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.

ROUTINE FOR PUTTING ON WEIGHT

Plenty of rest and exercise, a good diet of fattening foods and no worries—those are the essentials

PUTTING on weight is very much more difficult than taking it off. Even thosefew extra pounds which can make all the difference to the appearance, comfort and, no doubt, general health, can be quite a problem.

Before embarking on a diet, it is always advisable to seek the advice of your own doctor. This is particularly important if there has been a sudden or prolonged loss of weight for no good reason and without affecting normal appetite. Where loss of weight is the result of an illness or operation, it is usually quite quickly and easily regained after recovery. The routine to be described will help in such cases, subject to the approval of your own doctor.

We are concerned here chiefly with that large army of men and women who are anxious to put on weight but who are the thin type by nature. Such people are born worriers, with excitable and energetic natures and over-active bowels, whose food does not remain in the intestines long enough to be properly absorbed.

Essential in the fattening process are:

• Keep calm and stop worrying. That is obviously a counsel of perfection to those who easily get worked up, but it can be achieved by cultivating outside interests that take your mind away from the source of anxiety (it may be professional, domestic, financial, or all three).

• Take plenty of rest. A minimum of between 8 and 9 hours in bed at night, plus between 10 and 30 minutes after every meal.

• Avoid rushing about, but take regular exercise. On no account jump up immediately after a meal; take life at a leisurely pace. Strenuous games are good if you really enjoy them, because they create appetite; so does any form of outdoor exercise, however mild.

• Eat well and regularly, and concentrate on the fattening foods (list follows). But be careful not to stuff between meals or you will defeat the whole object and be unable to eat your main meals, which are far more important. You must also avoid over-eating, with the inevitable danger of indigestion and biliousness. Aim at three good meals a day, plus any extras (such as sweets, etc.) which you really fancy and a hot, preferably milk, drink last thing at night. The housewife should take as many meals out as she conveniently can because she will not have the worry of preparing them.

• Cut down your smoking. It diminishes the appetitite, so, if you must smoke at all, only after meals, please.

Sugar, sweets, jam, marmalade, fruits in syrup, treacle, honey, Golden Syrup.

Cakes, scones, pastry, cereals, bread, biscuits, puddings.

Thickened soups and gravies, sauces made from flour, butter and/or milk.

Fried foods, cream, salad dressings, butter, dripping.

Pork, duck, goose. All fat meat and bacon. Tinned fish in oil.

Sweet wines, beer, stout, spirits, sweet aerated waters.

Dried fruits. Bananas, grapes, plums. Potatoes, peas, dried beans, parsnips, beetroot.

Cod-liver oil, Virol, olive oil.

Salt with food.

Foods with very little fattening value

Meat extracts. Marmite. Clear soups. Gelatine. Egg-white.

Green vegetables and salads. Vinegar. Tea. Coffee.

SPECIMEN DIET FOR PUTTING ON WEIGHT

Minimum: 1 pint of milk per day

On waking: Cup of tea, preferably with milk and sugar.

Breakfast: Cereal or porridge with milk and sugar or honey or syrup.

Bacon, egg, fish, etc.

Toast, butter and marmalade.

Coffee or tea.

11 a.m.: Coffee, cocoa or milk and a biscuit, or try this cocktail: One teaspoonful Spanish olive oil sandwiched between layers of orange juice in a wineglass. You can increase the quantity of olive oil gradually.

Lunch: Thick soup, if liked (if this makes it impossible to eat main course, substitute tomato or orange juice as an appetiser instead).

Meat, fish, game, poultry, etc.—both fat and lean. Serve with gravy, roast or fried potatoes and a green vegetable or salad with plenty of oily or cream dressing.

Pudding and / or cheese, butter and biscuits.. Coffee.

Tea: Tea with cake or bread and butter or banana sandwich.

Dinner: Thick soup (see Lunch).

Fish, meat or poultry, with gravy, at least one vegetable from list of Fattening Foods; one green vegetable or salad with cream or oil dressing.

Steamed or boiled pudding or milk pudding or ice cream.

Cheese with bread or biscuits and butter.

Coffee.

NOTE: Cocktails, wines. etc., may be taken as desired and obtainable. Stout or beer is good.

Bedtime: A hot drink, preferably containing milk.

Milk: 2% so what!

People think when they change from full fat milk to 2% milk they are really going to start losing weight. Ha! The truth is that full cream milk contains 3% fat. So what then, is the big deal if you absorb 1% less fat from your milk? If you drank a litre of milk per day, and changed from full cream to 2%, you would be taking in 10 g less fat. However, you would still be consuming 20 g of fat (from the milk) per day. Deduct that from your allowance of 33 g total fat for the day and you are left with a measly 13 g of fat to enjoy in the rest of your meals.

It is quite dangerous to think 2% milk is benign. It could upset your entire fat intake without you realising it. If you are fond of milk, then rather change to fat-free or skimmed milk. They are one and the same thing, but referred to differently by different producers.

We have found the long-life, fat-free milk to be the nicest; not as watery as the fresh fat-free milk. You can have a litre of this milk per day, which will provide you with your full calcium quota without upsetting your total fat intake.

And by the way, pretty much the same rule applies to yoghurt as well. Go for the fat- free brands instead of the low-fat varieties if you eat a lot of yoghurt.

