly browned, but still somewhat moist (about twenty minutes).
Soak one cup dried beans overnight in two cups distilled water (in refrigerator). Add two cups water. Cook until almost soft. Add more water as needed. Add one clove chopped garlic and one small sliced onion and cook ten minutes longer. Add four strips sliced celery, a few chopped celery leaves, a few sprigs chopped parsley, one small diced sweet pepper, and an optional amount and variety of sliced vegetables (bite-sized pieces). Cook ten minutes longer. If too thick, add more water. Add Vegebase to taste before serving.
Bean Pot
Use any beans fresh from the pod: Limas, Soy, Black-eyed Peas, Cranberry Beans, or any other freshly shelled beans.
Cut up and place in bottom of pot: four strips celery, two medium yellow summer squash or zucchini squash. Sprinkle with one teaspoon Vegebase. On top of cut-up vegetables, put one cup of beans which have been precooked for ten to fifteen minutes until almost soft. Over top, sprinkle one teaspoon Vegebase. Add water carefully around side about halfway up. Cover and bake in 375-degree oven for one-half hour. Uncover and bake a little longer (if you like it drier). If you like it quite dry, use less water. Serves two or three.
Rice Crackers
Rice Crackers made of brown rice and water only (no salt or leavening) can be purchased in health food stores, or you can make them yourself.
Grind brown rice in blender or grinder, add a little Vegebase (if desired), and add enough water to hold it together into a dough. Roll very thin between two sheets of wax paper. Place on cookie sheet, and mark off into cracker size with knife. Bake at 325-degrees for about ten minutes or until pale or golden brown.
Clabber or Cottage Cheese
Put whole raw milk in individual cups or glasses (covered with thin cloth or paper towels) in a warm place (about 75 to 85 degrees) about 30 to 48 hours (may take less time or longer, depending on milk and temperature) until thick and custardy. (Don’t move it, mix or stir.) Sour cream will be on top. This will keep in the refrigerator about five days. The secret of successful clabber is an even warm temperature. Clabber may be eaten with the fruit meal.
If you are not successful in producing clabber without a “starter”, use two tablespoons of natural sour cream per quart of raw milk, mix well, and proceed as above. Usually this clabber sets in twenty-four hours. (Or use two or three tablespoons of Borden’s Buttermilk, or try adding lemon juice to the sweet milk to start the souring or clabbering process.)
For cottage cheese, put clabber in cheese cloth or nylon net bag and let drip six to eight hours.
Desserts (If You Must!)
Uncooked Fudge Brownies
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup carrots
1/2 cup grated coconut
1/2 cup carob powder
1/2 cup raisins (soaked 15 minutes)
8 medium dates (more or less, depending on how sweet you want it)
water (as necessary)
Blend or grind oats into flour, add carob powder and coconut, add soaked raisins to dry ingredients. Blend carrots and pitted dates in minimum amount of water. Add to the dry ingredients, mixing well. Add as much water as necessary to make a thick drop cookie consistency. Drop by teaspoonfuls on pliofilm and roll up in groups of four or six, or drop into miniature paper muffin cups or paper petit four cups. Refrigerate, if to be used same day. Otherwise, store in freezer. These do not need thawing.
If you like them sweeter, use more dates. If less sweet, use fewer dates. Actually, proportions of all ingredients are optional. No cooking or baking is necessary, because all ingredients (including the rolled oats) are excellent uncooked.
Date Coconut Pie
Moisten fresh grated coconut and pat into pie plate for crust. Chill for an hour or so.
Blend bananas and pitted dates in as little water as possible (mixture should be quite thick) and pour over the crust. Put coconut liquid in blender and add small pieces of peeled coconut until the mixture is thoroughly blended and thick. Spread over the pie.
Top it with shredded coconut and pitted dates, whole or sliced. Chill for at least two hours.
Fruity Banana Coconut Cream Pie
Mix equal parts of fresh grated coconut and chopped dates and pat into pie plate for the crust. Moisten with water, if necessary. Chill for an hour or so. Fill with sliced bananas. Blend any subacid fruit with unpasteurized cream and pour over the sliced bananas. (Mixture should be thick.) Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with grated coconut. Chill for at least two hours before serving.
