Fruits of all kinds form not only a delicious addition to our diet, but are valuable in many ways. They are naturally deficient in actual nourishment, but the water which they contain is absolutely pure and is easily assimilated and used to advantage by the system. Most fruits also have acid properties which are valuable in assisting the digestive process. This is especially true when there is any inclination to a liver trouble or biliousness of any kind. Many serious illnesses can be avoided by the judicious use of fruits, and unquestionably they are valuable in the cure of various diseases.

The "grape cure" has become famous throughout the world, as diseases of all kinds have been cured radically and thoroughly by the simple use of grapes as an exclusive diet for a considerable length of time. Grapes are very rich in starch and sugar, as will be noted, and really a valuable food and remarkably easy of digestion. When the stomach is so weak as to be unable to digest the simplest food elements, grapes will in nearly every case be found to digest without the slightest irritation. Of course in eating grapes the most satisfactory method is to pick and eat them from the vines. This is, of course, difficult for most of my readers, but if care is taken to secure them well ripened, their effects when eaten at home are nearly equal to that secured when picking them from the vine.

The apple is probably the most used of all fruits, and their flavor varies very greatly. Some have a very sweet flavor and contain little acid. Others are well supplied with this acid element which is a very valuable tonic to many stomachs. Apples are usually better eaten raw, and are more easily digested in this condition, provided they are thoroughly masticated. Of course there are some very delicate stomachs which find difficulty in digesting raw apples, but where such condition has been produced it is usually ample evidence that nourishment of this character is not needed by the system, or else it is evidence that the digestive organs need to be rested by frequent short fasts or a long fast.

The unfermented juice of the apple makes a very valuable drink and can be most highly recommended. A bilious condition together with numerous other ailments, will in many instances entirely disappear if one will drink all the cider that may be desired. I remember quite well an experience in my own life where cider proved a very valuable aid in recovering normal weight after a dietetic experiment which had weakened my digestive organs and greatly depreciated my general strength.

I had been following out an experiment for two or three months, and though my knowledge at that time of diet was rather limited, I fully believed that my conclusions were correct, and I adhered to my determination to prove this with too much zeal. One evening I felt very weak and concluded to test my pulse beat and was amazed to find that it had decreased to thirty-five to the minute. It seemed to me impossible that it could be so low, and I tested it several times before being convinced. On the realization of my condition, which was emphasized not only by the low pulse beat but by its faintness, I concluded to immediately begin a normal diet. In my condition at that time this was not easily done as my digestion was so weakened that it could hardly digest anything of importance, and for several days I found that my strength and weight had increased but little, although the pulse beat had largely improved. On one occasion, I attempted to eat a hearty meal and found that only a few morsels could be eaten, and a few moments later, on eating some apples rich in acids, I noticed their immediate beneficial effect. I concluded that if some apple cider could be had it would probably help me greatly in the work of digesting.

Some especially pure apple juice was immediately procured and almost from that date I began to gain weight at the rate of almost a pound per day, and six weeks after that time I had gained thirty pounds. The gain was not caused by the medicinal influence of cider. The fact was simply that I needed the acids in the fruit juice to assist the digestive process. This personal experience will no doubt emphasize the importance of the use of apples; and whenever convenient and appetizing, they should always be made a part of your diet. They are very valuable as a remedy for constipation, and in fact nearly all fruits are valuable in this respect, though blackberries have been considered otherwise by numerous hygienic authorities.

In selection of satisfactory fruits you should let your taste largely guide you. The tendency in the use of fruits is usually to swallow them rather hurriedly as they are easily masticated. This tendency should be resisted, and mastication continued in every case until the food is actually reduced to liquid and swallowing is involuntary.