Columbus may have carried lettuce seeds to the New World, for it was being cultivated in the Bahamas in 1494. It was a common vegetable in Haiti as early as 1565, and Brazil was reported to have cultivated before 1650. The early colonists evidently introduced lettuce into the US, and in 1806 16 varieties were reported growing in American gardens.

Both the English and Latin words for lettuce are based on the heavy, milky juice of the vegetable, which is characteristic of the lettuce family. The primitive forms of lettuce has long stems and large leafs grew at the end of these stems. These closed –packed lettuce heads were well developed in Europe by the 16th century, while the loose common head type of developed later.

Lettuce has become the most valuable truck crop, and 85% of the commercial crop is produced in the west-California, Arizona, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The northeast and south Atlantic states are also important lettuce growing regions.

Lettuce is available all year, and the peak months are May, June, and July. Although the crisp head and butter head types are the most important from a commercial standpoint, the Cos or Romaine type are bets from a health standpoint, as the sun is allowed to penetrate each leaf. The leaves generally have less of the bitterness that is characteristic of some types of head lettuce. The “leaf” or the “bunching” type of lettuce is distinguished by loose leaves that do not form a head. This type is best for home gardening, as it can be grown in areas where the temperature is too high for successful growing of the other types of lettuce. The stem type lettuce has an enlarged stem and no head. The leaves are not as palpable as the other types of lettuce leaves except when young and tender. The stems are pulled and eaten raw or cooked.

Lettuce of good quality should be fresh, crisp, and tender, and if in head lettuce form, the head should be fairly firm to hard. Lettuce with a well developed seed stem has a bitter flavor.

THERAPEUTIC VALUE

Leaf lettuce is much richer in iron than head lettuce. We do not advocate using head lettuce in the diet, for it contains little nourishment. It contains significantly lower amounts of vitamins A and C than green Romaine lettuce. The darker green outside leaves contain a much higher proportion of the valuable food elements than the light colored inner leaves. Head lettuce is very gas forming , and really only offers bulk to the intestinal tract. It has an alkaline ash, however, and is not stimulating. Also, it is excellent for those who would like to lose weight. It also has many sleep promoting elements and makes good lettuce juice, which help promote sleep. It tends to slow down the digestive effect of the intestinal tract.

NUTRIENTS IN ONE POUND ( 1 head lettuce)

Calories: 57

Protein: 3.8 g

Fat: 0.6 g

Carbohydrates: 0.1 g

Calcium: 86 mg

Phosphorus: 78 mg

Iron: 1.6 mg

Vitamin A: 1,710 I.U.

Thiamine: 0.20 mg

Riboflavin: 0.21 mg

Niacin: 0.5 mg

Ascorbic acid: 24 mg

In the New World, lemons were introduced by the Sapnish adventurers in Haiti, then known as Hispaniola. In the US, Florida was the first lemon-producing area, and this state led in production of lemons until the heavy freeze in 1895 killed the lemon groves. They were never replanted. Now, about 95 percent of the lemons used in the US and Canada are produced in southern California. The other 5 percent are grown in Italy. Italy and California together produce all of the world’s entire supply of lemons.

In 1870, a variety of lemon called the Eureka was started from the Sicilian lemon seed planted in Los Angeles by C.R. Workmen. The Eureka, along with Libson, are the two varieties most commonly grown commercially. The Eureka grows in prolific quantity and is early-bearing, from late spring to summer; the Libson tends to bear only one large crop a year, in either spring or winter. A single lemon tree has been known to produce 3,000 lemons a year. This is because lemon trees bloom and ripen fruit every month of the year. The most fruit is produced between January and May.

The best lemons have skin of an oily, fine texture and are heavy for their size. This type is more apt to be full of juice, with a minimum of seeds and waste fibers. Choose lemons of a deep yellow color for ripeness and juice. They should be firm, but not hard, to the touch. Avoid using lemons that show signs of bruises, as fruits that have been mechanically injured are more subject to mold. Decay on the fruit appears as a mold or a discolored soft area at the stem end. Shriveled or hard-skinned fruits, or those that are soft or spongy to the touch, are not desirable. They may be old, dried out, mechanically injured, or affected by a rot at the center.

Lemon juice makes a good substitute for vinegar, especially in salad dressing, and for flavorings generally. Use a little lemon juice to cut the sweetness in very sweet fruit juices and use lemons in milk or cream, or canned milk, to curdle it, or when you want to make cheese. Use lemon to soften water to make an excellent rinse.