Creamy Ice Fruit
1/2 cup sweet cherry juice or sweet grape juice or sweet apple juice 3/4 to 1 cup water (or a little more, if needed)
1 large or two small bananas
1 large or two small avocados
4 tablespoons carob powder
15 to 20 pitted dates (depending on size)
Blend dates in juice and water. Add pieces of avocado a little at a time, while blend-
ing, then add slices of banana and carob. If more liquid is needed to blend, add as little water as possible. Should be very thick and creamy. Will freeze in refrigerator-freezer without ice. crystals if thick enough, and if served shortly after freezing. If not served the same day, thaw slightly before serving.
Coconut-Carob Pudding
Blend eight ounces warm distilled water (or coconut liquid, or mixed) with eight ounces raw, peeled, cut-up coconut meat. Add eight cut-up dates. Blend. Add enough carob powder to make quite thick (approximately eight tablespoons—more or less). May be chilled or frozen. If frozen, remove from freezer one hour before serving.
Coconut-Carob Ice Cream
Blend one cup of warm distilled water with one cup of fresh coconut and cool in refrigerator. Use more water, if necessary. When cool, blend again. Add ten or more cut-up soft dates and enough carob powder to make quite thick. May be frozen or eaten as is. If frozen, remove from freezer one hour before serving.
Carob Ice Cream Pudding
Blend eight ounces unpasteurized cream or unpasteurized half cream and half milk with eight cut-up dates. Add one or more bananas, if desired. Add enough carob powder to make it quite thick. May be chilled or frozen.
Fruit Ice Cream
Blend twelve cut-up dates with flesh from one large or two medium mangos, or four or five medium sweet peaches, or two or three medium bananas. If necessary, add one or two tablespoons unpasteurized cream to start blending. Whip eight ounces unpasteurized cream, fold into the fruit mixture. Freeze in ice cube trays, stirring twice during the freezing process to prevent the formation of ice crystals.
Carob Ice Cream
Blend eight ounces raw cream or raw half and half with seven or eight cut-up dates. Add one or two bananas, if desired. Add enough carob powder to make it quite thick. May be frozen or eaten as is.
Party Punch
Not recommended, but preferable to punch recipes using artificial flavorings and/or alcoholic ingredients. This is the only recipe in the dessert section of this lesson that is (basically) not uncooked, the juices having been pasteurized, although a few of the previous recipes contain a small amount of such unpasteurized juices, along with the other ingredients, which are uncooked.
Mix three parts of unsweetened pineapple juice with one part of cherry juice (from health food store). Add small amounts of crushed pineapple (unsweetened) and whole fresh strawberries or soaked dried cherries. The taste is delicious and will satisfy (more or less) those who just must have a party drink.
Recipe Conversions
| “Before” “After” |
| 1 ounce chocolate 3 tablespoons carob powder + 1 tablespoon oil |
| 1 cup sugar 3/4 cup honey (reduce liquid in recipe by 1/4 cup and lower oven temperature by 25 degrees) |
| 1 cup sugar 1 cup molasses (reduce liquid by 1/3 cup) |
| 1 cup sugar 3/4 cup date sugar |
| 1 tablespoon flour (used as 1 tablespoon potato starch thickener) |
| 1 package active dry yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast 1 cake compressed yeast |
| 1 cup heavy sour cream 1/3 cup butter and 2/3 cup sour milk |
| 1 cup thin sour cream 3 tablespoons butter and 3/4 cup sour milk |
| 1 cup sour cream 1 cup plain natural yogurt |
| 1 cup butter 2/3 cup oil |
| 1 small fresh onion 1 tablespoon dried minced onion, rehydrated |
| 1 small garlic clove 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or 1/2 teaspoon dried garlic, rehydrated |
These equivalents may be used as substitutes in recipes. Some of them are only a little better than the original ingredients. Some are no better—for convenience only. If you must make ice cream or baked “treats,” the best sweetener would be seeded, cut-up dates, blended with some of the liquid of the recipe, in optional amounts, the less the better.
Questions & Answers
When we eat cooked food in restaurants, we don’t know how it has been booked. It may have been cooked in a pressure cooker, a microwave oven, a charcoal broiler, or aluminum cooking utensils may have been used. How can these hazards be determined and avoided?
