The Sabbath is the day of rest. In order that it may be devoted by all to religious exercises, holy meditation, and spiritual delight, it should be as free as possible from the ordinary duties and cares of life. To make it thus, preparation on the day before is necessary. The Lord calls the day before the Sabbath “the preparation” day. Luke 23:54. Of the work to be done on this day he says: “To-morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to-day, and seethe [boil] that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.” Ex. 16:23.
The Sabbath should not be made a day of feasting. The labor of the week being laid aside, a moderate amount of plain, wholesome food is all that is necessary. To gormandize on this day, as is the custom with many, causes the mind to become dull and stupid, and unfits it for spiritual devotion.
With proper planning, very little, if any, cooking need ever be done on the Sabbath, aside from simply warming over some of the foods prepared the previous day.
Brown bread, fruit bread-sticks, or French rolls; warmed up potatoes, or potatoes with cream; baked or boiled beans; split pea or lentil soup, with croutons; sago, tapioca, or some other simple pudding or pie; canned or stewed fruit; and fresh fruits and nuts, make an excellent Sabbath dinner. All these may be prepared on the previous day. The potatoes may be boiled ready to warm up, the beans baked or boiled, the peas or lentils cooked and rubbed through a colander ready to add the seasoning and necessary water for soup, the croutons prepared, the fruit stewed, the pudding or pie baked, and the nuts cracked. Then the dinner may be made ready quickly, and with but little effort.
FOOD COMBINATIONS
Because of their chemical nature, the time required to digest them, and the place where, and the juices with which, they are digested, some foods do not combine as well as others. While the young and those with sound stomachs and vigorous digestion may experience little or no inconvenience from improper and more varied combinations, to continue their use is likely in time seriously to impair the digestion. Dyspeptics and those troubled with slow digestion will find it to their advantage to avoid such combinations as fruits and vegetables, milk and vegetables, sugar and milk, milk and fruits; and, when fruits are taken, to eat them at the close of the meal. The following are good combinations: Grains and fruits; fruits and nuts; grains, fruits, and nuts; grains, legumes, and vegetables; grains and milk. An excellent rule to follow is to avoid a large variety at any meal, and let natural cravings indicate largely the kinds of food eaten. Above all, use common sense, and relish what you eat.
TIME REQUIRED TO DIGEST VARIOUS FOODS
| Hrs. | Mins. | |
| Rice | 1 | 00 |
| Apples, sweet, mellow, raw | 1 | 00 |
| Granola | 1 | 00 |
| Eggs, whipped | 1 | 30 |
| Trout, boiled | 1 | 30 |
| Venison, broiled | 1 | 35 |
| Sago | 1 | 45 |
| Tapioca | 2 | 00 |
| Barley | 2 | 00 |
| Eggs raw | 2 | 00 |
| Apples, sour, mellow, raw | 2 | 00 |
| Milk, boiled | 2 | 00 |
| Milk, raw | 2 | 15 |
| Turkey, boiled | 2 | 25 |
| Parsnips, boiled | 2 | 30 |
| Potatoes, baked | 2 | 30 |
| Beans, string, boiled | 2 | 30 |
| Cabbage, raw | 2 | 30 |
| Turkey, roasted | 2 | 30 |
| Goose, roasted | 2 | 30 |
| Lamb, boiled | 2 | 30 |
| Oysters, raw | 2 | 55 |
| Eggs, soft boiled | 3 | 00 |
| Beef, lean, raw, roasted | 3 | 00 |
| Beefsteak, broiled | 3 | 00 |
| Chicken soup, boiled | 3 | 00 |
| Mutton, broiled | 3 | 00 |
| Bean soup | 3 | 00 |
| Mutton, roasted | 3 | 15 |
| Bread, corn-meal | 3 | 15 |
| Mutton soup | 3 | 30 |
| Bread, white | 3 | 30 |
| Potatoes, boiled | 3 | 30 |
| Turnips, boiled | 3 | 30 |
| Eggs, hard boiled | 3 | 00 |
| Eggs, fried | 3 | 30 |
| Oysters, stewed | 3 | 30 |
| Butter, melted | 3 | 30 |
| Cheese | 3 | 30 |
| Beets, boiled | 3 | 45 |
| Corn and Beans, green | 3 | 45 |
| Veal, broiled | 4 | 00 |
| Fowl, broiled | 4 | 00 |
| Beef, lean, fried | 4 | 00 |
| Salmon, salted, boiled | 4 | 00 |
| Beef, salted, boiled | 4 | 15 |
| Soup, marrow-bone | 4 | 15 |
| Pork, salted, fried | 4 | 15 |
| Veal, fried | 4 | 30 |
| Duck, roasted | 4 | 30 |
| Cabbage, boiled | 4 | 30 |
| Pork, roasted | 5 | 15 |