The "Basic Seven" Foods

1. Green and yellow leafy vegetables. These may be used either cooked or raw, fresh or frozen. They include cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, sprouts, asparagus, spinach, celery, and similar greens. These provide vitamin A to protect eyes and skin and to guard against infection. They also provide iron for the blood and roughage for elimination.

2. Fruits—at least two each day. One may be an orange or some other citrus fruit. Another may be a banana, tomato, apple, pear, peach, a bunch of grapes, or some tropical fruit. For variety use strawberries, canteloupe, or some type of melon. These fruits provide vitamin C, which is essential for strong blood vessels and healthy gums and teeth. They also provide roughage for better elimination. Fresh fruits are best for these purposes. Heat destroys vitamin C.

3. Potatoes and other vegetables. Two or more servings should be eaten each day. These include Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, beets, carrots, parsnips, lentils, onions, peas, beans, soybeans, and many more. Vitamins and minerals are present in all vegetables. Potatoes are a good source, especially when cooked in their skins. Vegetables may be used in various ways. Raw carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A. Vegetables provide bulk, which aids digestion.

4. Milk and dairy products. The very minimum for an adult should be a pint a day, or more, and a quart a day for each growing child or pregnant mother. Nursing mothers need even more. The milk may be in fluid form, as whole milk, buttermilk, skim milk, canned or evaporated milk, condensed milk, dried milk, or some form of cheese. One ounce of cheddar cheese is equal to a cup of milk. The milk can be used as a beverage or in cooking, such as soups, puddings, and desserts. Milk is a fine source of protein. It also provides minerals, vitamins, and especially calcium, which is needed for bones, teeth, nerves, and muscles.

5. Protein foods. Foods that are rich in proteins include beans, peas, soybeans, nuts, peanuts, eggs, meat, or fish. Soybeans are the richest source of proteins known. They are far richer than eggs, liver, kidney, or any other meat products and far less expensive. They have been used in the Orient for many generations. Dried peas, beans, lentils, and peanuts are all similar to meat in food value.

6. Whole-grain breads and cereals, at least two or three slices of bread and one dish of cooked cereal each day. These are particularly valuable for growing children and adults who work hard. Whole grains include wheat, rice, barley, corn, and other grains. "Enriched white flour" is better than ordinary white flour, but it is still lacking in certain essential elements. Grains and cereals provide calories for energy, as well as vitamins, minerals, and roughage. Whole grains, freshly ground, are best.

7. Butter, cream, fortified margarine, or other vegetable fats. A certain amount of fat is essential in every diet. Salad oils, olive oil, corn oil, and similar products may be substituted to meet the daily requirements for fat in the diet. Fats provide calories for heat and energy. They yield more than twice as much energy as carbohydrates.

Other foods rich in fats are egg yolk, vegetable oils, olives, nuts, and soybeans.

These are the "basic seven" food groups. One or two from each group should be included in the diet of the whole family every day. The quantities need not be large. The wider the variety, the better. Serve each food attractively. Eye appeal is always important.

In considering the "basic seven," you will notice that there is no mention of white sugar, spices, or condiments. None of these is essential in the diet. Ordinary white sugar does provide energy, but that is all. There are no vitamins or minerals in refined sugar.

In addition to these "basic seven" food groups one should include at least six to eight glasses of water each day. Water is necessary for removing wastes from the body. It aids in maintaining a normal temperature and in moistening the air we breathe. We do get some water from our foods, but not nearly enough to supply all our needs. Many who complain of sluggishness, fatigue, and nervous headaches would feel better if they were taking more water. It is best to drink between meals. Drinking water should be pure and free from harmful germs. If in doubt, boil the water before using it.

Over two thirds of the human body is composed of water in some form or other. This means that a person weighing 150 pounds has more than one hundred pounds of water in his physical make-up. Even the bones are one-third water. Without sufficient water, the blood cannot circulate properly. Nor can the digestive organs work as they should. All the cells need water. This is the remarkable fluid in which myriads of chemical and electrical reactions are taking place all the time.