If you eat cooked food in a restaurant, it is not only subject to the hazards you mention, but it will also contain salt, probably sugar (even in vegetables), and prob-
ably pepper and other irritants. It may also contain monosodium glutamate; corn starch or flour for thickening; or other unknown additives. The only way to avoid all of these things is to avoid eating cooked food in restaurants. If you do decide to partake, do the best you can, depending on circumstances. A baked potato is fairly safe, except for the sprout retardant on the skin, and the aluminum foil in which most of them are baked. Order it to be served uncut—otherwise you may find a piece of aluminum foil in your mouth. Sometimes you can get a plain cooked vegetable without seasoning.
Some restaurants cook certain dishes to order, and you can request “no seasoning.” In most Chinese restaurants you can get vegetable chop suey with raw bean sprouts and snow peas and without monosodium glutamate, or corn starch or seasoning. Some “natural food” restaurants do a fairly good job. Some salad bars are fairly good.
But any time you eat, in a restaurant, be prepared to compromise. Sometimes, rarely, you can find a friendly rand cooperative restaurant owner or manager who will do things your way. Good luck!
Most conventional nutrition charts advise against using nuts, because they are so high in fat. Why do Natural Hygienists use so many nuts?
Conventional diets contain so much fat already (mostly animal fat) that any additional fat is contraindicated. Of course, conventional diets include flesh foods as the major protein source, while Hygienic food programs look to nuts and seeds for concentrated protein. The major sources of fat in the Hygienic diet are nuts, seeds and avocados, which contain unsaturated fat (which conventional nutritionists admit is superior to animal fat). It is true that even Hygienists should not gorge on nuts and avocados, but should eat them sparingly.
Since nuts and seeds are also the major sources of concentrated protein in the Hygienic diet, they are important elements of the food program. Some Hygienists use two to four ounces of nuts and/or seeds almost every day, which would be considered maximum amounts. Many Hygienics use them less frequently, perhaps three or four times weekly (sometimes even less) and get along very well.
Is it advisable to eat a protein meal and a starch meal every day?
No. That would comprise a large amount of concentrated food on a daily basis. Most people would, sooner or later, find that this practice would overburden their digestions. A protein meal three or four times weekly and a starch meal two or three times weekly would be adequate for most people (many would want less), planning protein and starch meals for different days, and filling in with fruit and salad meals. Some people might want up to four or five protein meals weekly and four or five starch meals weekly. This would be quite a lot of concentrated food, and would involve using both a protein meal and a starch meal on some of the days. Actually, starchy meals should not necessarily be included on a regular basis. They are filling, satisfying meals at the time they are eaten, but such foods as grains and legumes (even, to some extent, when sprouted) burden the organism with their digestion.
Potatoes are much easier to digest, and are a good choice for a cooked starch meal, but should not be used everyday, nor in large quantities. Sweet corn (unless freshly picked) is starchy; fresh peas are starchy; both can be eaten without cooking.
The coconut, starchy protein, eaten raw, is a good food to use for some of your starch meals. Chestnuts, another starchy protein, can be used for starch meals when in season. But you certainly don’t need a protein meal and a starch meal on a daily basis.
Why should the oven be preheated to the desired temperature before inserting your vegetables which are to be baked?
The cooking time will be shortened.
Article #1: Your Probing Mind By Virginia Vetrano, B.S., D.C.
How, and in what, should you steam vegetables?
If you must compromise and cat some cooked food, then you should steam most vegetables whole and uncut, not grated or sliced, etc. Most vegetables need no preparation for steaming except to be well cleaned. Very large carrots may be sliced in two; rutabaga may be cut into medium-sized pieces; and large beets or turnips may be cut in quarters. Save the outer leaves of the lettuce that are not sufficiently pretty or that are cracked a bit too much to be savory in a salad; wash them well and place approximately three layers of them in the bottom of your cookware. Place the whole, uncut, cleaned vegetables on top of the lettuce leaves. Cover and start the flame moderately high. After two minutes turn the flame down to medium. Add no water to the pan. The water clinging to the lettuce and inside the cells of the lettuce forms the moisture for steaming the vegetables. No extra water is needed except perhaps when steaming large potatoes or carrots, etc. Then you may choose to use a steam rack.
