During her years of hospital training 
she suffered from weak digestion and catarrh of the stomach, 
and in the winter of 1940 and 1941 she observed the symptoms of cancer. A trial microscopy taken at the Radium 
Centre in Copenhagen was positive, indicating there were 
cancer cells. Dr. Nolfi treated herself with an exclusive raw diet and recovered excellent health. This success prompted 
her to open the "Humlegaarden" where not only all patients, 
but even members of the hospital staff, live entirely upon 
foods which have not been treated by heating. About one 
thousand patients annually visit this sanitarium, and doctors from Denmark and foreign countries also visit the place and 
make observations which are late r utilized in their practice. The therapeutic successes at tained at the "Humlegaarden" 
are said to be phenomenal. Dr. Nolfi attributes this to the 
consumption of raw foods, and in particular to the use of raw 
garlic and raw potatoes. Patient s at this sanitarium recover 
from all manner of diseases, including cancer, sterility, obesity, diabetes, heart debilitation, high blood pressure, 
rheumatism, epilepsy, asthma, and many others. In some 
cases even grey hair darkens in color. According to Dr. Nolfi, 
the raw diet "has a curative effect not only for a particular 
disease and on an individual organ, but on the organism as a whole. It cures not only the diseases contracted during our  
 short span of life, but also those determined by hereditary 
predispositions." Dr. K. Eimer, of the University Medical Clinic at Marburg-
Lahn, has employed the raw diet in the treatment of many 
different diseases. He reports that no gastric disturbances 
occur on the diet and that the relatively large amounts of cellulose in the raw vegetable foods appear to aid peristalsis. He found the raw diet to be especially suitable in cases of 
renal or cardiac oedema or the oedema of obesity, with the 
elimination of superfluous water and salt being rapidly 
achieved. In diseases of the circulatory system, the diet was found to usefully supplement other treatment, and high blood 
pressure and diabetes were found to be benefited through the 
use of raw food. The blood was improved on the raw diet, 
and the alkali reserve was raised an average of 20 per cent 
among the patients. Dr. Eimer also reported that the refractive 
index of the serum increased through the use of raw foods. Of equal importance is the experience of Dr. Joseph Evers 
in Germany, who has treated 600 cases of multiple sclerosis 
with diets containing no refined foods, and consisting chiefly 
of raw fruits, raw nuts, raw ve getable roots, raw honey, raw 
grain sprouts, uncooked coarse rolled oats, wholemeal bread, 
raw ham, raw bacon, and raw chopped beef. Dr. Ever's dietary treatment was set up under the controls of recognized 
scientists and tested in different universities, clinics, 
hospitals, and sanatoriums. Results were surprisingly good, 
and 42 per cent of all patients showed improvement or 
complete recovery. This percentage might appear to be low, but for multiple sclerosis, which consistently fails to yield to 
orthodox medical treatment, a single recovery is worthy of mention. In the city of Munich, the German physicians, Friedrich and 
Peters, employed a raw diet consisting chiefly of fruits and vegetables, and small amounts of meat. Many very severe 
cases of liver cirrhosis, with ascites were treated. Results, 
surprisingly, were quite successful, and a number of most 
striking cases have been cited by the physicians to show the value of raw foods in the treatment of this disease. Other physicians and scientists who have studied the raw 
diet in relation to therapeutic uses are D. C. Hare, J. F.  
Kinderheilk, W. Heupe, I. Kanai, and M. Kuratsune. Dr. 
Hare, of the Royal Free Hospita l in England, placed arthritic 
patients on an exclusive raw diet for two weeks followed by a 
predominantly raw diet for several weeks. Most of the 
patients began to feel better within one to four weeks, with marked im
provement continuin g thereafter. Kinderheilk found the raw diet to be of value in avitaminosis, nephritis, 
diabetes, and chronic constipation. In cases of cardiac disease 
he noted that it promoted the excretion of superfluous water 
and was thus helpful to the patients. Dr. Heupe, working at the University Medical Polyclinic in Frankfurt, reported the 
diet to aid in the treatment of  diarrhea of children, in heart 
and kidney diseases, and in obesity and diabetes. Kanai, of 
the University of Berlin, studied the effect of raw and cooked 
vegetarian diets on the oxidation of the body. He noted that oxidation was impaired by cooked vegetarian foods. On the 
raw diet the urinary output of nitrogen was greater, indicating 
better absorption, and the weight increase was better. Dr. 
Kuratsune, of Kyushu University, Japan, also tested raw and 
cooked vegetarian diets, and reported results were decidedly better on the raw regime. Heated vegetables tended to 
produce anemia, which was cured when raw vegetables were 
eaten. Other diseases, which had failed to yield to 
conventional medical care, responded favorably to the raw diet. The sum total of all human experience with raw foods has 
thus been remarkably successful. As in the case with animals, the efficiency of physiological function within the body, as 
well as the proportion of both infectious and degenerative 
diseases, appears to correspond to a large degree with the 
relative quantity of raw and cooked foods in the diet. In the 
case of raw and heated milk the evidence is especially conclusive, particularly with reference to the growth and bone 
and dental development of children. In the clinics and 
sanitariums of the world, where a raw food diet has been employed, evidence of the value of all types of raw foods has 
been obtained, and the raw diet is found to be of definite 
therapeutic value in the treatment of many common diseases. Its value in this capacity is most pronounced, as it is 
associated with no adverse side-effects, which so frequently follow the use of conventional medical treatments. 7        
RAW FOOD IN LIMITATING 
CIRCUMSTANCES  
AFTER ALL that has been said, it may seem that raw food 
constitutes the perfect nutriment of man. But in spite of the very great advantages of raw food, there is the question of 
possible disadvantages. Seldom in science is there a principle 
or practice which is never contra-indicated under any circumstances. The use of raw food, valuable as it is, does 
have its limiting qualifications. It is important that these be 
recognized if we are to view  this subject on a strictly 
scientific basis. F
OOD PRESERVATION  
   Among other things, cooking is a method of preserving 
foods. As such it has played an important and necessary role 
in human history. Until recently, the public food supply was often seasonal and uncertain. When food was available, it 
could not all be consumed at once in its raw state. Much of 
the food had to be preserved for a later day. Drying and salting were two methods of accomplishing this. Cooking was 
another. Often all three methods were combined, particularly 
as applied to the preservation of meat. Canning, which was 
associated with a long cooking process, developed later and 
permitted people to keep fruits, vegetables, and meats indefinitely. Cooking was important in helping to preserve 
certain foods because it destroyed the enzymes which 
otherwise would bring about rapid biological change. Cooking has thus played an essential role in human history by 
stabilizing the food supply, though in the modern world, 
where more practical methods  of food preservation are 
available, it ceases to be of importance for this purpose. H
EAT- LABILE POISONS  
   Nature is a storehouse of  plant poisons. Through thousands 
of years of trial and error, man has identified and avoided 
these, selecting the non-poisonous products of nature for use 
as human food. Wild animals, in their own way, have done 
the same. However, in rare cases the poisons of plant or animal tissue are heat-labile
, and the process of cookin g can render the food available for human nourishment by 
destroying such poisons as may be present. A number of foods of this type may be given mention. First 
is the acorn. This food is found in both sweet and bitter 
varieties. The former are satisfactory in their raw state, but 
the bitter acorns contain tannin, which is removed by washing acorn meal in hot water or boiling water. Likewise with the 
cassava root, the sweet varieties are perfectly innocuous and 
may be eaten raw as a table vegetable, but the bitter cassava 
