The Natural Diet of Man.

John Harvey Kellogg of cornflake fame was a serious vegetarian (he had some other rather strange ideas too, which we have considered previously.) He was not just a vegetarian, he was an evangelical vegetarian, and like all good evangelists he lost no opportunity (and probably created quite a few) to promote his cause. In his book The Natural Diet of Man ( 1923), one of his theories was that vegetarians were physically stronger. He published a list, compiled by ‘Russell’ (I don’t yet know who this is) of thirty-nine examples of races capable of great strength and endurance which showed (he said) that only three (less than 8 per cent) were associated with ‘flesh eating’. A further 14 examples (one third) ate meat occasionally, and the remaining 25 had completely flesh-free diets.

The list and conclusions would hardly be accepted as having much scientific validity today (which goes for a lot of modern ‘health’ claims too), but it is an interesting insight into ….. something. An interesting insight into the opinions of a nineteenth century evangelically vegetarian teetotal anti-sex American on the diet and strength of ‘others’, I suppose.

EUROPE.
DALECARLIAN SWEDE
Grain, milk, cheese, etc, probably fish also.
LAPLANDERS (SOME)
Flesh, blood, barley, coffee, alcohol.
FINNS (SOME)
Rye, barley, potatoes, fruit
RUSSIAN GRENADIERS
Eight lb. black bread, 4 lb. oil, 1 lb. salt, for eight days.
RUSSIAN LABORERS AT A PORT
Rye bread, garlics, etc.
ASIA
SIBERIAN SOLDIERS
Rye bread, soup
GREEK BOATMEN
Black rye or wheat bread, raisins or figs, etc
TURKISH SOLDIERS
Bread, mutton, beans, rice, butter, salt.
PART OF OTTOMAN ARMY
Vegetarian generally, water drinkers
BOATMEN, ETC., AT CONSTANTINOPLE
Bread, cucumbers, sherries, figs, dates, or other fruit, a little fish.
PORTERS AT SMYRNA
Vegetables, grain, or fruit.
KOLASHIN (MONTENEGRO)
Maize, milk, oil, onions, mutton
MONKS OF CYPRUS
Beans and barley bread; flesh rarely
CHINESE LABORERS (COUNTRY)
Rice, vegetables; sometimes a little fish or flesh; in some parts, rice, millet, sweet potatoes, beans etc.
KOREAN COUNTRYMEN (SOME)
Rice, eggs, dried fish, flesh; or rice, beans, spice, vinegar, radishes, occasional flesh.
JAPANESE SOLDIERS
Rice, 36 oz. vegetables, some fish, barley and beans at times.
SAMURAI
Unhulled rice chiefly, some fish or eggs, dried fruit, tea, cool, not cold, water.
TARTARS OF THE CHIN HILLS
Flesh, alcohol, etc
MADRAS MESSENGERS
Boiled rice, etc.
HIMALAYANS
Rice, etc.
SIKHS
Vegetarian chiefly, wheat flour.
ARMENIAN PORTERS
Bread, olives, cheese, onions, salad.

AFRICA
JENNA PEOPLE (CENTRAL AFRICA)
Chiefly yams and maize
ARAB TRIBES IN NORTH AFRICA
Dates, milk etc
CONGO SLAVES
Vegetarian
CANARY ISLAND LABORERS
Coarse vegetables, fruit, grain
SOME NATIVE RACES OF SOUTH AFRICA
Millet, sour milk.

AMERICAS
TOBASCO INDIANS (MEXICO)
Maize, sugar, etc
MEXICAN INDIANS AND MINERS
Maize, sugar, omelets, vegetables.
CHILIAN LABORERS (FROM DARWIN)
Two small loaves, 16 figs, boiled beans, roasted wheat.
YAQUIL MINERS (FROM DARWIN)
Boiled beans and bread
RIO SALADE SPANIARDS
Vegetarian
BOLIVIAN TROOPERS
Maize, cocoa, water.
BRAZIL SLAVES
Rice, fruit, bread, roots.
OPON INDIANS
Maize, sugar-cane, game, bananas, bread-fruit, mangoes, oranges.
FRIENDLY ISLANDERS
Bread-fruit, potatoes, taro, fruit, fish.
IPALAOS ISLANDERS
Bread-fruit, vegetables, fish, yams, potatoes, taro, bananas, coconuts, birds, eggs, turtles, etc.
COMANCHES (RED INDIANS)
Animal, chiefly; buffalo, piñon-nut, etc.
OSAGES (RED INDIANS)
Buffalo, maize, beans, pumpkins, wild plums.

Well, there you are. Glean what you may from that list. Start your own health-fad industry from it. Drink cool, not cold water. Revel in the idea that Cypriot Monks are amongst the strongest men in the world. Find out where the Ipalaos Islands are (and let me know).
John Kellogg’s wife Ella Eaton Kellogg assisted him in his work, and in 1893 published a book on diet and nutrition called Science in the Kitchen. I have to say there is not much in there that is fun. I have given you recipes from it before, so instead today I give you a recipe from Favorite dishes, by Carrie V. Shuman, published the very same year but with a different attitude.

Chicken Croquettes.
From MRS. SARAH H. BIXBY, of Maine, Alternate Lady Manager.
Chop one-half pound chicken quite fine; add one teaspoonful salt; one saltspoonful pepper; one saltspoonful celery salt; one teaspoon lemon juice; one tablespoon chopped parsley and a few drops of onion juice; moisten with the thick cream sauce.
Thick Cream Sauce --Melt two tablespoons butter; add two heaping tablespoons cornstarch; one teaspoon salt and one saltspoon pepper; add slowly one pint hot cream and beat well.
[The Alternate Lady Manager did not feel the need to spell it out, but these croquettes would probably have been crumbed and fried.]

Quotation for the Day …
The hippopotamus is a vegetarian and looks like a wall. Lions who eat only red meat are sleek and slim. Are nutritionists on the wrong track? Erma Bombeck.