We do not use the steam marvel or a steam rack for all vegetables for several reasons. First, it tempts you to add more water to the casserole. The water becomes steam, condenses on the lid and flows down over the vegetables anyway. Because of a use of more water than necessary for steaming, the vegetable is tasteless when the vegetable is done, and you throw it away, thereby losing valuable nutrients.
Whereas, if the vegetable is steamed in only the water clinging to lettuce leaves and the vegetable itself, it will be concentrated at the end of the steaming process. This cooking juice will taste good because it is concentrated and contains many minerals and vitamins and may be eaten with the vegetable. Lettuce prevents scorching, if you fail to watch the cooking time carefully. The lettuce is used only as a base upon which to cook other foods, and it should not be eaten with the food which you steam.
Spinach, beet tops, and other leafy vegetables have a surplus amount of water on their leaves after washing, which must be poured off prior to cooking. As the cellulose breaks down in these foods from the heat, much fluid leaks out into the cooking vessel and prevents burning and serves as water for steaming the vegetable itself. Consequently, no lettuce leaves are necessary for this type of vegetable. All types of small summer squash require lettuce leaves at the bottom in order to steam them whole without scorching. Steaming vegetables whole without cutting them at all saves minerals and vitamins.
The less you cook the vegetables, the better for you, so steam them just enough to warm then, without changing their natural shape or color.
We do not advocate the use of aluminum, stainless steel, or teflon. Aluminum combines with the acids in the foods forming poisonous aluminum compounds. Stainless steel cookware contains nickel and chromium that bleed into the foods when used. Teflon is highly poisonous as it contains fluorine and gives off poisonous gases under certain conditions. If chipped, and pieces enter the food, it could be very toxic. The only utensils left to cook in which have no known strike against them are opaque glass ware and fine baked enamel ware. If the enamel is chipped, it is best to purchase new cookware.
Please explain why fried foods are not good for you.
Cooking food by any method destroys much of its vitamin and mineral content. Some minerals are lost in the vapor; some are converted into inorganic minerals, which are no longer usable and therefore toxic, and others are lost into the cooking water. Vitamins are destroyed in much the same fashion.
Frying is even worse on food because oil, requires a higher temperature to boil than water. The higher the temperature, the greater the destruction of food. When frying food, it is usually cooked to a “golden brown” or a little darker. This beautiful golden brown that people love so much is a cancer producing substance. The brown on any food that has been browned by cooking is carcinogenic.
In addition the oil itself becomes a carcinogen. It has long been known that heated hydrocarbons can cause cancer. The longer they are heated and reheated and heated again, and the higher the temperature the more carcinogenic they become. Oils are hydrocarbons. The next time you desire french fries just remember that fast food chains change their oil only once a week or less. Also remember that there is more cancer of the stomach and colon than any other area of the gastrointestinal tract. Foods, the decomposition products of foods, and poisonous chemicals from cooking foods are retained in the stomach and colon for a longer period of time than in any other part of the gastrointestinal tract. Their irritating effects probably play a major role in the development of cancer of these organs.
Are spices harmful to one’s health?
Yes, they are. It is much better to refrain from using spices. Some spices are extremely poisonous while others are only moderately so. A substance is a food if it is capable of being used by a particular living organism in any of its metabolic processes. If a spice contains poisons and other substances that cannot be used by the organism in making living cells or in any of its functions then it becomes a poison in relation to the living organism, even if it contains minerals, vitamins, proteins and other nutrients. Spices contain substances which cannot be used by the body and if a substance can’t be used, it wastes precious nerve energy in expelling it to prevent damage to the body’s vital organs. Spices are harmful in proportion to their toxin concentration. They waste nerve energy and cause enervation in proportion to the amount of energy expended in excreting the noxious substances.
Because of the toxic substances contained in spices, they cause irritation to the lining of the stomach and intestines. In fact some of them, such as mustard, cause bleeding of the stomach worse than aspirin, when taken in large quantities such as the amount some people put on their hot dogs.
Spices do not enhance digestion as we have been taught. On the contrary, because of the irritation they produce digestion is impaired. Besides the irritation to the gastrointestinal tract which may lead to inflammation and ulceration, spices irritate all the tissues inside the body with which they come in contact.