root contains poisonous hydrocyanic acid, which must be 
dissipated by heat before the root can be used as food. Cottonseed meal contains a toxic pigment, gossypol, which is 
destroyed by heat treatment. The little known cynad nuts of 
Australia are toxic in their raw state, but through prolonged 
soaking and cooking, the poison is removed from the flour of 
the nut. Young brakefern shoots are poisonous when raw, but safe for human consumption when cooked. The raw cashew 
nut is surrounded by two shells, between which is found a 
strong and blistering brown oil which must be dissipated by 
heat before the nut can be safely extracted. Untreated raw soy 
beans contain a toxic anti-enzyme which tends to block protein digestion and cause some impairment in the growth of 
experimental animals. This substance is destroyed by heat or 
it can be removed by soaking raw soybeans 24 to 48 hours in 
an ice box or refrigerator with three or four changes of water. The anti-enzyme is washed out into the water, which is then 
discarded. Animal food can also contain heat-labile poisons. Certain 
uncooked fish, including clams, mussels, cockles, shrimp, 
lobster, suckers, catfish, bullhead, carp, herring, and 
whitefish, contain the enzyme, thiaminase, which destroys part of the B complex vitamin, thiamine, in the gastro-
intestinal tract. For this reason foxes in captivity which are 
fed large amount of such fish in the raw state eventually 
develop symptoms of thiamine deficiency, and trout have 
been observed to suffer when feeding primarily upon carp, which are particularly rich in this enzyme. People in different 
parts of the world have consumed clams, mussels, shrimp, 
and herring in the raw state, but no obvious signs of 
deficiency disease have appeared. Apparently humans can 
tolerate some thiaminase in the diet, though as with foxes and trout, excesses are doubtless possible. The troublesome 
thiaminase is destroyed by heat, and thus in conditions where 
very large quantities of fish containing thiaminase are 
consumed, there is some reason for cooking. Raw egg white contains the heat-labile substance, avidin, 
which tends to destro
y the B com plex vitamin , biotin , in the body. The consumption of very large quantities of pure raw 
egg white can lead to symptoms of biotin deficiency, whereas 
cooked egg white may be taken without difficulty. The yolk 
of the raw egg is rich in biotin, which may counterbalance the effects of avidin and account for the fact that many people 
have used whole raw eggs in the diet without experiencing 
difficulty. In fact, there have been reports of definite physical 
benefit from using whole raw eggs, and the food has been 
used successfully in the treatment of tuberculosis, rheumatism, and other diseases. H. T. Parsons found that egg 
white injury in rats could be prevented by including brewers 
yeast or liver (which are rich in biotin) in the diet, and other 
investigators have reported its prevention when the vitamin C 
intake was adequate. The presence of avidin in raw egg white does not then indicate that raw eggs can never be used, but it 
does indicate that the raw white should not be used alone, 
particularly in diets which are rather low in biotin and 
vitamin C intake. The removal of heat-labile poisons from food through the 
application of heat is attended by removal or destruction of 
essential nutritive factors. Though cooking may dissipate the poisonous principle, it does not render the foods completely 
suitable for human nourishment. The foods become non-
poisonous, it is true, but they are as defective as other cooked 
products. If we must use large quantities of foods containing 
strong heat-labile poisons which cannot be removed by the water-soaking process, let us apply cooking by all means. But 
as long as we already have an adequate supply of healthful 
non-poisonous foods, there is no necessity for using those containing the more powerful heat-labile poisons. And the 
mild anti-vitamin factors, such as thiaminase and avidin, need 
not worry us providing we use the foods containing them in 
moderation and in proper combination with other foods. P
ARASITIC INFECTIONS  
   In sections of China, Japan, Formosa, and other areas of the 
Far East, human parasitic infections have been quite common 
and have seriously reduced the efficiency of many of those affected. Unsanitary disposal of human nightsoil pollutes the 
water and soil in these areas, which in turn infects crabs, 
crayfish, snails, water plants, and vegetables with parasites. In many cases the nightsoil is even used as fertilizer for the 
water vegetables and water nuts. Lakes are so polluted that wading or bathing in them brings about human fluke 
infections. When the natives consume the raw fish, snails and 
red ling water nuts of the lakes, together with the raw 
ve
getables of the soil , they are re-infected a gain and a gain with liver flukes, lung flukes, and other parasites. In certain 
other parts of the world some parasitic infection has also been 
reported, usually as a result of eating infected fresh-water fish and infected pork. No one need doubt that parasitic infections can result from 
the consumption of raw foods which are contaminated with parasitic organisms. However, these are problems which are 
restricted primarily to parts of the earth where human night-
soil is used as fertilizer and facilities for the disposal of 
sewage are inadequate. When modern sanitation is absent, 
even the drinking water may be so polluted that boiling is essential. In this country, as well as many others, such 
problems do not usually confront us. Our watercress and 
vegetables are generally produced under sanitary conditions 
without the aid of human nightsoil. Unfortunately many 
towns and cities do dispose of their sewage into rivers, and since this is true, fresh-water fish are often infested with 
tapeworms and other parasites. The production of swine 
under unsanitary, poor nutritional conditions has also left us 
with the problem of trichina infection. It is important to recognize that even when foods are 
contaminated with parasites, cooking does not always render 
the foods safe for human consumption. The development of parasites within the body probably depends far more upon the 
physiological conditions which are provided for the parasites 
than it does upon the frequency of infection. Scientists have 
repeatedly noted that poorly nourished animals are infected 
by parasites far more frequently than are well nourished animals. Furthermore, once infection does take place, the 
damage inflicted upon the host appears to depend upon the 
state of nutrition, with malnourished animals or people always suffering the most. Pottenger noted that when cats 
were fed raw meat they were relatively free from intestinal 
parasites, whereas those given cooked meat, in which all 
parasites were supposedly killed, were severely affected. Experts on the subject of canine nutrition point out that tapeworm infection is not generally associated with the use of 
raw meat by dogs. Yet, dogs living almost exclusively upon 
heat-processed commercial pet foods are often heavily 
infested with tapeworms a nd other parasites of every 
conceivable description. It is estimated that 18 to 25 per cent of all Americans are infected with sub-clinical trichinosis, 
and practically every one of these people consumed cooked 
pork rather than raw pork. Indeed, hogs in this country are 
affected with trichina in only 1.5 per cent of all cases, or less 
than one-tenth as often as humans. It is the human population, consuming cooked foods, which is the primary reservoir of 
parasite infection for man y domestic animals. The basic human problem is one of reinfection. It is clear, then, that the 
cooking of food does not get at the primary source of the 
parasite problem, although it may be recommended in the case of known contaminated foods. P
ALATABILITY OF RAW FOOD 
   In a limited number of cases—probably not over ten per 
cent—cooking may be considered useful to improve the palatability of foods. Almost all raw vegetables are suitable for consumption, although the cooked products are often considered more acceptable. Raw carob pods are edible, but 
they must be ground into a meal and lightly toasted in order 
to bring out a chocolate-like flavor. Pure maple sap is a very palatable food, but the very rich maple flavor is brought out 
only through prolonged boiling. Popcorn is rendered edible 
through the application of heat. Certain grains, as well as 
meats, have not been widely used in their raw state, and it is possible that cooking is essential for their full palatability. One must not deduce from these facts that raw foods as a 