SOUPS: slim SIPS

Soups can save your buff, especially if you are concerned about its size. If you want to take off kilos, increase your vegetable intake to curb (or even satisfy) your appetite with a bowl or two of lean, hearty soup. Save time by preparing more soup than you require and freeze small containers of the remainder for quick, easy and tasty nourishment in the future. Gram for gram a lean, all-in-one beefy vegetable soup with some added starch (such as noodles or barley) offers more nutrition and variety than many other meals.

How food affects drugs

In order to work properly, drugs must be present in the correct amounts at the receptor sites of the cell membranes. A number of factors can affect the way in which a drug works and, therefore, its effect on the body. Food is one of the most important of these factors. It can affect the absorption of a drug, its movement through the blood, its metabolism and its excretion.

Food and drug absorption

When drugs are taken orally, their absorption is influenced in different ways by the presence of food in the digestive tract. For example, food causes increased secretion of hydrochloric acid (HCl) in the stomach which can result in the destruction of some penicillin antibiotics that are taken by mouth. For this reason, penicillin should always be taken 1 hour before or 3 hours after meals.

Calcium in milk and dairy products tends to bind with tetracycline antibiotics to form non-absorbable compounds, with the result that the drug is lost in the stool. This means that these foods should not be eaten at the same time or within a few hours of taking the medication. However, the instruction 'Not to be taken with milk products' which sometimes appears on medicine labels can be misleading as it does not mean that you cannot consume any milk products while you are on the medication.

Iron salts (such as ferrous sulphate) can also bind with tetracycline antibiotics and result in the loss of the antibiotic. Therefore, anyone using an iron supplement as well as a tetracycline should take them at least two hours apart.

On the other hand, the absorption of some drugs can be increased when they are taken with foods. For example, foods with a high fat content increase the absorption of Griseofulvin, an antibiotic and antifungal drug. Iron supplements are also absorbed better when they are taken with vitamin C or foods rich in vitamin C, such as orange and guava juice. Interestingly, although some drugs (such as aspirin) are absorbed better on an empty stomach, they should nevertheless be taken with food - or at least milk - because of their irritating effect on the stomach lining.

Food and drug metabolism

Certain reactions inside the body can chemically change a drug (`metabolize' it) so that it is quite a different compound by the time it leaves the bloodstream. For example, some drugs combine with body proteins as they move through the bloodstream, which has the effect of preventing these drugs from entering the cells where they were intended to act. Others are broken down into smaller chemical components by the liver, the kidneys and the digestive tract. The metabolism of specific drugs can be influenced by the following in food: protein content, alcohol content, charcoal broiling, certain types of vegetables, caffeine intake, dietary fibre and the times food is eaten in relation to drug intake.

Food and the excretion of drugs

When metabolized by the body, some food alters the pH of the urine making it either more or less acidic - which in turn affects the excretion of drugs and therefore, the duration of their effects. For example, if excretion is decreased, more of the drug will be reabsorbed into the blood and its effects will be prolonged.

As an illustration, vitamin C makes the urine more acidic, thereby reducing the excretion of acidic drugs like phenobarbital and aspirin. When taking an antibiotic for a urinary tract infection, it is beneficial to acidify the urine, because this will result in decreased excretion of the antibiotic.

What drugs should you take when?

In order to minimize the adverse effects of foods on drug absorption, metabolism and excretion, the timing of drug administration in relation to food intake is very important. This is why it is essential to adhere to any such instructions which may accompany a prescribed drug. For example:

• If rapid absorption of the drug is desired, the doctor/pharmacist may specify on the prescription that the drug should be taken before meals.
• Drugs that irritate the stomach (such as indomethacin, phenobarbitone) should be taken when the stomach is 'cushioned' with food. In this case, the prescription should specify that the drug is to be taken after (or in the middle of) a meal.
• Fat-soluble drugs should not be taken with a fatty meal, since the medication will be absorbed with the fat content in the food; because fat is digested slowly, the drug may not be absorbed into the bloodstream as rapidly as it should be.
• Acetylsalicylic acid, Bisacodyl, Erythromycin and tetracyclines should not be taken with milk (see above).
• Ampicillin, Cloxacillin and Erythromycin-based drugs, as well as stearate and Penicillin G should not be taken with fruit juices or carbonated beverages.

Food Allergy Effects on the respiratory (breathing) organs

Food allergy may be associated with hayfever, bronchitis, asthma, and even some forms of pneumonia.

Hay fever

Hay fever with spasms of sneezing and watery nasal discharge may be caused by certain foods, but more common causes are house dust and animal danders (or dandruff). Once again, cow's milk is often responsible, especially in very young children, although it can cause problems in older children and adults as well.

Asthma

The role of food allergy as a cause of asthma may be underestimated because of difficulty with diagnosis. It is possible that food allergens can cause the typical narrowing of the airways associated with asthma, but only several hours after food has been eaten, so that the relationship between a common food and the beginning of symptoms may not be obvious. The most likely causes include milk, eggs, wheat and soya products. Wheezing due to cow's milk usually begins early in an allergic person's life, but the cause-effect relationship often goes unrecognised for long periods. A diet which eliminates the allergen is necessary to confirm the diagnosis.

Recurrent pneumonia

One form of recurrent pneumonia has been shown to be due to cow's milk allergy. This illness, known as Heiner's Syndrome, is what doctors now suspect when children who drink cow's milk suffer from re-current or chronic lung disease. The problem is caused by the fact that they have a very high level of antibodies to the milk in their blood; most symptoms disappear within a few days on a milk-free diet.

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