The latest theory in the production of arteriosclerosis is in line with Hygienic theory-that arteriosclerosis begins with an initial irritation, followed by inflammation of the arterial lining with the deposition of fatty material and finally calcium. Spices are definitely irritants and to continue using spices when you know how they are irritants to every tissue with which they come in contact is tantamount to saying “I don’t care if I get arteriosclerosis, or gastritis, ulcers or cancer.”
Lesson 29 will discuss the harmful effects of condiments in more detail.
Article #2: Hygienic Considerations In The Selection of Foods By Ralph C. Cinque, D. C.
The selection of foods for optimum health requires that many factors be considered, including nutrient content, ease of mastication, deglutition, digestion, absorption and assimilation, presence or absence of irritant, the amount of vegetable fiber (which could be too little in the case of refined foods, or too much in the case of mature kale), gustatory satisfaction to the unperverted taste, and the effect on blood alkalinity. An ideal food would contain a broad array of nutrients, would be delicious, would contain a moderate amount of fiber, would be easy to eat and digest in the raw state, would possess no irritants or digestive antagonists and would leave an alkaline ash after metabolism. Applying these criteria, we find that there are virtually no perfect foods. Most fruits and vegetables, for example, contain at least minute amounts of oxalic acid, which is a mild irritant and which has a binding effect on calcium. Tannic acid is contained in the skins of some nuts (particularly almonds) and this, too, is a mild irritant. Lettuce is said to contain lactucarium, a mildly toxic alkaloid with soporific effects. This is particularly true of head lettuce. Beans contain trypsin-inhibitors, aflatoxins and purine bodies which raise serum uric acid levels. Grains contain much phytic acid which binds minerals like zinc and iron, impairing their utilization by the body. It should be obvious that perfect foods (like perfect health) are a theoretical ideal, not a reality.
From a Hygienic standpoint, there are three major tenets that guide us in the selection of foods. These tenets enable us to construct a diet that is philosophically and physiologically ideal for the human species. We will admit beforehand that due to various anatomical and physiological weaknesses and defects, not everyone can adhere to the philosophical dietary ideal with complete success. However, before alterations and deletions are made, it is important that we determine what constitutes an ideal diet, a truly natural diet, and then be guided accordingly. Our three major tenets are that:
- Whole foods are superior to fragmented and refined foods.
- Raw foods are superior to cooked foods.
- Plant foods are superior to animal foods.
These three principles summarize Hygienic philosophy regarding food selection, and we will expound upon each in turn.
The Superiority Of Whole Foods
The fact that whole natural foods are superior to refined foods such as white sugar, white flour, polished rice, requires no substantiation to the readers of this magazine. However, we must emphasize that any fragmenting of whole food destroys nutrients and lessens the suitability of that food as an article of diet. Whole carrots contain more complete nourishment than carrot juice. Brown rice is better food than rice polishings. Whole wheat is superior to wheat germ. Consider the following experiment conducted by Weston A. Price, D.D.S., the renowned author of Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. “Three cages of rats were placed on wheat diets. The first cage received whole wheat, freshly ground, the second received a white flour product, and the third was given a mixture of bran and wheat germ. The amounts of each ash, of calcium as the oxide, and of phosphorus as the pentoxide and the amounts of iron and copper present in the diet were tabulated. Clinically, it was found that there was a marked difference in the physical developments of these rats. The rats in the first group, receiving the entire grain
product, developed fully and reproduced normally at 3 months of age. These rats had very mild dispositions and could be picked up by the ear or tail without danger of their biting. The rats fed upon white flour were markedly undersized. Their hair came out in large patches and they had very ugly dispositions, so ugly that they threatened to spring through the cagewall at us when we came to look at them. These rats had tooth decay and they were unable to reproduce. The rats fed upon bran and wheat germ did not show tooth decay, but they were considerably undersized and they lacked energy. The wheat germ was purchased from the miller and hence was not freshly ground. The wheat given to the first group was obtained whole and ground while fresh in a hand mill. It is of interest that notwithstanding the great increase in calcium, phosphorus, iron and copper present in the foods of the last group, the rats did not mature normally, as did those in the first group. This may have been due in large part to the fact that the material was not freshly ground, and as a result they could not obtain a normal vitamin content from the embryo of the grain due to its oxidation. This is further indicated by the fact the the rats in this group did not reproduce, probably due in considerable part to a lack of Vitamins B and E which were lost by oxidation of the embryo or germ fat.”