whole are less palatable than cooked foods or that an exclusive raw diet is less palatable than a cooked diet. Actually our food habits are determined primarily by our 
dietary during infancy and childhood. As adults, we may prefer cooked foods because we were trained to like them. We may actually dread to taste a particular raw food simply because we never received it as a child. But during the early 
part of life we can be trained to appreciate the flavor of 
practically any food, cooked or raw, and if given the 
opportunity to consume raw foods, there is seldom hesitancy 
in doing so. For instance, Dr. Clara M. Davis conducted an experiment on the self-choice of foods by infants and young 
children, and found that the favorite of all foods was raw 
calves' brains. These were eaten in amazing quantities, often as much as a pound a meal. Children given raw meat, raw 
grain products, raw yams, raw potatoes, etc., learn to 
appreciate them just as well as they do raw fruits and nuts. Our customary practice of dividing foods into types which 
can be eaten raw and types which must be cooked is based primarily upon childhood habits. Aside from the exceptional 
cases which have been mentioned, those foods which are 
considered best raw are those we have always eaten raw; 
those which are considered best cooked are those we have 
always eaten cooked. Actually, at least 90 per cent of all the foods which have ever been eaten by man are fully edible in 
their raw state. We have probably not utilized half of these. Once our dietary pattern has been established and carried 
into adulthood, there is still every opportunity for change. People who have been trained to appreciate the flavor of 
cooked foods to raw foods must undergo a re-education of the sense of taste. This is not a difficult procedure, and surprising 
as it may seem, it can be accomplished quite rapidly. Within 
just a few weeks, one may learn to appreciate the flavors of 
many raw foods which formerly were consistently avoided. To accomplish this, you need only adopt a "nibbling" habit in which small but increasing quantities of the respective foods 
are consumed every day. At first you may find certain foods 
bitter or flat tasting, but gradually you will find them to be 
more flavorful and pleasing. Ev entually the satisfaction in 
consuming raw foods of nearly all kinds may exceed that formerly derived only from cooked foods. This does not 
mean that every food will be equally palatable after re-
educating the sense of taste—there will always be certain 
preferences of one food to another—but it does mean that raw 
foods as a whole may be consumed with an optimum degree 
of gustatory pleasure. It is clear that there are limitations in the application of raw 
food therapy. It is enough to recognize the value of raw foods 
without assuming that no reason for cookery can ever exist. Reasons for cookery have existed, but they are less common 
today than they were in the past. We now have excellent 
facilities for the preservation and transportation of raw foods. We do not have to depend upon bitter acorns, bitter cassava 
roots, and other foods containing heat-labile poisons as 
staples of our dietary. We do not have to avoid raw vegetables in fear of contamination with harmful bacteria. We 
do have an abundant supply of fruits, nuts, and other highly 
palatable raw foods, available for all classes of people. In 
short, those factors preventing the full utilization of raw foods 
are no longer present. Modern civilization has made the extensive application of raw food therapy possible. It has 
presented us with an exciting "elixir of life" which can 
transform the whole state of our existence. 8        
RAW FOOD IN SELECTION  
THE USE OF FOOD in its uncooked state is the key principle in 
establishing a healthful dietary. This, however, does not represent the final answer to all nutritional problems. We can 
live exclusively upon raw food and yet suffer from nutritional 
deficiencies and imbalances if no consideration is given to the proper selection of such foods. An unbalanced diet of 
uncooked foods may be less damaging than an unbalanced 
diet of conventional foods, but it is still not to be desired. It is well known that different selections of natural foods in 
primitive life produced different reactions in health and 
disease. For our own purposes it is necessary to analyze each 
of the basic food types, and many specific foods within these 
types, in order to determine the most effective way of selecting food and balancing the components of our dietary 
intake. In the usual textbook analysis of food selection, it is 
customary to rate the value of various foodstuffs in relation to 
their economic cost and their ease of being included in the 
dietaries of all income groups. In the usual vegetarian 
analysis of food selection, it is customary to rate the value of foods in part upon their moral cost of production, determined 
by the death or survival of animals. Neither of these patterns 
will be followed here. It is important to approach the subject 
of food selection on a strictly biological basis, determining 
thereby the value of uncooked foodstuffs entirely in relation to their effect upon human health. This does not mean that the 
suggestions given will not be adaptable to the dietaries of all 
income groups. It does mean that some adjustments will have 
to be made in certain cases. Many raw foods are no more 
expensive than their heat-processed counterparts, and anyone who can afford to purchase foods at all can afford to use 
them. On the other hand, achieving a completely ideal 
balance in the diet may involve the use of certain accessory foods which would not normally be found in the most 
inexpensive diet. The very best nutrition may be restricted to 
nations, states, families, and individuals who can afford to 
use a wide selection of the very best of foods. Greatly 
improved nutrition, however, can be achieved by every 
human 
group which is willin g to make certain inex pensive, though important, changes in the dietary. As to the moral 
issue of vegetarianism, this too can find compatability with 
good nutrition under certain conditions, but it cannot be the 
determining factor in deciding what constitutes good nutrition. It is important that we approach this subject on a 
scientific plane first, and then let the economic, moral, and 
other issues fit into the total picture as best they can. With 
these thoughts in mind, the following analysis covering the selection of uncooked foodstuffs is being presented. F
RUITS  
   In terms of historical dietary experience, man is an 
omnivorous animal. In terms of comparative anatomy and physiology he is a frugivorous animal. We can ignore neither 
of these facts. Man's long experience with both plant and 
animal foods indicates that the omnivorous principle cannot 
satisfactorily be broken all at once. His anatomical structure 
and physiological function are adapted ideally to the digestion of fruits. This means that man's best diet may be 
omnivorous, with a decided inclination to the frugivorous with respect to the selection of staple foods. Most fruits are rich in the vitamins which are usually 
seriously deficient in the modern diet. They are our very best source of vitamin C, which is probably more important than any other single dietary factor for maintaining high resistance to infectious disease. In the conventional diet, the use of fruit 
is restricted to an insignificant fraction of the total food 
intake, and such fruits as are used are usually canned or 
otherwise heat-processed. In some of the better primitive 
diets, fruit was a basic food staple; in a balanced diet composed of uncooked foods, it may be regarded as the most 
important single food type used. The variety of fruits suitable for human nutrition is very 
large. Scores of basic fruit types, and hundreds of fruit 
varieties, are developed in nature and have been developed 
by 
man. These permit the preparation of meals which have no 
equal for flavor and palatability. The fruits of the temperate 
zone are useful, and most kinds are readily available, although the wild varieties are not commonly marketed. Such tropical and subtropical fruits as bananas, oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, dates, figs, and avocados are imported or 
grown for public consumption. Guavas, mangos, papayas, 
cherimoyas, and cactus fruits have been available in limited 
quantities in restricted areas. Other tropical fruits have not 
commonly been imported to the temperate regions, but they are of 