A reliable supply of pure water is essential to the life and health of every family. One may live quite a while without food, but not more than a few days without water. There is no substitute for water. It is indeed the liquid of life. Those who follow the "basic seven" in their choice of foods and include a generous supply of pure water need never fear. They will be taking a balanced diet, and they will feel the benefits of good health all their lives.

The Vital Acid—Alkaline Balance continue...

Excess salt intake can also severely upset the body's water balance. Along with potassium, which also occurs naturally in fresh foods, the sodium in foods and in salt itself (which is sodium chloride) plays an important part in the movement of electrons through the body's water- based protoplasm. This is why sodium and potassium are known as electrolytes. Potassium tends to concentrate in the cells, sodium in the fluids outside the cells. The balance between sodium and potassium, when it is right, sets up a dynamic tension that makes it possible for the living cells to react quickly and efficiently to nerve stimuli, to exchange nutrients and wastes easily through the cell wall, and to maintain the proper interior and extracellular water balance. Too much sodium, which most of us get from eating salt, upsets this balance altogether and can cause troubles. It forces the body to hold on to extra amounts of water to make up for the extra salt one has eaten. Tissues become bloated, and this salt-caused edema can interfere with the blood's oxygen transfer to cells as well as creating extra pressure against the blood vessel walls themselves. These are some of the reasons the Lifestyle Diet eliminates salt both in cooking and at the table. It relies instead on fresh and dried herbs, garlic, and spices for seasoning.

Throw out the Coffee

Caffeine, a trimethylated xanthine, is found in coffee beans, tea leaves, cola nuts, and cacao, from which chocolate is made. Together with nicotine and alcohol, it makes up a trio of the most widely used psychoactive drugs in the world. The xanthines are stimulants to the central nervous system. They increase heartbeat rate, increase the volume and concentration of acid in the stomach, relax the smooth muscles in the body, raise blood lipids, stimulate the cerebral cortex (which means they heighten the intensity of mental processes), banishing drowsiness and feelings of fatigue. Caffeine and alcohol also have a diuretic effect on the system, causing frequent urination.

The average cup of coffee contains between 100 and 150 milligrams of caffeine per cup, instant coffee somewhat less, tea between 60 and 75 milligrams, cola drinks between 50 and 60 milligrams. This means that if you are drinking four or five cups of coffee each day you are getting a dose of 700 to 750 milligrams of caffeine. To any pharmacologist a dose over 250 milligrams is considered large, although about a third of people in the West get twice as much each day and one person in ten actually imbibes more than 1,000 milligrams of the drug caffeine every twenty- four hours. The full long-term implications of drinking coffee (and, to a lesser degree, tea and cola drinks) are still not clear. However, enough is known already to inspire any woman concerned about the preservation of her health and beauty to give them up completely. For caffeine is a stimulus you do not need on a healthful low protein, low-fat diet high in unrefined carbohydrates.

The link between caffeine intake and anxiety symptoms has been well established. Dr. John Greded, associate professor of psychiatry at theUniversity of Michigan, and his colleagues and others have reported that high caffeine consumers have statistically significant elevations in anxiety scores. The risk of developing peptic ulcers is also 1.4 times greater among coffee drinkers than among non-coffee drinkers. There is now evidence that coffee consumption by pregnant women can be dangerous to the unborn child Caffeine has been shown to cross the placental barrier where its mutagenic and perhaps even teratogenic potential may cause genetic changes and, therefore, birth defects.

Finally, a daily intake of caffeine from coffee drinking is the same as continuing to supply your system with any other drug to which it has to adjust and which ultimately it has to detoxify and eliminate. One of the main principles of any long-term diet for health and beauty is, never add to the body anything which is not necessary and with which it has to deal. The fewer toxic substances there are, the less contribution they will make to tissue sludge, premature aging of skin, and the subclinical vitamin and mineral deficiencies which result in falling hair, breaking fingernails, chronic fatigue, and mental disorders. In the Lifestyle Diet, coffee, tea, cola drinks (even those without sugar), and cocoa are out. Instead, you can drink mineral waters, herb teas (but always in moderation since some of them in excess may not be good for you either), fresh fruit and vegetable juices, and coffee substitutes made from roots and grains.

