Turning
away from the whole controversy, then, we will ask the question of nature
herself, and we shall find that she has not left us without an answer.
Most of
the errors of dietary scientists grow out of a false premise as to the natural
state of man. It is assumed that civilization and mental development are unnatural
things; that the man who lives in a modern house, in city or country, and who
works in modern trade or industry for his living is leading an unnatural life,
and is in an unnatural environment; that the only "natural" man is a
naked savage, and that the farther we get from the savage the farther we are
from nature.
This is
wrong. The man who has all that art and science can give him is leading the
most natural life, because he is living most completely in all his faculties.
The dweller in a well-appointed city flat, with modern conveniences and good
ventilation, is living a far more naturally human life than the Australian
savage who lives in a hollow tree or a hole in the ground.
That
Great Intelligence, which is in all and through all, has in reality practically
settled the question as to what we shall eat. In ordering the affairs of
nature, It has decided that man's food shall be according to the zone in which
he lives. In the frigid regions of the far North, fuel foods are required. The
development of brain is not large, nor is the life severe in its labor-tax on
muscle; and so the Esquimaux live largely on the blubber and fat of aquatic
animals.
No other
diet is possible to them; they could not get fruits, nuts, or vegetables even
if they were disposed to eat them; and they could not live on them in that
climate if they could get them. So, notwithstanding the arguments of the
vegetarians, the Esquimaux will continue to live on animal fats.
On the
other hand, as we come toward the tropics, we find fuel foods less required;
and we find the people naturally inclining toward a vegetarian diet. Millions
live on rice and fruits; and the food regimen of an Esquimaux village, if
followed upon the equator, would result in speedy death. A "natural"
diet for the equatorial regions would be very far from being a natural diet
near the North Pole; and the people of either zone, if not interfered with by
medical or dietary "scientists," will be guided by the All
Intelligence, which seeks the fullest life in all, to feed themselves in the
best way for the promotion of perfect health.
In
general, you can see that God, working in nature and in the evolution of human
society and customs, has answered your question as to what you shall eat; and I
advise you to take His answer in preference to that of any man.
In the
temperate zone the largest demands are made on man in spirit, mind, and body;
and here we find the greatest variety of food provided by nature. And it is
really quite useless and superfluous to theorize on the question what the
masses shall eat, for they have no choice; they must eat the foods which are
staple products of the zone in which they live. It is impossible to supply all
the people with a nut-and-fruit or raw food diet; and the fact that it is impossible
is proof positive that these are not the foods intended by nature, for nature,
being formed for the advancement of life, has not made the obtaining of the
means of life an impossibility.
So, I
say, the question, What shall I eat? has been answered for you. Eat wheat,
corn, rye, oats, barley, buckwheat; eat vegetables; eat meats, eat fruits, eat
the things that are eaten by the masses of the people around the world, for in
this matter the voice of the people is the voice of God.
They
have been led, generally, to the selection of certain foods; and they have been
led, generally, to prepare these foods in generally similar ways; and you may
depend upon it that in general they have the right foods and are preparing them
in the right way. In these matters the race has been under the guidance of God.
The list of foods in common use is a long one, and you must select therefrom
according to your individual taste; if you do, you will find that you have an
infallible guide, as shown in the next two chapters.
If you
do not eat until you have an EARNED hunger, you will not find your taste
demanding unnatural or unhealthy foods. The woodchopper, who has swung his axe
continuously from seven in the morning until noon does not come in clamoring
for cream puffs and confectionery; he wants pork and beans, or beefsteak and
potatoes, or corn bread and cabbage; he asks for the plain solids.
Offer to
crack him a few walnuts and give him a plate of lettuce, and you will be met
with huge disdain; those things are not natural foods for a workingman. And if
they are not natural foods for a workingman, they are not for any other man;
for work hunger is the only real hunger, and requires the same materials to
satisfy it be in woodchopper or banker, in man, woman or child.
It is a
mistake to suppose that food must be selected with anxious care to fit the
vocation of the person who eats. It is not true that the woodchopper requires
"heavy" or "solid" foods and the bookkeeper
"light" foods.
If you
are a bookkeeper, or other brain worker, and do not eat until you have an
EARNED hunger, you will want exactly the same foods that the woodchopper wants.
Your body is made of exactly the same elements as that of the woodchopper, and
requires the same materials for cell-building; why, then, feed him on ham and
eggs and corn bread and you on crackers and toast?
True,
most of his waste is of muscle, while most of yours is of brain and nerve
tissues; but it is also true that the woodchopper's diet contains all the
requisites for brain and nerve building in far better proportions than they are
found in most "light" foods. The world's best brain work has been
done on the fare of the working people. The world's greatest thinkers have
invariably lived on the plain solid foods common among the masses.
Let the
bookkeeper wait until he has an earned hunger before he eats; and then, if he
wants ham, eggs, and corn bread, by all means let him eat them; but let him
remember that he does not need one-twentieth of the amount necessary for the
woodchopper.
It is
not eating "hearty" foods which gives the brain worker indigestion;
it is eating as much as would be needed by a muscle worker. Indigestion is
never caused by eating to satisfy hunger; it is always caused by eating to
gratify appetite.
If you eat
in the manner prescribed in the next chapter, your taste will soon become so
natural that you will never WANT anything that you cannot eat with impunity;
and you can drop the whole anxious question of what to eat from your mind
forever, and simply eat what you want. Indeed, that is the only way to do if
you are to think no thoughts but those of health; for you cannot think health
so long as you are in continual doubt and uncertainty as to whether you are
getting the right bills of fare.
"Take
no thought what ye shall eat," said Jesus, and he spoke wisely. The food
found on the table of any ordinary middle-class or working class family will
nourish your body perfectly if you eat at the right times and in the right way.
If you want meat, eat it; and if you do not want it, do not eat it. And do not
suppose that you must find some special substitute for it. You can live
perfectly well on what is left on any table after the meat has been removed.
It is
not necessary to worry about a "varied" diet, so as to get in all the
necessary elements. The Chinese and Hindus build very good bodies and excellent
brains on a diet of few variations, rice making almost the whole of it. The
Scotch are physically and mentally strong on oatmeal cakes; and the Irishman is
husky of body and brilliant of mind on potatoes and pork. The wheat berry
contains practically all that is necessary for the building of brain and body;
and a man can live very well on a monodiet of navy beans.
Form a
conception of perfect health for yourself, and do not hold any thought which is
not a thought of health.
NEVER
eat until you have an EARNED HUNGER. Remember that it will not hurt you in the
least to go hungry for a short time; but it will surely hurt you to eat when
you are not hungry.
Do not
give the least thought to what you should or should not eat; simply eat what is
set before you, selecting that which pleases your taste most. In other words,
eat what you want. This you can do with perfect results if you eat in the right
way; and how to do this will be explained in the next chapter.