great value for those who live in re gions where the y can be obtained. These include: breadfruit, cashew-apples, 
imbus, ambarellas, red mombins, yellow mombins, soursops, 
ilamas, soncoyas, sweet granadillas, purple granadillas, giant 
granadillas, capulins, loquats, manzanillas, icacos, pitangas, feijoas, jaboticabas, grumichamas, litchies, longans, 
rambutans, sapodillas, sapotes, canistels, kakis, mangosteens, 
jackfruits, durians, tunas, carissas, and carambolas. NUTS 
   Next to fruits, nuts are the most neglected of food types in 
the conventional diet. Butternuts, pecans, filberts, Brazil nuts, 
English walnuts, black walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, and other 
kinds are often available and should be used at every opportunity. The researches of Cajori, Van Slyke, and Osborn 
have shown that most nuts contain all of the essential amino 
acids and thus may be used effectively as a basic source of 
protein in the diet. Nuts are also good sources of fat, 
minerals, and other nutrients, and they represent a more valuable supplementary food than hitherto suspected. Other 
seeds, such as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, squash seeds, 
and watermelon seeds, are also valuable for nutritive 
purposes. Most nuts undergo a decided loss of flavor after they are 
shelled, and some are fumigated to prevent infestation with vermin. For this reason it is usually best to purchase your nuts in the shell, which gives you a fresh and flavorful food from a 
sanitary container that requires no fumigation. Sunflower 
seeds and related seed products may be shelled by hand 
methods, but they keep fairly well outside the shell and can 
also be purchased that way. When desired, nuts and other seeds may be transformed into delicious butter by running 
them through a special kitchen appliance designed for this 
purpose. To save time you can also purchase ready-made nut butters. All of these nuts and other seeds, as well as the 
butters made therefrom, are fully palatable in their raw state, 
and they should not be salted, roasted, fried in oil, or prepared 
in any other unwholesome way. Of special importance among the nut and seed foods is 
coconut. This remarkable food is composed of one of the 
most adequate nutritional balances of all plant foods. It is rich in first-class proteins, carbohydrates, and fat, and is an 
excellent source of minera ls, especially phosphorus, 
potassium, and chlorine. Nearly everyone is familiar with the 
sugared shreds and colored coconut oil which civilized man 
has manufactured from the coconut seed. But this food may 
be found at its finest , both for palatabilit y and nutritional value, in its fresh, unprocessed state. The immature jelly 
coconut contains the delightful, smooth, snow-white coconut 
of custard-like or jelly-like texture, together with much 
coconut water. The mature coconut, which is shipped to many regions of the temperate zone, is juicy and sweet and contains 
a smaller amount of delicious water. Both the immature and 
mature coconuts are extremely valuable in human nutrition 
and can be used in a multitude of ways. Hard coconut may be 
eaten exactly as it comes from the shell; it may be ground up with other ingredients into raw cakes and confections, and it 
may be run through an electric juicer and converted into a 
rich coconut cream, which is unsurpassed in making fine 
dressings, sauces, and beverages. Like other nuts and seeds, 
coconut may also be converted into a fine butter, used for the same purposes as ordinary dairy butter, and also applied in 
the preparation of confections and beverages. V
EGETABLES  
   The green leaf is the storehouse of minerals in the plant. Animal experiments indicate that the addition of the green 
leaf to a deficient diet has maximum supplementary value in 
correcting deficiencies. Green leafy vegetables should 
therefore be used in the diet, while the tubers and roots of 
vegetables are also important, though perhaps less so. It has been a common practice to divide vegetables into 
types which can be eaten raw and types which must be 
cooked. In reality, almost all types can be eaten raw, and this 
particularly applies to the root vegetables which are always 
cooked in conventional methods of food preparation. Among 
the vegetables which are appropriate in their raw state are: white potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, turnips, parsnips, 
summer squash, zucchini squash, crookneck squash, string 
beans, lima beans, peas, kale, spinach, rhubarb, celery root, cucumbers, bell peppers, kohlrabi, beets, asparagus, 
Jerusalem artichokes, sweet corn, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, 
rutabaga, and cauliflower. These can all be "salad" 
vegetables, and when combined with those vegetables such as 
have already found acceptance in their raw state, they will do 
much to improve nutritional balance and pleasure of any diet. F
LOWERS  
   While the number of raw vegetables may be thus increased, 
it should not be thought that this is as far as man can go in the 
utilization of salad plants. Another step is the utilization of 
salad flowers , which thus f ar have been almost totall y neglected in conventional meal preparation. Actually, many 
common flowers found in most flower gardens are sweet, 
succulent, and pleasing to the sense of taste in their raw state. They have been tested in human dietary experience and have been found to be nutritious and wholesome. Among the many 
flowers which may be used for human consumption are: 
marigolds, lavetera flowers, hollyhock flowers, pansies, 
nasturtium flowers, oxalis flower panicles, dandelion flowers, 
chrysanthemums, gillyflowers, altheas, rose of China flowers, forget-me-nots, water lilies, double zinnias, sweet pea 
flowers, alfalfa flowers, verbenas, sweet alyssum, and the 
flowers of certain bean plants such as the scarlet runner, 
hyacinth bean, and Chinese wistaria. These flowers may be 
chopped up or used whole in salads, or they may be eaten 
alone just as you would eat any ordinary vegetable. H
ERBAL  TEAS 
   In addition to the use of cold beverages, such as milk and 
fruit and vegetable juices, there are many beverages which 
are used in their warm state, and these may also contribute to 
healthful nutrition. Of the one hundred and more beverages of 
this type which are available for human use, civilized man 
selected only a few, and each of these contain caffeine, tannic acid, or other poisons. The great number of herbal teas and 
other healthful beverages have been almost completely 
ignored. Some of these beverages supply valuable nutrients, 
and a number are considered more delicious than the 
conventional tea and coffee used in civilization. Rose hips, for instance, contain upwards of thirty times as much vitamin 
C as do oranges, and rose hip tea is a valuable source of this 
vitamin. Peppermint tea is perhaps the most popular, in terms of flavor, of all herb teas, with strawberry leaf, papaya leaf, 
alfalfa, fenugreek, sassafras, nettle, shave grass, squaw tea, 
juniper berry, and many other kinds also offering pleasing 
flavors. SEASONINGS  
   The fact that salt and most of our common spices have been 
proven to be quite irritating to the human body does not mean 
that all forms of seasoning are objectionable in this respect. Here, as with so many other foods, we note that civilized man 
has confined his use of seasonings chiefly to those which are 
known for their irritating qualities. There has been a peculiar 
avoidance of a large number of herb seasonings which are not 
only healthful when used in moderate amounts, but also   possess delightful flavors even surpassing those of the 
harmful group of condiments. The dried herbs which are suitable in good nutrition include 
bay leaf, garlic, dill, onion, chives, parsley, sage, mint, sorrel, 
sassafras, thyme, caraway, fennel, basil, and chervil. Some of 
these may be home-grown in any window flower pot, and then dried in the sun. They may also be purchased from 
commercial sources. The herbs can be used to add flavor to 
uncooked soups, meats, salads, and other foods. Dehydrated 
vegetable flakes, made from a single vegetable species, or 
from a variety of vegetables, may be employed for the same 
purpose. As a substitute for salt, dehydrated vegetable broth powder 
is best used. This food is actually rich in mineral nutrients, 
and it has no irritating qualities whatsoever. The pure 
vegetable broth powder is simply a combination of 
dehydrated vegetables, ground into powder form. It may 
serve much the same purpose as dried herbs and dehydrated vegetable flakes, being used in raw meats, soups, etc. It may 
