Green vegetables furnish a large amount of easily digested carbohydrates and contain much mineral matter in which meats and cereals are deficient. That they add to the highest purity of our blood has been proven by the fact that many blood and skin diseases have been cured by the application of specific greens alone. However, no matter how valuable an. article is, it should be used according to the needs of the individual. As vegetables also contain a large amount of water, it is not wise for one who has to perform active mental or physical labor to indulge in a large amount of cooked, especially underground, vegetables at the noon meal. At this time of the day the system requires the most nutritious foods in the form of proteid elements, no matter whether the meal consists of cooked food, cold or warmed over. Green peas and corn are best eaten at the noon meal, as they are rich in proteid elements. Asparagus, tomatoes, string beans and leaf greens are also suitable at this time of the day, provided some nutritious food of the proteid class is served with them. For further combinations, see "Left Overs" and Menus.

The blanching of vegetables, as advised by some authorities, will always remove valuable constituents of the plant. The blanching and ventilation, of vegetables during the process of cooking is advised, in order to make them more wholesome. All artificially prepared foods will lose certain constituents through the process of cooking, and this loss is generally made up by additional flavoring or sauces. Vegetables which are cooked in very little water and kept well covered (not ventilated), will love less of their natural qualities, and the injurious gases which do not escape by this process can be made harmless through the addition of fats, in the emulsified form, as sauces, the yolk of an egg, lemon or cream.

In the consumption of food, as well as the custom of dress and education, some people have reached that stage of refinement where degeneration begins. We cannot refine natural food without paying the penalty for it, which means the producing of disease and the shortening of life. The excessive use of refined sugar, alcohol and other artificial stimulants, has produced a dislike for fatty foods by many people, so that they refuse to eat sauces, or fat meats in any form, the only fat they use being butter. While the latter is a valuable food, it often cannot be assimilated by the system if spread on white bread, or mixed with cooked vegetables; it generally serves only as a lubricant. If butter is eaten in excess, especially in the summer, it clogs the system. Some people prepare vegetables and soups with melted butter for the sake of convenience. This is a waste, since a tablespoonful of butter or other fat properly emulsified as directed under butter sauces will often give more nutriment than one-quarter of a pound of butter wasted by soaking into toast or other cooked foods.

The American method of cooking green vegetables in a large amount of water and throwing it away, then seasoning them with butter and spices and serving them with lean meat and white bread, produces a starvation diet. In such a meal, the important mineral matter and the fats in vegetables and whole wheat grains are left out, and are supplemented by an excess of starches and water in the form of bread, beverages and desserts. Additional fats should be added scientifically and combined with foods which are rich in minerals and acids.

All vegetable water, especially that of canned or sterilized fruits and vegetables, is very wholesome and antiseptic. Strained, sterilized tomato, currant, gooseberry and strawberry juices are unsurpassed as a liver medicine in some conditions. These same foods will lose their medicinal value if stewed in an open kettle. They should be prepared in Mason jars or cans. After opening, these fruit juices may be kept in earthenware on ice for twelve hours, and served again. After this they should be reboiled or sterilized, in order to check fermentation. For the sick, the same precaution should be taken with keeping fruit juices as with milk.

"When using canned vegetables, never throw away the water, if it is not to be used for dressing. Add it to soups or use it in place of beverages. Pea, bean and asparagus water may be made very palatable if cream is added. See preparation of legume teas under "Fluids."

In preparing vegetables for the sick, the finest of all dressings is the yolk of an egg and lemon juice, with a small amount of butter. The fat in the yolk of the egg being emulsified in a perfectly natural state, it feeds the mucous membrane of the entire alimentary tract and blood vessels. Besides neutralizing the gas producing tendencies of the foods, it aids in the digestive and assimilating processes and feeds the nerve sheaths. In all chronic conditions, which are the result of hardening of the arteries, a large amount of the yolk of eggs, combined with lemon and oil, may be used. There are a few vegetables which do not combine well with the yolk of an egg, such as turnips, carrots, beets and onions. These contain a large amount of sulphur and iron, which is also found in the yolk of the egg. Fat meats are good additions to the last mentioned vegetables, except onions, which are rich in oil themselves. If underground vegetables are served in the form of purees, they should be mashed very fine or rubbed through a colander; the butter which is added should not be allowed to boil. Peas, beans, cauliflower and cabbage are most likely to disagree if served with butter only. Butter sauces, cream sauces, yolks of eggs and lemon are the best additions to make them agreeable.

Some people prefer vegetables cooked in oil. Those whose systems can digest a large amount of fat will find them agreeable.