This account demonstrates how important it is to distinguish between the nutrient content of a food and its overall biological effect. It has been shown repeatedly that eating wheat bran impedes iron absorption, despite the fact that it contains abundant iron. This may be the result of mechanical factors, or, perhaps it is the result of the high phytate content of the bran. In any case, it proves that foods cannot be evaluated solely on the basis of mathematical tables of nutrient analysis.
At first glance fragmented foods may seem to be more nourishing than whole foods. Dried apricots, for example, score much higher in calcium and iron than do fresh apricots. Quite obviously, if we extract the water from the apricots, we can triple or quadruple the number of fruits we are comparing, and thereby shore up higher nutrient values. This seeming enhancement is, of course, a figment of the mind. Whole foods offer the most complete nutrition. Powdered whey is a nutritional shadow of whole milk. Extracted chlorophyll is a lifeless fraction of green leaves. Lecithin granules are a denatured fragment of soybeans. These various extracts and concentrates are inferior to the whole natural foods they supposedly improve upon. Processing incurs drastic nutrient losses as a result of heat, oxidation, chemicals, and enzymatic destruction. It is correct to say that these foods have been devitalized. Only whole natural foods contain the amount and proportion of nutrients that the body requires. Only whole natural foods are acceptable in a Hygienic diet.
The Superiority Of Raw Foods
Although some foods seem to be rendered more digestible by cooking, it is a fact that most foods are rendered less digestible. Furthermore, any food that is difficult to eat and digest uncooked is not a normal constituent of man’s natural diet. Cooking partially or totally destroys the nutrient content of food. Water-soluble vitamins, like ascorbic acid and pantothenic acid, are particularly susceptible to thermal destruction, but it is to some extent true of all vitamins. What may be more important, however, is the fact that cooking alters the proportions of the various vitamins contained in foods. For example, cooking alters the natural ratio between thiamine and niacin in foods. This occurs because thiamine is readily destroyed by moist heat, whereas niacin is more resistant. Therefore, cooking not only lowers the vitamin content of foods, it also modifies vitamin ratios, which are a very important feature of whole foods.
Minerals may be rendered nonuseable by the body as a result of cooking. A good example of this is the effect that pasteurization has upon milk. The complex organic salts of calcium and magnesium, in conjunction with carbon and phosphorus, are decomposed by heat, resulting in the precipitation of insoluble calcium phosphate salts. These inor-
ganic salts are not assimilable by the body. This is one of the reasons why dental decay has reached epidemic proportions among milk-guzzling Americans.
Cooking tends to deaminize proteins and denature their secondary and tertiary configurations. With the exception of eggs white and certain dried legumes, they are rendered more difficult to digest by cooking. Subjecting fats to heat produces toxic cyclic hydrocarbons and free fatty acids, both of which are highly irritating. Heated fats and oils have been shown, by countless experiments, to be highly carcinogenic. No informed person will consume heated fats in any form.
Cooking causes a great loss of the soluble minerals in foods and drives off part of the food into the air as gases (this is particularly true of sulphur and iodine). Cooking softens vegetable fiber which may hamper intestinal motility, and promote fermentation and putrefaction. Although cooking adds to the palatability of some foods (e.g., yams, asparagus, zucchini, grains), most foods are rendered less palatable by cooking, which gives rise to the use of unwholesome flavorings, condiments, dressings, etc.
On the basis of these considerations and others, a diet, in order to be considered Hygienic, would have to consist of at least predominantly uncooked foods.