also be sprinkled on other foods, in much the same manner 
that ordinary salt would be used, and added to salad dressing 
ingredients to impart extra flavor. The use of even the best seasonings can be overdone. With 
the use of devitalized foods, as have lost most of their flavor 
in refining, processing, and cooking, an extensive use of seasonings is to be expected in order to replace the lost 
flavor. However, raw foods possess distinctive flavors of 
their own, and nothing is to be gained if these are to be 
completely disguised by seasonings. Let us then use natural 
seasonings in moderation, to add a little extra tang to certain foods, but not to completely replace the original flavor of 
foods. V
EGETABLE OILS 
   The use of various kinds of oil extracted from plant 
substances is important in improving the human dietary. A 
number of laboratory and clinical experiments conducted over a period of many years have shown that most unrefined 
vegetable oils contain substances which help to reduce the 
cholesterol content of the blood. When these substances are 
not present, the excess of plasma cholesterol is unstable and 
not properly emulsified. The cholesterol thus tends to collect along the walls of the arteries, producing hardening of the 
arteries and coronary heart di sease. Lecithin and certain 
unsaturated fatt
y acids , found in unrefined ve getable oils , tend to act as an emulsifying agent for cholesterol and 
prevent it from caking along the walls of the arteries. Keston 
and Silbowitz, in experiments with rabbits, showed that the 
lecithin of soy bean oil kept cholesterol from collecting in the blood and prevented hardening of the arteries. Drs. Pottenger 
and Krohn found that the administration of soy bean lecithin 
to patients on high-cholesterol diets produced a 79 per cent 
reduction in blood cholesterol. Other experiments have 
shown that the unsaturated fatty acids in sunflower seed oil, safflower seed oil, and certain other vegetable oils also 
tended to cause a dramatic reduction of the blood cholesterol level. Six years of experiments with 300 men, women, and 
children have shown that unrefined wheat germ oil is of 
exceptional value in increasing physical endurance and 
improving heart response. Drs. Cureton and Pohndorf, studying middle-aged men of a university faculty, observed 
improved endurance, better response in electrocardiograph, 
blood pressure, and pulse 'wave tests, together with quicker 
speed reactions to light and sound, when a supplement of 
unrefined wheat germ oil was administered each day. Dr. Counsilman, of Cortland State Teachers College in New 
York, reported experiments in which track athletes were 
given a teaspoon of wheat germ oil each day, achieving 
thereby marked improvements in endurance and the capacity 
of the heart to do work. Among boys seven to fourteen years old, marked improvements in the endurance have been 
registered when wheat germ oil was administered. Evidence 
has also been recorded showing that wheat germ oil is valuable in treating certain types of muscular dystrophy and 
in improving the efficiency of reproduction. Similar 
advantages have been reported upon the administration of 
wheat germ oil to laboratory animals. In the face of all such 
evidence, there need be no doubt but what wheat germ oil, as well as other forms of unrefined vegetable oil, deserve an 
important place in the uncooked diet. The ordinary salad oils and cooking oils which are used in 
conventional cookery are of little or no value in supplying the 
vitamin E and other vital nutrients  which we expect to receive 
from the best natural vegetable oils. It is important to buy 
vegetable oils in their crude non-filtered state in order to achieve the fullest benefit. Such oils are darker in color than 
refined oils, and they still possess some odor and flavor. Most 
good vegetable oils are cold-pressed, although solvent-
extracted oils are also acceptable if they are prepared at low 
temperatures. Among the vegetable oils which may be used in good nutrition are: olive oil, soy bean oil, corn oil, 
sunflower seed oil
, wheat germ oil , rice bran oil , sesame seed oil, peanut oil, and safflower seed oil. These oils may be used 
in salad dressing recipes, and for all other culinary purposes 
in which oils are necessary. They may also be taken alone for 
medicinal purposes whenever a specific need for extra 
vitamin E, lecithin, unsaturated fatty acids, etc., exists. GRAIN PRODUCTS  
   All raw grains are usually considered non-edible, but this 
belief is not warranted by facts. Fresh wheat is soft and succulent prior to ripening and may be eaten in its natural state. After ripening, the softer varieties may still be used in 
the diet. When chewed and mixed with saliva, the grains 
gradually soften into a succulent mass. Certain types of raw grains may be soaked overnight in water or milk and served 
in the same liquid with honey or fruits as a cereal the next 
morning. One can also use raw whole grain flour wheat germ, 
and rice bran in the diet. These may be sprinkled on salads 
and mixed with milk and other ingredients and made into unleavened bread dough, which may be pressed into flat 
pieces and kept under refrigerati on. No baking is required for 
grain products of this type, and uncooked bread may form an 
important part of the diet. Another excellent way of utilizing raw grains is to permit 
them to sprout. When grains sprout, many chemical changes take place, enhancing the original value of the seed. The starch is converted into sugar, thereby rendering the food 
more easily digestible. More amino acids are developed, and 
there is a marked increase in values for niacin, biotin, 
pantothenic acid, inositol, folic acid, and pyridoxine. Vitamin 
A is also manufactured during the sprouting process, as is vitamin C, the latter often tripling and more in quantity within 
two to three days. It should not seem surprising, therefore, that raw sprouted 
grains are of extraordinary va lue in animal nutrition. Dr. 
Francis Pottenger, Jr., has reported that sprouted grain sets up great activity in the cells, increases adrenalin formation and 
metabolism, and brings about more calcification throughout 
the body. Dr. Oscar Erf tested sprouted grain at Ohio State University, and he found that it tended to make animals less susceptible to tuberculosis, mastitis, and undulant fever. In experiments with cows, Dr. Erf found that a diet of sprouted 
grain would increase the productive life span by almost one-
fourth of the total life. Tests conducted by the Dept. of 
Husbandry of the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture in Beltville, 
Maryland showed that cows which had apparently lost or out
grown their abilit y to re produce became fertile a gain and gave birth to fine healthy calves after they had been fed on a 
diet of sprouted oats. Likewise, younger cows, apparently 
sterile, which had failed to reproduce even though they had 
been sired several times, quickly became fertile when given sprouted grain. With bulls that had become sterile, the use of 
sprouted grain restored fertility in all cases tested. The 
independent scientist, Dr. Eherenfried Pfeiffer, also has 
reported that without exception he has been able to restore the 
fertility of bulls through the use of sprouted oats plus green alfalfa. If sprouted grains are th is important in animal health, 
we have good reason to believe they are also important for 
human health. Sprouted wheat, sprouted rye, and other 
sprouted grains thus have their place in good nutrition, and 
they may be used as liberally as desired for both their good 
flavor and high nutritive values. E
DIBLE WILD PLANTS  
   Modern man has tapped only a small part of the vast 
reservoir of nature for his food supply. Prior to the sixteenth 
century, meat and bread were the staple foods of most 
Europeans, and very few vege table foods were considered 
satisfactory for nourishment. When the Europeans invaded 
lands of the Western Hemisphere, they found the Indians growing many seed plants and vegetables they had never seen 
before. Many of these were sent back to Europe and were 
widely cultivated. It is estimated that at least half of the 
garden vegetables in use today originated with the American 
Indian. Yet these vegetables comprise only a very small fraction of the total variety of plants used at one time or 
another by various Indian groups. The white man took only 
the Indians' cultivated plants. He ignored the vast number of wild fruits, wild herbs, wild seeds, and wild roots which 
formed a part of the Indian dietary fare. The U. S. 
