THE MANITOBA HEALTH COOK BOOK

Chapter XIV...BEVERAGES

Water is a natural constituent of every cell in the human
organism and the body requires to be supplied with it every day.
Thirst is the body’s call for water and every liquid that slakes thirst
does so by its water content—not by anything else. Our common
beverages are mainly water flavored and varied as to taste by the
use of fruit juices and other essences. The habitual drinking of
water—as water—is worth acquiring and cultivating in our children.

Milk is an ideal beverage having, in addition to its 87 per cent
water, high nutritive value in forms peculiarly assimilable by our
organs of digestion. Skim milk and buttermilk which are practi-
cally 90 per cent water, while they lack the fats contain a large pro-
portion of the proteins, minerals and other food values in milk. It
is certain that as we approach more ideal diets milk will have larger
place than it yet has even on the best tables.

Tea and Coffee. Where used habitually in “strong’’ form
these beverages have harmful effects on the digestive and nervous
systems and their use is opposed by many physicians. The ‘‘tannin”’
in tea and the caffeine in coffee are nerve stimulants. When the
beverage is boiled or steeped for a long time these elements per-
vade the liquid. Only when mildly or moderately “drawn’’, so that
the drug element is comparatively slight, can they be considered
satisfactory for every day use.

Cocoa (Chocolate) has to a slight extent the stimulating pro-
perties of tea and coffee, but is not ordinarily used in ‘‘strong”’
solution. It contains in addition a proportion of fat and albuminous
matter. When made with milk it is a highly nourishing drink.

Fermented drinks have no place in a health cook book. Their
common constituent is alcohol—a nerve-depressant drug with habit
forming tendencies—which has no place either in the chemical or
nutrient economy of the human organism. Since they are in no
sense necessary and since the tendencies to excess are manifest
wherever they are in common use it would seem that the wise course
is to refrain from any use of them.

Cocoa
2/3 T. cocoa 2 T. sugar 2 c. milk
2 ¢. water (boiled) f.g. salt

Scald milk. Mix cocoa, sugar and salt, add water gradually,
boil, stirring constantly, for 5 min. Add scalded milk and keep
hot over hot water. Beat until frothy before serving. (All milk
can be used in this recipe. )

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