Next to wheat, oats are probably the most valuable food of this character. They are very rich in nitrogenous substances, and also contain large quantities of fat which makes them very valuable as a food for producing energy and adding fatty tissue. Though oats are a valuable food on account of their richness, they require a great deal of mastication in order to be properly digested, and the use of this food in the form of oatmeal - which is swallowed with little or no chewing - cannot be commended; in fact oatmeal, on account of its being eaten in the form of mush, makes a very poor food, and by far the larger quantity of this food passes through the body without being digested.

No matter what diet one may adopt, a certain amount of green vegetable food can always be used to advantage. Though many of the vegetables are not particularly rich in nourishing elements, still they contain waste matter which is very valuable in its influence over the alimentary canal. Such foods act as a scavenger throughout the entire digestive tract, and many cases of serious illness can be avoided by regular use of different vegetables.

Lettuce is one of the most valuable nerve foods that can be secured. On many occasions when I have been all "unstrung" from hard training or through other straining work, a meal in which lettuce was plentifully supplied, has in a short time entirely disposed of the trouble. It is a most valuable aid wherever one is at all annoyed by insomnia. If the last meal consists of as much lettuce as you may desire to eat, with whole wheat bread and butter, there will be little trouble in wooing the unconsciousness of slumber. The digestibility of lettuce is influenced very greatly by the dressing which you use, and would advise that an equal quantity of lemon juice and olive oil be used, with salt to taste. This should be stirred with a fork for three or four minutes until thoroughly combined. A dressing of this character will be found to be not only wholesome in itself, but will make the lettuce very appetizing.

Onions are recommended by many as of especial value as a scavenger for the digestive tract, and are unquestionably of value in this way. They can be eaten cooked or raw, though their value as scavenger is much greater if they are eaten raw.

Cabbage is far more wholesome and easily digested when eaten raw than when cooked.

Celery is considered by many to be especially valuable as brain food though there is little in the chemical analysis to support such conclusion. There is no doubt, however, that it is a food of value if relished. It would be well to remember that nearly all vegetables that can be relished when eaten raw, have a tonic influence upon the stomach and other digestive organs. They tend to cleanse and purify.

Potatoes are used now almost everywhere. Their nourishing value lies mostly in their starchy elements. They furnish energy, but are, of course, very deficient in those elements for supplying new tissue for brain and muscles. Wherever potatoes are daily used as a food, meat, beans or some other food element rich in nitrogenous substances should be added.

Sweet potatoes will be found much more rich in fattening elements, and are more relished by many than the ordinary potato.

Tomatoes will be found valuable food although they are usually more appetizing and more easily digested when eaten raw than when cooked. When eaten in this manner, the same dressing previously mentioned for lettuce can be used with them.

Beans, peas and lentils, as will be noted by the analysis, contain a very large percentage of muscle-making elements. They furnish those elements so necessary in properly nourishing the body in almost equal proportion to that furnished by lean meat, and are considered by many to be far superior to animal food for building strength. There is no question as to their great value in this particular way. If one has hard muscular work to do, or is training for a high degree of muscular development, food of this character is very keenly relished. They seem to supply the necessary elements that is craved by the organs of assimilation under these circumstances. One can perform hard work with food of this character much more satisfactorily than upon a meat diet, though as stated before, in another chapter, while the stimulative character of meat causes it to build, perhaps, more immediate strength than food of this character, it will not by any means furnish the endurance, the ability to continue on and on, to the same extent as does these valuable elements. These foods can be prepared in whatever manner is considered the most appetizing, but they should be eaten very slowly.

Because of their richness in the elements required to nourish the body, very naturally they are more difficult of digestion than the ordinary foods, and thorough mastication will aid in making this process of digestion far more easy.