Department of Agriculture has listed 444 genera and 1,112 
different species of plant life as having been eaten by the 
Indian, and the greater number of  thesewere edible in their 
wild state. Yet, even the Indian may not have utilized all the 
wild plants which were available. The truth is that nature is 
abounding in an extremely wide variety of fruits, seeds, seed 
pods, tubers, stems, buds, flowers, leaves, barks, roots, tree 
saps, gums, mushrooms, flavoring herbs, and lichens, which are edible and healthful for human use. These only await 
gathering by man, and their re-seeding and cultivation under scientific care, to be put to valuable use. The flavors of wild plant foods often differ markedly from 
those of their domestic relatives. This may be objected to by 
those who are accustomed to the more flat-tastin
g domestic foods, but after nibbling at wild foods for a while, the 
powerful flavors are usually appreciated. Many, in fact, enjoy 
them at their first trial. This particularly applies to the use of 
wild fruits, which usually have delightful flavors far 
surpassing those of domestic varieties. It should not be supposed that all edible wild plants can be 
used in their raw state, but it is true that we may best restrict 
our use to those plants which can be eaten raw. Some plants 
are bitter and poisonous when raw, but the poisonous 
principle is dissipated by heat, and the food thus becomes 
edible when cooked or washed in several applications of boiling water. Fortunately, most wild plant foods do not fall 
within this class, and the majority may be taken with complete safety and enjoyment in their raw state. The kinds of edible wild plants found in nature are of such 
infinite variety that no attempt will be made to list all of them 
here. However, a limited number of some of the best known 
varieties will be given, and this will be confined to those 
which are considered edible in their raw state. For wild fruits, the following species have been highly 
recommended: Juneberries, barberries, hackberries, 
snowberries, strawberries, nanny berries, black huckleberries, 
dangleberries, partridgeberri es, red mulberries, black 
mulberries, white mulberries, prickly pears, choke pears, tomatillos, ground cherries, May apples, crab apples, goose plums, beach plums, Canada plums, pin cherries, choke 
cherries, black cherries, sand cherries, gooseberries, fetid 
currants, red currants, garden currants, mountain blackberries, 
tall blackberries, purple raspberries, black raspberries, red 
raspberries, dwarf raspberries , elderberries, blueberries, 
cranberries, deerberries, huckleberries, cowberries, 
bunchberries, pimbinas, grapes, red haws, sugar pears, and pawpaws. Edible salad-plants growing in their wild state include: 
canary-grass, sweet flag, spiderwort, corn-lily, mountain-sorrel, purslane, water-shiel d, penny-cress, peppergrass, 
shepherd's purse, scurvy grass, sea-rocket, yellow-cress, 
watercress, winter-cress, spri ng-cress, alpine-cress, wild 
mignonette, live-forever, roseroot, lettuce-saxifrage, swamp 
saxifrage, golden saxifrage, burnet, clover, wood-sorrel, storksbill, false mermaid, deergrass, caraway, pimpernel, 
brooklime, seaside plantain, corn-salad, ox-eye daisy, costmary, nipplewort, and cat-brier. In addition to the afore-mentioned plants, which are useful 
for their leaves
, there are others , such as Indian cucumber , crinkle-root, wild licorice, eel-grass, alpine bistort, water-
parsnip, and woundwort, which are useful for their roots. Other plants, including cat-tail, cat-brier, and bamboo-vine, 
have delicious sprouts. Bubleweed, deergrass, chufa, Jerusalem artichoke, purple-bellflower, brooklime, and 
woundwort have edible tubers. Some plants, including a 
number already listed, are also valuable for their stems, 
petals, or leaf-stalks. Delicio us beverages may be made from 
spicebush, blackbirch, yellowbirch, paper birch, New Jersey tea, American wild mint, peppermint, spearmint, ground ivy, 
black spruce, fragrant sumac, squaw bush, and horse gentian. A delicious gum, suitable for chewing, is obtained from 
spruce, sweet gum, bird-cherry, milkweed, sugar pine, fir 
tree, skeleton weed, and pilotweed. Edible tree saps are available from the sugar maple, black sugar maple, red 
maple, silver maple, and box elder. There are hundreds of 
species of edible fungi in nature, and even some of the wild 
lichens may be used as food. No one should use wild plants without care in selection and 
gathering. We know that some wild plants come in both 
poisonous and non-poisonous varieties. Others may contain both poisonous and non-poisonous parts. For instance, there 
are three species of the sumac plant which yield delicious and 
healthful fruit, but there is another species which is 
poisonous, even to touch. The only non-poisonous part of the 
May-apple plant is the fruit, which is eaten. These are not criticisms of wild plants, as such, for domestic species can 
have some of these same characteristics. Certain domestic 
plants may come in both poisonous and non-poisonous varieties; a number, such as apples and peaches, possess 
seeds containing poisonous prussic acid, and the rhubarb 
plant has poison leaves, but edible leafstalks. Whether 
dealing with wild or domestic plants we must use discretion 
and care in our full utilization of the food. If the primitive Indians were able to accomplish this without difficulty, 
certainly civilized man can do so. For those undertaking the use of wild plant life in its edible 
forms, an adequate knowledge of the location, growth, and 
characteristics of such life is of course essential. This subject 
has been described as a lost chapter in the history of botany. During the past twenty years, however, this vacuum has been partly filled. Probably the best all-around publications on this 
subject in the English language are Edible Wild Plants, by 
Prof. Medsger, and Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North 
America, by Fernald and Kinsey. These works, along with 
others, may effectively guide those in carrying out future 
investigations. The time may come when nature-lovers, botanists, 
nutritionists, and physicians will unite to become "hunters" in 
nature—not hunters for animals, but hunters for many 
hundreds of wild plants which may hold a potential key to man's physical destiny. We know that a high level of physical 
development is possible with a varied selection of domestic 
foods, but it is quite possible that this can still be improved by 
utilizing many of the wild foods which are now going to 
waste and becoming ever more confined in their habitats. On a national basis, it is clear that large-scale investigations and 
work in this field are called for. On an individual basis, you 
can learn more of nature's abundant produce, and with 
fortunate circumstances, you may be able to include at least a few wild fruits or plants in your dietary program. H
ONEY  
   Honey is one of the finest foods in the uncooked diet. It is 
unique as a sweetening agent in the sense that it can be used in quantity without harming the teeth. C. W. Eddy has 
reported an experiment in which a dessert spoon of raw 
honey was taken each evening after cleaning the teeth. The 
honey was chewed well, coated over the teeth, and worked in 
between the teeth, with the object of testing the food for its effect upon dental decay. "During these years" declares Eddy, 
"no new cavities have appeared. In fact, two cavities in quite 
painful teeth, which one of us had, have completely 
disappeared. The other one of us, who previously suffered 
with several sensitive teeth, has had no more trouble with them." Other experiences with honey have also been 
associated with high immunity to dental caries. Whether this 
is due to the fact that bacteria cannot live in honey, or to the peculiar chemical combination found in honey, or to the fact 
that honey needs neither chemical treatment nor extensive 
heat-processing, remains to be seen. Perhaps all three reasons 