What is dietary fibre?

Over the years, many terms have been used to describe the indigestible residue that remains in the digestive tract after all the available nutrients have been absorbed. In fact, when research on the subject began in earnest, one of the first problems the researchers faced was agreement on terminology and definition. It was decided that the terms 'crude fibre', 'roughage' and 'fibre' were inappropriate because some components of dietary fibre are water soluble (see below) and not fibrous or 'rough' at all. The term 'dietary fibre' is however firmly established in the history of nutrition and in the public mind and it was agreed that this should continue to be used.

Hugh Trowel and Denis Burkitt, two British doctors working in East Africa and pioneers in dietary fibre research, recognised early on that fibre comprises a group of substances, all either polysaccharides or lignin. Polysaccharides consist of a multiple grouping of glucose units (as in starch) which are however impossible for humans to digest, while lignin is a coarse, 'woody' compound found in the gritty part of pears and vegetable stalks. Unfortunately, the method they used to determine the quantity of this material also measures a variety of other substances (including some starch) which resist digestion in the small intestine and are only handled by the large intestine later.

Researchers from the Dunn Clinical Nutrition Centre in Cambridge England, developed a new and more appropiate method (the Eglyst method) of analysis, in which starch is completely removed and dietary fibre measured as the non-starch polysaccharides. This has led to a redefinition of dietary fibre as NSP (Non-Starch Polysaccharides). Lignin, although not a polysaccharide, is also regarded as dietary fibre; it is bound to the cell wall and probably contributes to the effects of NSP on body functions. It is however very difficult to measure and amounts present in edible foods are believed to be small.

Soluble vs insoluble fibre

A more practical classification, based on solubility and differences in effects in the body, is that of water soluble and insoluble dietary fibre. Insoluble fibre binds water and has a 'bulking' effect, whereas soluble components are inclined to form gels in water and are therefore also referred to as 'gel-forming' dietary fibre. Interestingly, recent research has shown that water soluble fibre (found in oats, oat bran, dried legumes and some fruit) has a significant cholesterol-lowering effect.

Extraordinary oats

The well-known quip that oats is 'a grain which in England is generally given to horses but in Scotland supports the people' gives no clue as to the diverse nutritional benefits of this cereal product. Firstly, the protein present in oats is of good quality and, coupled as it is with fibre and carbohydrate, it provides a breakfast with a high satiety value at a low price. Foods which - like oats - banish hunger for lengthy periods are particularly useful for schoolchildren, who won't feel the need to dash to the tuckshop at first break!

But this does not mean that oats is strictly for the kids, since the type of fibre which oats contains is of particular significance. Dietary fibre, or roughage, is made up of insoluble fibre (which forms bulk in the digestive tract and plays an important role in promoting peristalsis and preventing constipation), and soluble or gel-forming fibre. The fibre in oats is predominantly of the latter type, which has been shown to play a useful role in lowering blood cholesterol levels. It does this by binding with cholesterol in the digestive tract and preventing its absorption into the bloodstream. In addition, it slows down digestion and, at the same time, the release of glucose into the bloodstream, which is of special benefit to diabetics. Soluble fibre also promotes bacterial action in the digestive tract, helping to prevent constipation, and may well play a role in reducing the risk of bowel cancer.

How fibre affects the body

The whole subject of food residue is a complicated one because of the variety of indigestible compounds and the different ways in which they influence the digestive and absorption processes in the body. In the simplest terms, dietary fibre acts in the digestive tract by binding or absorbing water and other substances, thus causing 'bulking' of the contents of the gut. It influences the speed with which food moves through the various parts of the digestive tract. However, the ways in which fibre affects digestion, absorption and the movement of food in the digestive tract are diverse, far-reaching and not always well understood. To illustrate this, fibre in the diet may affect blood sugar levels, the production of bile, the transport of cholesterol in the body and your chances of developing colon cancer. It can even affect the hormonal responses to a meal.