THERAPEUTIC VALUE

The lemon is rich in alkaline elements. Fresh lemon juice is an outstanding source of vitamin C. However, most of this valuable vitamin is lost if the juice is left exposed to air too long. Lemons are high in potassium, rich in vitamin B, and maybe considered a good source of vitamin G. Both lemons and limes contain 5-6 percent citric acid as compared with oranges, which contain 1 to 2 percent. The lemon is classified as an acid fruit, along with other citrus fruits, cranberries, loganberries, loquats, pineapples, pomegranates, strawberries and tamrinds.

Lemons are ideal for getting rid of toxic materials in the body, but citric acid in lemons can really stir up inactive acids and inactive toxic settlements of the body. The mineral content of the lemon is alkaline-forming in its ash. However, before this alkaline ash goes into the tissues, the citric acid is stirring up many of the acids in the body andit is difficult to get rid of the toxic conditions. We cannot get rid of these toxins because the kidneys, bowels, lungs and skin are not throwing off the body acids fast enough. When these acids are not thrown off quickly enough, they stay in the body becoming so active that academia and other irritating conditions may arise. A person with a highly acid stomach and acid reactions in the body will find that he/she is allergic to many foods. Citric acid would not produce as many irritating effects in personswith this problem if they would first make sure that the eliminative organs were working properly.

Lemons, and all citric acid fruits, are good in cases of putrefaction, especially of the liver. In many cases, they will help stirrup any latent toxic settlements in the body that cannot be eliminated any other way. Lemon drinks help tremendously when we need to remove the impurities and fermentative effects of a bad liver. We have often used citric acid diets with excellent results. But citric acid juices do thin the blood and we must remember that the elimination diet is only a part of what we require for right living.

Lemons are wonderful for throat trouble and catarrh. At the first sign of a cold, drink a glass of warm, unsweetened lemonade, and the cold maybe prevented. Lemons may aid in digestion and can strengthen resistance. A little lemon and the yolk of a raw egg in a glass of orange juice is an excellent mild laxative, as well as a nutritious drink. But, if you are extremely irritable, nervous, sensitive, or highly toxic, use vegetable juices or vegetable broths instead of citric acid fruits.

Lemons are wonderful for fevers, because a feverish body responds to citric acid fruits better than any other food. If we could live correctly, we would find that citrus fruits are one of the most wonderful foods to put in the body. By “living correctly,” I , mean that if the skin is eliminating properly, it would be able to take care of its share of the waste materials that have to be eliminated. When the skin is not eliminating well and acids are stirred up with citrus fruit, the kidneys have to do more work than they are capable of doing. In this case, it is best to use vegetable juices instead of citrus juice to avoid stirring up the toxemia acids in the body. Vegetable juices carry off toxemia acids and act more as a sedative. Before we use lemons, we should make sure that the eliminative organs are working well, because if they are not, the citric acid will cause over-activity. This over-activity will result in constant catarrh discharges, as well as many highly acid reactions in the body.

Lemons can be used very effectively in cases of influenza. My late teacher, Dr. V. G. Rocine, gave me this remedy for influenza many years ago: Bake a lemon for twenty minutes in the oven. Cut it in half and squeeze one half of the baked lemon into a glass of hot water. Drink this every half hour, as long as the fever is present.

The lemon seems to have the properties of increasing elimination through the skin, and therefore helps reduce the fever. The lemon also has certain effects on the germ life found in influenza, since it is a wonderful germicide. In fact, there are at least twenty different germs that can be destroyed by the use of lemon itself. To make this influenza remedy more complete, Dr. Rocine used a boneset tea along with it to control the calcium that is necessary whenever there is a fever.

Nutrients in One Pound (including peel)

Calories: 90

Protein: 3.3 g

Fat: 0.9 g

Carbohydrates: 41 g

Calcium: 274 mg

Phosphorus: 67 mg

Iron: 3.1 mg

Vitamin A: 301 I.U.

Thiamine: 0.06 mg

Riboflavin: 0.18 mg

Niacin: 0.9 mg

Ascorbic acid: 346 mg

Although the mango is not too well-known in this country, some parts of the world value this fruit highly. Glowing descriptions of mangos can be found in the literature of these countries. The Turkoman poet, Amir Khusrau, for instance, wrote of the mango in the fourteenth century: “The mango is the pride of the garden, the choicest fruit of Hindustan. Other fruits we are content to eat when ripe, but the mango is good in all stages of growth.”

