ngs are not sweet enough without, it is better to
add a little sugar or molasses on your plate. Nor should sauces, or
cream, or butter, or suet be used in or upon them; though of all these
substances, cream is least injurious. Nutmegs, grated cheese, &c., are
unnecessary and hurtful. Cheese should never be eaten, in any way.

There is one thing, however, which may be eaten in moderate quantity
with all sorts of puddings and with bread; I mean milk. I say eaten
_with_, for it is better never to put these substances, nor indeed any
other, _into_ the milk. The bread, pudding, &c., should be eaten by
itself, and the milk by itself, also. In this way we shall not be liable
to cheat the teeth out of what is justly their due, and then make the
deranged stomach and general system pay for it.

Potatoes are a good article of diet--to be used once a day--though they
are not very nutritious. They are best either steamed or roasted in the
ashes. They are also excellent when boiled. Turnips are also good.
Onions are not so useful as is generally supposed, except for the
purposes of medicine.

Beets; in small quantity, and carrots and asparagus, and above all,
beans and peas--but not their pods--are tolerable food once a day,
during most of the year, except it be the middle of the winter. But
neither these, nor potatoes, nor any other vegetables, ought to be
cooked in any way with fat, or fat meat, or butter; or be mashed after
they are cooked, or eaten with oil or butter.

If there be an exception to this general rule--which may seem to be
rather sweeping--it should be in favor of a little sweet oil on rice, or
on bread puddings. But the common practice, founded upon the apparent
belief that we can scarcely eat anything until it is well covered with
lard or butter, is quite objectionable--nay, it is even disgusting. No
pure stomach would ever prefer oily bread, or pudding, or beans, or
peas; and most people would abhor the sight of such a strange
combination, were not habit, in its power to change our very nature,
almost omnipotent.

SEC. 10. _Remarks on Fruit._

There is a very great diversity of opinion on the subject of fruit. Some
maintain that all fruit, even in the most ripe and perfect state, is of
doubtful utility, especially for children. Others say none is hurtful,
if ripe, and eaten in moderate quantity. Some require care in making a
proper selection; but here again, in regard to what constitutes a proper
selectio