A variety of factors influence the effect of a particular fibre or high- fibre food. The chemical composition of the fibre, its particle size, the age of the plant source and methods used in the processing of the food, all affect the physical properties of the fibre. It is these characteristics which account for the different functions of fibre in addition to its main effect of causing in^creased bulk formation in the digestive tract.

Fibre effects are also influenced by the total composition of the meal and the amount of fibre in it. Short-term effects - for example on the blood sugar level - can be seen immediately after a person has eaten a single high-fibre meal. Long-term effects, such as lowering of blood cholesterol levels, occur only after a regular and prolonged intake of fibre. The effect of fibre in the different parts of the digestive tract (stomach, small and large intestine) also differs and may vary between individuals.

Fibre and the diseases of affluence

As already mentioned, research on dietary fibre was initially stimulated by studies which showed that population groups who follow high-fibre diets suffer far less from the 'diseases of affluence' - the medical term used to describe degenerative diseases and disorders which have been linked to a prosperous Western lifestyle. Among these are colon cancer, appendicitis, gall stones, varicose veins and constipation. Their causes are many; what has been established is that a variety of environmental factors, including dietary habits, can trigger these diseases in people who are genetically 'vulnerable' to them. This explains why they tend to run in families and why some people, even though they follow a Western lifestyle, do not develop a particular disease.

Let's look at those diseases which are known to be associated with the amount of fibre in our daily diets:

Constipation

Constipation is probably one of the most common disorders in the world and is also the cause of other diseases (see diverticular disease and colon cancer below.) It can be defined as the relatively slow movement of unduly firm waste matter through the large bowel, which results in the infrequent passing of small, hard and dry stools - often accompanied by straining.

Including enough fibre in your diet prevents constipation in various ways. Firstly, fibre is not digested in the small intestine. It therefore moves to the large bowel where it has a bulking effect, increasing the volume of the bowel content. Because it binds water, fibre prevents the absorption of water from the large bowel to some extent, ensuring that the contents remain large in volume and soft in consistency. Fibre also stimulates the growth of microbes in the large bowel, which contributes to larger, softer stools. The larger volume in the bowel stimulates peristaltic movements and eases the process of defecation so that straining is not necessary. In addition, during the partial fermentation of fibre in the large bowel by microbial enzymes, substances such as methane and hydrogen gasses, water and the short-chain fatty acids are produced. There is now convincing evidence that these acids play an important role in maintaining a healthy bowel.

Diverticular disease

It is now recognised that constipation - and the resultant increase in pressure in the colon (large bowel) because of strained bowel movements - is the underlying cause of diverticular disease. In this disorder, small, blown-out pouches or sac-like swellings (diverticula) form in the wall of the colon and project into the abdominal cavity. Inflammation of these pouches is known as diverticulitis and may cause abdominal discomfort and pain.

Diverticular disease is very common in affluent societies, especially among elderly people. The treatment of constipation with high-fibre diets will not only help prevent the development of the disease, but will also improve - and may even 'cure' - an existing condition.

Colon cancer

Although the role of diet in the development of this disease is still unclear, some scientists believe that high energy and fat and low fibre intakes are important contributing factors (see Cancer - can Your Diet Make the Difference?, page 181). The way in which fibre may protect against colon cancer is probably very complex. It is thought that the rapid movement of a bigger volume through the large bowel shortens the bowel wall's exposure time to substances which may induce cancer (carcinogens).

Because of its bulking and water-binding effects, fibre dilutes the concentration of carcinogens in the gut. It may even bind these substances and help with their excretion in the faeces. New research has showed that butyric acid, one of the short-chain fatty acids produced from fibre fermentation in the large bowel, also protects the bowel against the development of cancer. In addition, changes in colonic pH as a result of the fermentation process may be of importance.