The first attempt to introduce the mango into this country was made in 1833, when plants were transported to Florida from Mexico. These trees died, and another attempt was made thirty years later when seedling trees were introduced. The real success of its culture came at the beginning of thiscentury, when choice grafted trees were brought from India. Because the fruit’s susceptibility to frost, its culture is limited to certain sections of Florida, where it is a summer crop only.

The mango tree is a member of the sumac family. Its sometimes grows as high as 40 feet. Its leaves are shiny and its flowers yellowor of a reddish hue. There are hundreds of varieties of mangos, and they range from the size of plums to that of apples, often weighing a pound or more. The common color of the mango is orange, although the fruit may range from green to yellow or red.

This fruit is available from May to September, the peak month being june. Some varieties are shipped in from China, Jamaica, Mexico and Cuba.  A quality mango has a fairily small seed stone, adn the pulp is delicate and smooth. The fruit should be fresh in appearance, plump, and firmto the touch; however the test of quality is in its taste.

Mangos are best eaten as a fresh fruit. They have a high sugar content, although they are clightly acid in taste. Mangos are good used in combination with other fruits in salads, and in some parts of the world they are roasted. Both the flavor and aroma of mangos are spicy and attractive. To conserve the aroma, do not cut until just before serving.

THERAPEUTIC VALUE

Mangos contain a considerable amount of gallic acid, which may be binding to the bowels. It is excellent as a disinfectant to the body. Many people claim the mango is a great blood cleanser,and it also has fever-soothing qualities. mango juice will reduce excessive body heat. Mangos are also wonderful for helping to throw off body odors.

NUTRIENTS IN ONE POUND

Calories 198

Protein 2.1g

FAT 0.6g

Carbohydrates 51.6g

Calcium 27mg

Phosphorus 39mg

Iron 0.6g

Vitamin A 14,5901I.U.

Thiamine 0.19mg

Riboflavin 0.17mg

Niacin 2.8 mg

Ascorbic acid 106mg

During the Civil War, troops short of rations found they could live indefinitely on sweet potatoes alone. The Japanese on Okinawa could not have held out as long as they did if they had not been able to raid sweet potato patches at night. In 1913 the supply of sweet potatoes was so large and the demand so small that Louisiana towns sold them for fifty cents a barrel.

There are two main types of sweet potatoes; those that are mealy when cooked, and those that are wet when cooked—popularly miscalled “yams.” Actually, there are few yams grown in this country, and they are grown almost solely in Florida.

Decay in sweet potatoes spreads rapidly and may give the entire potato a disagreeable flavor.  This decay may appear in the form of dark, circular spots or as soft, wet rot, or dry, shriveled, discolored and sunken areas, usually at the ends of the root.

Use the sweet potato baked, steamed, or roasted, in puddings or pies.  Whenever possible, they should be cooked in their jackets, to conserve the nutrients.  If you wish to discard the skin, this vegetable is much easier to peel when cooked.  When combining the sweet potato with other foods, remember that it is a little more difficult to digest than the white potato.

THERAPEUTIC VALUE
The sweet potato is good for the eliminative system, but is a little more difficult to digest than the white potato.  It contains a great deal of vitamin A and is a good source of niacin.

NUTRIENTS IN ONE POUND
Calories: 419
Protein: 6.2 g
Fat: 1.5 g
Carbohydrates: 96.6 g
Calcium: 117 mg
Phosphorus: 173 mg
Iron: 2.7 mg
Vitamin A: 30,030 I.U.
Thiamine: 0.37 mg
Riboflavin: 0.23 mg
Niacin: 2.8 mg
Ascorbic acid: 77 mg

According to available records, the early types of eggplant had small fruits of ovoid shape. This, perhaps, accounts for its name.  Eggplant is available all year. Florida, California, Texas, Louisiana, and New Jersey produce most of the eggplant in the United States.

When selecting eggplants, choose those that are heavy and firm. They should have a uniform dark color and be free from blemish. Eggplant is best steamed or baked.  Cheese and tomatoes can be added for flavoring.

THERAPEUTIC VALUE
Eggplant is low in calories and is a non-starchy fruit that is cooked as a vegetable.  It contains a large amount of water.  It is good for balancing diets that are heavy in protein and starches.

NUTRIENTS IN ONE POUND
Calories: 111
Protein: 4.3g
Fat: .8g
Carbohydrates: 21.7g
Calcium: 59mg
Phosphorus: 146mg
Iron: 1.6mg
Vitamin A: 100 I.U.
Thiamine: .27mg
Riboflavin: .22mgNiacin: 3.2mg
Ascorbic Acid: 19mg