The Superiority Of Plant Foods
This category could also be designated the detrimental effects of animal foods. All animal products (with the exception of mother’s milk) have certain negative features which make their dietary use questionable. Consider, first of all, the effect that animal foods have upon protein consumption. Even modest use of meat, fish, eggs and dairy foods tends to create a protein overload and this is one of the most dangerous dietary excesses. Research has shown that high protein diets actually promote aging and early degeneration. Too much protein exerts a tremendous burden upon the liver and kidneys. It also leaves acid residues in the blood and tissues which must be neutralized by sacrificing indispensable alkaline mineral reserves. The process of aging is characterized by the transfer of calcium from the bones to the tissues, that is, to the arteries (arteriosclerosis); to the optic lens (cataracts), to the ureters (kidney stones), to the skin (wrinkles), to the joints (osteoarthritis), to the valves of the heart (producing valvular stenosis and insufficiency), to the tendons and ligaments (producing frozen shoulder) and to other sites. This, of course, leaves the skeleton osteoporotic, leading to the development of stooped posture, a kyphotic spine, spontaneous fractures and other maladies that are so common to the elderly. High protein diets (due to the accumulation of phosphoric, sulphuric, uric and other acids) accelerate this demineralization of bone and bring about calcific deposits in the soft tissues.
One could argue that nuts and seeds contain as much protein as meats, eggs, etc., and therefore they are as likely to create an excess. However, most people are easily satisfied eating a few ounces of nuts or seeds every day, whereas few people will eat just a few ounces of yogurt. Restaurants serve up to a pound of meat at a sitting, along with other foods. Cottage and ricotta cheese is eaten in huge quantities, even by vegetarians. The simple truth is that animal proteins tend to promote overeating more so than do plant proteins.
The relationship between high protein diets and cancer has been clearly established by studying both animal and human populations. Remember that cancerous cells are characterized by runaway protein synthesis and rapid cellular division. Protein synthesis is accelerated by increased protein intake, so it is not surprising to discover that cancer bears close tie to excess protein. There is a direct correlation between the amount of protein in the diet and the incidence of cancer on a world-wide basis.
Americans, Australians and West Europeans, who ingest the largest amounts of protein, also have the greatest incidence of cancer, whereas the rural Chinese, the East Indians and native peoples of Latin America have the lowest cancer incidence. This is no
casual relationship and it cannot be written off by blaming it on the “stress of modern life.”
Animal products are loaded with the worst kind of fat—saturated, cholesterol-laden animal fat. A mountain of evidence has been accumulated relating high animal fat intakes with the development of cardiovascular disease (which is characterized by the deposition of saturated fat and cholesterol in the intimal layer of arteries), and many different malignancies including breast cancer, colon and rectal cancers, and cancer of the liver. Even such diverse conditions as multiple sclerosis and diabetes have been related to the consumption of animal fats. As we have already stated, heated animal fats have been shown to be even more carcinogenic, and considering that Americans take all of their flesh, milk and eggs well cooked, it’s no wonder that 1 in 4 eventually succumbs to cancer. Pandemically, those peoples who subsist on low fat, low protein, largely vegetarian, unrefined diets demonstrate the greatest resistance to cancer. The incidence of cancer and heart disease among American Seventh Day Adventists is approximately half the national average. This is quite remarkable considering that only about half of this group are thought to be vegetarian.
Flesh, fish, yogurt and cheese contain various putrefactive products resulting from their bacterial decomposition. Putting partially-spoiled food in the body can hardly be considered a Hygienic practice, despite the arguments of the fermented food enthusiasts. Flesh also contains considerable quantities of the end products of metabolism (like uric acid,) which are held up in the tissues at the time of death. These wastes are poisonous, irritating and burdensome to the body. Considering also that animal products tend to be reservoirs for pesticides, herbicides, and various other drugs and inorganic contaminants, there are many good reasons to avoid using them.
There are just 5 classes of foods that meet all of the criteria established by our three major tenets. These are: fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouts. A diet comprised of these foods would abound in every nutrient known to be required, with the exception of Vitamin B-12, and most people apparently can derive enough of this from bacterial synthesis in the intestines. However, we should note that soil bacteria also produces B-12 on the surface of roots, so that adding stringy roots grown in organic soil (with abundant microbial activity) to the diet would constitute a pre-made plant source of B-12 that would be a perfectly acceptable addition to a Hygienic diet. Supermarket vegetables would not be adequate for this purpose.
We should note, in closing, that adding some cooked food to the diet (like baked potatoes and brown rice) or limited amounts of animal foods (such as uncooked, unsalted cheese), although not strictly Hygienic, may be required in some pathological conditions. Certain people would experience a drastic and undesirable weight loss were they to make an immediate transition to a 100 percent uncooked, all plant food diet. For these people, eating a baked potato now and then represents not a mere compromise but rather a necessary modification of their Hygienic regimen. Quoting Dr. Alec Burton, “We must adapt the system to the needs of the individual and not adapt the individual to the needs of the system.”
