_Brazil Nut._

Brazil nuts are excellent for constipation. They are also a good
substitute for suet in puddings. Use 5 oz. nuts to 1 lb. flour. They
should be grated in a nut mill or finely chopped.


_Beans, Peas, and Lentils._

Beans, peas, and lentils are tabooed by the followers of Dr. Haig, the
gout specialist, on account of the belief that they tend to increase the
secretion of uric acid. But this evil propensity is stoutly denied by
other food-reformers. For myself I am inclined to believe that their
supposed indigestibility, etc., arises from the fact that they are
generally cooked in hard water. They should be cooked in distilled or
boiled and filtered rain water. The addition of lemon juice while
cooking renders them much more digestible.

According to Sir Henry Thomson haricot beans are more easily digested
than meat by most stomachs. "Consuming weight for weight, the eater
feels lighter and less oppressed, as a rule, after the leguminous dish;
while the comparative cost is greatly in favour of the latter."

Lentils are the most easily digested of all the pulse foods, and
therefore the most suitable for weakly persons. A soup made of
distilled water and red lentils may be taken twice a week with
advantage. Lentils contain a good percentage of iron, and also
phosphates.