are important. Some commercial honey is derived from bees fed large 
amounts of refined sugar and is removed before the cells are 
completely sealed. Carbolic acid fumes are used to drive the bees from the hives before removing the honey, and the 
honey is then heated to 150 degrees E and higher. Such honey 
lacks the purity, flavor, and nutritional qualities of raw honey 
produced by natural methods. As a rule, good honey may be 
obtained from natural food outlets and private beekeepers. In its raw state you can appreciate the food at its best. Honey 
may be obtained in many types, each of which has a flavor 
and aroma distinctive of it alone, so it is well to include, not 
one
, but man y kinds of hone y in your diet. The hone y may be taken in its liquid or crystallized state. When crystallized 
honey is ground in a fine mill, it becomes creamed honey, 
which is also a satisfactory food. Surprising as it may seem, U. S. "Grade A" honey is 
inferior honey which should be avoided on all purchases. U.S.D.A. Regulations state that honey may be labeled "Grade A" only if it will pass through an 80 mesh strainer. As raw 
honey possesses too much viscosity to pass through such a 
fine strainer, it cannot pass under the top classification. On 
the other hand, "Grade B" honey need only pass through 48 
mesh strainers, which can be accomplished without the use of heat. A further point to remember is that "uncooked" honey, 
as it is commonly labeled in the honey trade, is simply honey 
which has not been heated over a specified high temperature. Such honey can be raw, but it can also be heated to such an 
extent that it will not crystallize. In purchasing honey, it is important to obtain raw honey, and if the honey has 
crystallized you may be sure it is raw. The crystallized honey 
returns to liquid consistency when the honey container is 
placed in a pan of mildly heated water. D
AIRY PRODUCTS  
   Raw dairy products are among our finest sources of 
unheated protein and fat-soluble vitamins. Whether used to 
supplement the conventional diet, or as a basic portion of the raw diet, they are of exceptional value. The milk is best 
obtained from a "certified" source of supply. Cottage cheese 
can easily be made in the home, and it is an excellent product 
for general use. Raw cream can be utilized in many ways for 
ice cream and other desserts, and it may be soured for salad dressing recipes. Due to the unavailability of raw butter on 
the general market, it is best to churn your own butter from 
raw cream. Such butter is unexcelled, either for flavor or 
nutritional qualities. Most commercial sour milk products are distinctly inferior 
to the simple sour milk which can be made right in your own 
home. The well known yogurt, long advertised for its 
supposed healthful qualities, must be made from pasteurized, 
scalded, or boiled milk in order to enable the special bacterial 
cultures to work satisfactorily. It is distinctly inferior to ordinary sour milk and has lost many nutritional qualities. Commercial buttermilk is usually made from pasteurized 
skim milk. It is to be distinguished from real buttermilk, 
which is the liquid left when butter is churned from cream. Sour milk may be prepared simply by placing fresh milk in an o
pen container in a warm place. It will transform into clabber and whey, which may be taken as is or beaten into a smooth 
consistency through the use of an egg beater or liquefier. It may be pointed out that, for some people, these sour milk 
products represent a superior source of food to sweet milk 
products. Sweet cow's milk forms a much harder curd in the 
stomach than does human milk, and a number of people find that this is difficult to digest. Others may digest the milk with 
ease, but later complain of sensitive reactions in different 
parts of the body. For a large percentage of these people, sour 
milk and sour milk products offer a solution to their 
difficulties. In sour milk the casein is furnished in a precipitated and finely divided condition, which does not tend 
to the formation of such hard curds as are formed by sweet 
milk. For this reason, it can be of greater value. It may be 
significant that sour milk products, rather than sweet milk, 
have been utilized as staple foods by certain racial groups 
who were known for their good health and great longevity. While cow's milk and its products represent an important 
source of food in human nutrition, it should not be thought 
that they need represent the only source of dairy food. Actually, goat milk is superior, in certain respects, to cow's 
milk, and it certainly deserves more widespread use. Goat 
milk does not have to be soured to improve digestibility, for the fresh, sweet goat milk is already found in easily digestible 
form. The fat globules of goat milk are only about one-fourth 
the size of those found in Jersey cow milk, and they are more 
readily broken down and dissolved in the human stomach. In 
addition, the curds of goat milk are formed into very light flakes, which are soft and friable, and easily digested like the 
curds of human milk. Many people who tend to be sensitive 
to cow's milk thus handle goat milk with ease. Goat milk may be used to replace cow's milk in some diets, and to 
supplement cow's milk in others. There are eighteen distinct types of cheese, and 400 minor 
variations of these cheese types, in world use. Most of these 
cheeses can be made without cooking the ingredients, and if 
the cheeses are found in their unprocessed state, they are 
suitable for good human nutrition. It is still possible to buy imported cheeses made from unpasteurized goat, cow's, or 
sheep milk, and it is also possible to buy certain local cheeses 
made from unpasteurized cow's milk. Such delicious cheeses, 
made by natural aging processes, have a more highly prized 
flavor than do pasteurized cheeses, and they are nutritionally 
superior in every respect. EGGS 
   Raw eggs are a satisfactory animal food when properly 
used. Avoid the use of raw egg whites in their pure state, as the presence of biotin in the egg yolk is necessary to 
compensate for the avadin in the egg white. If any allergy to 
egg white is noticed, the white may be discontinued and the yolks used alone. Fertile eggs are considered nutritionally 
superior to infertile eggs, and they should be selected 
whenever possible. The eggs may be eaten right from the 
shell—a practice enjoyed by many—or they may be beaten 
with a liquefier or egg beater. Whole eggs or egg yolks may also be used in egg nogs, fruit juices, and liquefied drinks of 
all types, as well as being included in ice cream and many other food products. M
EAT 
   There is a strong precedent for using raw meats in human 
nutrition. The people in parts of northern Europe have long 
been known to serve raw ground steak in various ways. Some 
of the European sausages have also contained raw meat, and the old Bulgarians, known throughout the world for their 
superior health, were proud of eating their bacon raw. The 
Marquesas Islanders, most perfect ly developed of all racial 
groups in their primitive state, consumed large amounts of raw fish. Indeed the whole Polynesian race in the South Seas was known for its consumption of raw fish. Visitors to the 
South Pacific have often stated that there was no native food 
they learned to enjoy so quickly as raw fish, and no food they 
remembered so long after departing. The Japanese still enjoy 
their raw cuttlefish and raw sea bass, while the native 
Hawaiians are especially fond of raw tuna. Beef and lamb are considered  the most appropriate of the 
red meats in their raw state; pork and pork products are best 
avoided under existing methods of pork production and 
inspection. Beef steaks and lamb chops may be eaten without further preparation or they may be prepared by chopping and 
grinding. Probably the most popular raw meat dish is "Steak 
Tartar" made by running raw lean beef through a meat 