With this acknowledged, let us state in conclusion that a diet, in order to be considered Hygienic, would have to consist predominantly (if not exclusively) of uncooked foods of vegetable origin, eaten whole.
Article #3: How To Get More Food Value for Your Money By Marti Fry
If you’re like most people you want to get the most for your money. This includes your food purchases too. Many of you have already learned that eating your food raw is the best way to get the most nutritional value from it. Perhaps you’ve also discovered that your doctor, hospital and prescription bills have gone down (or, hopefully, disappeared altogether).
When you learn that the body heals itself and that drugs, whether they’re prescribed by a doctor or sold without a prescription, always harm your body and never help it, you realize that going to a doctor or a drugstore is the opposite course from what you should take.
In the Health Crusader you have been learning:
- which foods are best-fresh raw fruits and non-starchy vegetables;
- which foods are second-best—dried fruits, nuts and seeds and raw starchy vegetables, (including roots and legumes);
- which foods are third-rate—lightly steamed starchy vegetables such as yams, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, peas, corn, etc. and other lightly steamed vegetables such as broccoli and brussel sprouts;
- which foods are fourth—rate-lightly cooked rice, millet, etc.; and
- which foods are worst to eat—all the rest!
Even if the first-rate and second-best foods are more expensive in the store, they are still the best value for your money because they give you the most and harm you the least. Now let’s say you eat only top-rate foods and you eat them raw. Is this everything you can do to get the most for your money? No, there’s more! Many of you have already learned that most organically-grown foods contain larger amounts of high-quality proteins, minerals and vitamins than the majority of commercially-grown produce. But there’s one more consideration and this is in the area of food preparation. As you may know, there is a great loss of vitamins and usable protein and minerals when food is cooked. This is the result of two serious occurrences:
- The food is oxidized, and
- Lysosomes, which are enzymes within food cells, will self-destruct the food components (carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, etc.) within the cell.
These two occurrences happen only when the cell walls (or some of the cell walls) are broken, as by heating, freezing, cutting, blending, juicing or mashing. The cell contents are exposed to the oxygen in our air; and vitamins, minerals and proteins chemically combine with the oxygen and are rendered unusable to us in providing the nutrition they’re supposed to. Also, the lysosomes go to work to break down the cell components before your body gets a chance to use them.
Be aware that these lysosomes within food cells are destroyed by heat over 120 degrees. They become incapable of any kind of activity, constructive or destructive. But while it is true that raw foods are far superior to cooked foods, the processes of oxidation and enzymic breakdown also come into play when you eat raw foods, but to an insignificant extent.
When the cell walls are burst by methods other than heat, such as by cutting, mashing, blending or juicing, the vitamins, minerals and other food components are destroyed both by the cells lysosomes and by oxidation.
For example, when you bite into an apple or pear many cell walls are broken and oxidation occurs. However, you will get more nutrients from an apple or pear eaten this way than from the same apple or pear that has been cut up into a fruit salad. This is because many more cell walls are broken, usually for a longer period, when fruits are cut up into a salad. (The same is true for vegetables, of course.)
What’s true for cut-up foods is also true for mashed, blended or juiced foods. Blending and juicing break open the protective walls of almost ail the cells, in the food, causing a considerable amount of nutritional value to be lost. That is one reason we recommend that you either not blend or juice foods or else do it sparingly. (The other reason is ecological.)
You may want to mash avocados to make “Vegemole,” a salad dressing or a dip; or you might want to make a cut-up salad. But in the case of both avocados and other foods you are better off blending, juicing, cutting up or mashing them only occasionally—for variety or for guests, reluctant family members, or people without teeth or with other special problems.
So remember, when you are preparing foods a great way to get the most value from your food is to eat it whole. “Finger salads” of whole fruits or vegetables that you don’t cut up are considerably more nutritious than cut-up salads. This is because of the oxidation and enzymic action that occur when foods are cut up. Why not eat whole foods more often and get more nutrients for your money and with less fuss and muss?