FOODS TO AVOID
AMONG foods to avoid are those which form an excess of acid in the system. By acid-forming food is memo one which produces an acid condition during metabolism in the body, though ii may not be acid in itself.
Similaily, an alkali-forming food is not necessarily one which contains free alkale but one which produces alkaline conditions in the body.
Acids and Alkalis
Acid-producing foods are: Meats. poultry and fish; nuts and other foods of high protein content: some of the fats and cereals: peas and beans.
Alkali-producing foods are: All fruit, fresh or dried, with the exception of prunes, plums and cranberries: all vvgetables excepting peas and beans; and milk. The acid-citrous fruits-lemons, oranges arid grape-fruit-arc highly alkali-formkm.
It is a good thing, to remember that so lone as the blood-stream is kept alkaline nothing very serious will occur in the way of common ailments. It would be a safe rule. therefore, if for every acid-forming food in each meal an antidote in the form of an alkaline local were introduced.
Danger Points
Some gcne;-al precautions should be ob served when dealing with food. Fruit and other eatables exposed on barrows in the streets are a source of dangerous infection. unlessthey are well washed before being eaten. ,Pork-pie is another scapegoat in cases of ptomaine poisoning. There is also danger in the veal and ham, pigeon. or chicken pie of home manufacture, because many cooks forget to provide a ventilating hole in the crust, through which injurious gases may escape while the pie is cooking.