Gazpacho with Langoustines and Courgette Quenelles

12 small langoustines, shelled and deveined 2 sprigs fresh tarragon

Gazpacho

80 g crustless bread

8 ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped '12 red pepper, seeded and chopped

1/4 English cucumber, seeded and chopped 'l2 clove garlic

70 g finely chopped onion

1 egg

10 ml olive oil

red wine vinegar

Courgette Quenelles

300 g courgettes

1 leaf gelatine soaked in a little water 50 ml cream

salt and milled black pepper

Gazpacho: Place the bread in a bowl. Extract juice from the tomatoes, red pepper, cucumber, garlic and onion with a juice extractor, pour over the bread and set aside for 10 minutes to soak. Purée until smooth.

Whip together the egg and olive oil and add to the soup. Season with a dash of red wine vinegar and salt and pepper. Push through a sieve into a bowl and refrigerate.

Courgette Quenelles: Peel the courgettes with a potato peeler to a thickness of 0,5 cm. Cook in boiling salted water for 8 minutes, then drain and plunge into cold water to retain the colour.

Drain thoroughly and pass through a sieve into a saucepan. Cook uncovered over low heat, stirring constantly, until the purée is dry.

Remove the gelatine from the water and dry on a towel. Mix thoroughly into the quenelle mixture and chill. Whip the cream stiffly and fold in. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the langoustines into a steamer with the tarragon and steam over simmering water for 30-60 seconds; don't overcook.

To Serve: Pour chilled gazpacho into cold soup bowls. Using two teaspoons, scoop the courgette mixture into quenelles and arrange three mounds in the shape of

a star in each bowl. Place the langoustine_sbetween the quenelles.

Serves 4

Asparagus in Puff Pastry with Warm Oysters

400 g puff pastry

8 oysters

150 ml cream

100 g butter

8 spears green asparagus

2-3 ripe tomatoes, finely diced

Pastry: Set the oven at 200°C. Lightly oil a baking tray.

Unroll the pastry and cut into four squares. Place on the baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until well puffed and golden. Whilst still warm, slit each square through the middle so that you have an upper and a lower half.

Carefully open the oysters over a bowl to retain all the juices. Discard bits of shell and grit.

Place oysters and juice into a small

saucepan. Cover, bring to the boil, and remove from the heat. Add the cream and boil uncovered for 1 minute.

Reduce the heat and stir in the butter. Set aside.

Cook the asparagus in a pan of salted boiling water until tender but still crisp. Drain. Cut the base of the spears into

small pieces, leaving sufficient length to lay on the pastry.

To Serve: Reheat oysters. Place pastry bases on warm plates. Spoon on the warm oysters, and arrange asparagus spears on top.

Pour over the sauce and top with pastry

lids. Garnish plates with diced tomato. Serves 4

Smoked Salmon Gnocchi with Parsley Butter

If you wish to make gnocchi ahead of time, cover with oil and store in the fridge for up to four days. Drain well and dip in hot water to reheat.

3 potatoes (about 350 g), peeled and cubed 200 g smoked salmon

80 g (150 ml) cake flour

1 egg

5 ml dried dill

milled black pepper

Parsley Butter

100 g butter

5 ml chopped fresh parsley freshly squeezed lemon juice

Boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked. Drain and mash.

Purée the smoked salmon in a food processor or blender. Mix in the potato, flour, egg, dill and a little pepper, and knead well. Roll into about 40 small, irregular pieces - they should not be perfect rounds.

Bring water to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add the gnocchi in batches;

when they rise to the surface they are cooked. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon, place on a warm plate and keep warm.

Parsley butter: Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the parsley, and season with pepper and lemon juice. Pour over the gnocchi and serve hot.

Serves 4-5 as a main course;

6-8 as a starter

Baby Octopus in Peanut and Soy Sauce

750 g baby octopus, well cleaned freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil watercress sprigs for garnish

Peanut and Soy Sauce

125 ml soy sauce

15 ml crushed green ginger

50 g roasted peanuts, crushed 100 ml cream

Place the baby octopus in a bowl and pour over plenty of boiling water. Drain, tip back into the bowl, and squeeze over plenty of lemon juice.

Peanut and Soy Sauce: Whisk together all the ingredients in a small saucepan, adding the cream last. Bring to the boil.

