294
Child Guidance
food is essential; but it is because foods of this class are stimulating,
because they fever the blood and excite the nerves, that they are so
missed. Some will find it as difficult to leave off flesh eating as it is
for the drunkard to give up his dram, but they will be the better for the
change.
When flesh food is discarded, its place should be supplied with a
variety of grains, nuts, vegetables, and fruits, that will be both nour-
ishing and appetizing. This is especially necessary in the case of those
who are weak, or who are taxed with continuous labor
Well-prepared Substitutes Are Helpful—Especially where meat
is not made a principal article of food is good cooking an essential
requirement. Something must be prepared to take the place of meat,
and these substitutes for meat must be well prepared, so that meat will
not be desired
I am acquainted with families who have changed from a meat diet
to one that is impoverished. Their food is so poorly prepared that the
[385]
stomach loathes it, and such have told me that the health reform did
not agree with them; that they were decreasing in physical strength.
Here is one reason why some have not been successful in their efforts
to simplify their food. They have a poverty-stricken diet. Food is
prepared without painstaking, and there is a continual sameness.
There should not be many kinds at any one meal, but all meals
should not be composed of the same kinds of foods without variation.
Food should be prepared with simplicity, yet with a nicety which will
invite the appetite
Overcoming the Unnatural Appetite—Persons who have accus-
tomed themselves to a rich, highly stimulating diet have an unnatural
taste, and they cannot at once relish food that is plain and simple. It
will take time for the taste to become natural and for the stomach to
recover from the abuse it has suffered. But those who persevere in the
use of wholesome food will, after a time, find it palatable. Its delicate
and delicious flavors will be appreciated, and it will be eaten with
greater enjoyment than can be derived from unwholesome dainties.
17
The Ministry of Healing, 316
.
18
Letter 60a, 1896
.
19
Testimonies For The Church 2:63
.