grinder and mixing this with egg yolks and chopped onions or garlic. The raw organ meats may also be included in the diet, as 
these are much richer in vitamins than are the muscle cuts. The glandular organs are especially rich in vitamin D, which 
tends to be deficient in plant foods. A well balanced 
uncooked diet ma
y include liver , brain , kidne y, sweetbreads , and heart, as well as muscle meat. These can be sliced and 
used without further preparation, or they may be chopped or 
ground. For those who have not learned to appreciate the 
flavor of raw organ meats, these foods may be blended with 
raw vegetable juices, which disguises their original flavor. Halibut, mackerel, sea bass, barracuda, tuna, clams, 
octopus, conch, mussels, cuttlefish, and oysters are 
considered the best tasting of the raw sea foods. Clams, 
mussels, and herring contain a little of the enzyme, 
thiaminase, so they should not be used as freely as the other 
sea foods. Raw fish may be served alone or with a sprig of parsley, a little lemon, or some uncooked mayonnaise. They 
can also be chopped up into small pieces, mixed with sea 
greens, onions, radishes, bell peppers, or other vegetables, 
and then marinated with lime juice. The fish are best chilled in the refrigerator before serving. V
EGETARIANISM  
   In arriving at the general dietary balance, it is necessary to 
consume both plant and animal foods. An uncooked diet composed exclusively of foods from the plant kingdom, as 
advocated by some sincere vegetarians, is not adequate for 
optimum health. After many years, of observation and study of primitive racial groups in all parts of the world, Dr. Weston A. Price declared: "As yet I have not found a single group of primitive racial stock which was building and 
maintaining excellent bodies by living entirely on plant foods. I have found in many parts of the world most devout 
representatives of modern ethical systems advocating the 
restriction of foods to vegetable products. In every instance where the groups had long been under this teaching, I found 
evidence of degeneration in the form of dental caries, and in 
the new generation in the form of abnormal dental arches to an extent very much higher than in the primitive groups who 
were not under this influence." The late Mahatma Gandhi devoted much of his life to the 
advocacy of strict vegetarian diet, and for years he 
experimented on his own body to find a suitable selection of 
plant foods on which to sustain health. But all attempts were 
failures. In 1929, Gandhi and 22 companions went on a diet consisting of a limited selection of uncooked plant foods. Whereas the diet worked out well for a time and led to 
marked improvement in consumptive cases, it failed to prove 
adequate on a long-range sustenance basis. One by one 
Gandhi's companions were forced to depart from the diet, and Gandhi himself had to add 
goat milk to his fare in order to regain health. "For my companions I have been a blind guide 
leading the blind" declared Gandhi after the experiment was 
over. Gandhi still felt, however, that "the hidden possibilities 
of the innumerable seeds, leaves and fruits" of the earth could be explored and found to provide mankind with adequate 
nourishment. He never stopped trying to experiment along 
these lines, but he always had to turn back to goat milk to 
regain his strength. In the end he had to acknowledge the 
necessity for animal food. In 1946 he declared: "The crores of India today get neither milk nor ghee nor butter, nor even 
buttermilk. No wonder that mortality figures are on the 
increase and there is a lack of energy in the people. It would 
appear as if man is really unable to sustain life without either 
meat or milk and milk products. Anyone who deceives people in this regard or countenances the fraud is an enemy of 
India." These are strong words from a man who devoted most of 
his life to the search for a sa tisfactory vegetarian diet. But 
Gandhi's experience is not unique in the field of nutrition. Many others have also gone through the experience of 
believing that man could thrive exclusively upon a limited selection of uncooked plant foods, only to find in the end that 
animal products were necessary for sustenance. In England 
the word, "vegan" is used to designate one who abstains from 
all animal food products, and a so-called vegan movement 
has attained marked prominence among English vegetarians. Several years ago, a large group of vegans in England were 
studied in the Laboratory of Human Nutrition at Oxford 
University. It was found that these people tended to receive adequate amounts of the recognized nutrients, except for 
vitamin D, calcium, and vitamin B
12, which were somewhat 
deficient. Whereas some of the subjects had lived as long as 
ten years on the vegan diet without suffering from serious 
illness, a number developed deficiencies which caused serious ailments. This difference in reaction was considered 
due in part to the varying ability of the subjects to synthesize 
vitamin B
12, in the body. When serious deficiencies of this 
vitamin existed, the addition of milk to the diet brought about 
rapid improvement in health. Other observations of vegans in England have also indicated the presence of considerable 
impaired health, including a number of sudden and unexpected deaths in the vegan ranks. Dr. Price believed that the lack of vitamin D in plant foods 
was responsible for the failure of an exclusive diet of plant 
foods to maintain health. Whereas the Oxford studies 
confirmed this viewpoint in part, they indicated that the deficiency of vitamin B12 in plant foods was perhaps even 
more im
portant. It is true , as Gandhi stated , that there are many hidden possibilities yet to be explored in all of the plant 
products of the earth, and there is a chance that some plants 
not presently in use could improve the nutritional quality of a 
strict vegetarian diet. Possibly there is a combination of plant foods that will prove adequate.
TheElixirofLifebyArnoldDeVries.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        During her years of hospital training 
she suffered from weak digestion and catarrh of the stomach, 
and in the winter of 1940 and 1941 she observed the symptoms of cancer. A trial microscopy taken at the Radium 
Centre in Copenhagen was positive, indicating there were 
cancer cells. Dr. Nolfi treated herself with an exclusive raw diet and recovered excellent health. This success prompted 
her to open the "Humlegaarden" where not only all patients, 
but even members of the hospital staff, live entirely upon 
foods which have not been treated by heating. About one 
thousand patients annually visit this sanitarium, and doctors from Denmark and foreign countries also visit the place and 
make observations which are late r utilized in their practice. The therapeutic successes at tained at the "Humlegaarden" 
are said to be phenomenal.
Dr. Nolfi treated herself with an exclusive raw diet and recovered from her cancer symptoms.
What was Dr. Nolfi's treatment for her own cancer diagnosis?
The primary reason for cooking food is to destroy heat-labile poisons and render the food safe for human consumption.
What is the primary reason for cooking food, according to the text?
The author believes that a strict vegan diet is not sufficient for optimal health, as it may lead to deficiencies in essential nutrients, and animal products like milk and dairy are necessary for sustenance.
What is the author's stance on the idea of a strict vegan diet?
The author believes that sprouted grains are of great nutritional value and can be used to improve overall health and well-being.
What is the author's opinion on the nutritional value of sprouted grains?
The author emphasizes the importance of using wild plants as a food source, as they can provide essential nutrients and flavors, but also warns that some wild plants may be poisonous and require proper identification and handling.
What is the author's position on the use of wild plants as a food source?