Beat egg yolk with lemon juice; add one-half the butter; place in double boiler over hot (not boiling) water. Stir until it begins to thicken and add remainder of butter; stir in boiling water, cook until of the consistency of boiled custard.
Vegetables and Fruits
Among the plants known as vegetables, some are seeds, some leaves, some stems or bulbs, some roots or tubers, and some are the fruit surrounding the seeds. Under the head of seeds we find peas, beans and lentils, this class of vegetables being spoken of as legumes or pulses; they are rich in protein (especially when dried) and contain an appreciable amount of carbohydrates as well, some contain fat. Green, or fresh legumes are more easily digested than the dried legumes. They are important sources of iron and phosphorus and contain a certain amount of calcium; in the body they act as neutralizing agents since the base-forming elements in these plants predominate over the acid-forming elements.[42]
Among the “leafy vegetables” we find, lettuce, cabbage, spinach, beet, turnip and mustard greens, chard and parsley. These vegetables are not only prized for their mineral content but furnish a recognized source of the fat soluble vitamine, “A.”
Tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and pumpkin are vegetables whose “fleshy fruit” surround the seed but are eaten as vegetables instead of as fruit.
Potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onions, beets and turnips are among those whose stems, roots or tubers are eaten as vegetables.
More and more are we coming to see the importance of this class of foods in the dietary, they are important on account of their mineral salts, their vitamine factors and for the bulk which they lend to the food mass which facilitates its passage along the digestive tract. The majority of vegetables furnish organic acids or their salts which function in the body, as potential bases, assisting in the neutralization of the acids formed in the body as a result of the breaking down of the proteins.
Fruits.—Fruits have practically the same value from a dietetic standpoint as vegetables, and the same care must be given to their selection. Some fresh fruit should be given to children every day to safeguard them against scurvy. And adults should have fresh fruit several times a week, the remainder of the time dried fruits may be used. Canned fruits while good are not so valuable as fresh fruits and are more expensive than the dried fruit.
The fruits and vegetables will here be considered. Some of the fruits and vegetables contain high percentages of sugar, aside from the mineral salts, for which they are especially valuable. This class includes the sugar cane, sugar beet, raisins, dates, figs, etc., while others such as the potato, taro, banana, etc., furnish an appreciable amount of starch. All of the vegetables and fruits are rich in mineral salts, which are as important to the work of the body as the proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Hence it is essential to add the foods containing these mineral salts to the daily dietary both in health and in disease.
Both fruits and vegetables should be free from blemishes. Those to be served raw, such as lettuce and other salad vegetables, must be purchased from reliable markets. Unscrupulous vendors have been known to sprinkle old wilted vegetables, to restore their freshness, with water from stagnant pools teeming with typhoid bacteria, thereby spreading infection broadcast. Vegetables which require cooking before they are eaten are, for this reason, safer.