To Serve: Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan, add the octopus and fry for a few minutes until sizzling hot. Toss in the peanut and soy sauce and garnish with sprigs of watercress.

Serves 6

Sole Huguenot and Hollandaise Sauce

6 soles, filleted; reserve skin and bones vegetable oil

12 button mushrooms

500 ml dry white wine

500 ml water

30 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

5 ml dried thyme

3 bay leaves

4 sprigs fresh parsley

1 onion, sliced

6 large lettuce leaves

2 ml salt

2 egg yolks

400 g soft butter, cut into 1 cm squares

Place the top of the double boiler in the fridge to chill. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the mushrooms until lightly browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Measure 30 ml each of the wine and water into a medium saucepan and add the lemon juice, thyme, 1 bay leaf, 1 parsley sprig and 1 slice of onion. Simmer uncovered until reduced by half. Strain and chill.

Lay lettuce leaves in a metal or enamel oven dish. Top with the remaining onion, bay leaves and parsley, and add fish skin and bones.

Starting at the tail ends, roll up the sole fillets and secure with toothpicks. Place on the bones or lettuce leaves (if the fish touches the dish it may stick). Pour in the remaining wine and water, season with salt, cover with foil and bring to the boil on the stovetop. When the foil puffs up with steam, remove from the heat and uncover.

Remove sole rolls, place on warm plates and carefully remove the toothpicks. Keep warm.

Place the baking dish on the stovetop and boil uncovered until reduced by 80%. Strain.

Hollandaise Sauce: Place the chilled, flavoured wine reduction in the top of the double boiler with the egg yolks. Whisk in a piece of butter with a hand whisk.

Place in the base over simmering water and whisk in the butter bit by bit until the sauce thickens.

Remove from the heat and pour some of the sauce into a gravy boat.

Add 45-60 ml reduced fish stock to the remaining sauce and pour over the sole rolls. Garnish with a mushroom and place the plates under a hot grill for 1 minute.

Serve with the remaining hollandaise sauce, mashed potato and lightly cooked vegetables.

Serves 6

Tempura Batter

The lightest batter for coating fish and shellfish.

125 ml cake flour

salt and milled back pepper

3 eggs whites

100 ml milk or water

Sift the flour, season with salt and pepper, and blend in the egg whitesand milk or water to form a thin batter. Makes about 250 ml

Legends' Chive Crepes

120 g (250 ml) cake flour

2 ml salt

300 ml milk

45 ml vegetable oil

2 eggs

125 ml finely chopped fresh chives

butter

Sift together the flour and salt. Blend the milk, oil and eggs to make a tooth batter. Mix in the chives. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Heat a little butter in a small frying pan, add a thin film of batter and cook until lightly browned. Flip the crêpe and lightly cook the other side. As the crepes are cooked, layer them interleaved with waxed paper.

Makes 8-10 thin crêpes

Court Bouillon

2 litres cold water

500 ml dry white wine 2 onions, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

2 ribs celery, sliced

1 fresh or dried bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, bay leaf)

5 ml black peppercorns

Combine the ingredients in a large pot, cover and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Strain and chill or freeze until required.

Makes about 2 litres

Fish Fumet

Prepare Court Bouillon (previous recipe), using only 1 litre water, and adding 1-2 well cleaned fish heads (make sure you remove the gills, which would give a bitter flavour). Strain into a clean pot and simmer uncovered until reduced by one-third.

Fish Stock

Use white fish varieties, and discard bitter gills and entrails, which would cause the stock to become bitter.

2 litres cold water

1,5 kg clean fish heads, trimmings and bones

1 large onion, quartered

2 carrots, thickly sliced

2 ribs celery with leaves, roughly chopped 1 fresh or dried bouquet garni(parsley, fennel, bay leaf)

1 strip lemon rind

12 black peppercorns

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot, cover and bring to the boil. Move the lid partially aside and reduce the heat until the liquid is barely moving.

Simmer for 30 minutes.

Strain the stock into a bowl through a colander lined with several layers of 'kitchen wipes'. Press on the solids to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Chill or freeze until required.

Makes about 1,5 litres