One thing we know for sure from experience: we must not let the body go short of sleep since there is simply no substitute for it. Experience and observation also tell us that bedtime has something to do with the coming and going of daylight. We are aware of the fact that sleep before midnight is more refreshing and relaxing than sleep afterwards. If we postpone our bedtime to the hours after midnight we will not derive the strengthening benefits from sleep that we would by going to bed earlier, because the hours before midnight provide double the benefits. Not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. Individual requirements generally lie between six and ten hours.

If we want to derive the most from sleep as a source of energy we must definitely make sure that we allow ourselves the time we individually need. Anyone who cuts sleep short so that he can work more will soon notice that he has calculated wrongly. During the day his energy will decline and his efficiency will diminish. If we need a great deal of sleep in order to feel fresh during the day we should not compare ourselves with those who get by with less. We must by all means obtain the amount we personally need. May we therefore never forget the mysterious renewing power of sleep. It is essential for good health.

*1221/28/1*

We possess a heating element in our nose which warms the air as we breathe it in; thus air below freezing point will be warmed up to natural body temperature as it passes through the nostrils. Our lungs would suffer if we breathed in cold air all the time and it could not be warmed before entering. That is why it is important in cold climates to breathe through the nose and when it is really cold to wrap a woollen scarf over the mouth and nose to protect the membranes. In extremely cold weather no one likes to breathe through the mouth anyway, but if you did, you could become so ill that you would have to stay in bed and not be able to enjoy yourself in the mountain snow. If you persist in this lack of care, you might eventually suffer to such an extent that you stop breathing altogether and then, of course, will never again benefit from your vacations in the mountains!

It is different in the tropics, where the nose acts as a thermostat in the hot and humid air, cooling down the hot air that passes through it to approximately blood heat.

This air-conditioning system in our nose is a marvellous thing. It maintains the air temperature at a level that is appropriate for our needs.

*1152/28/1*

Since most coffee drinkers should give up drinking coffee completely for the sake of their health, the question arises as to how they can achieve this. Efforts to find a satisfactory substitute for coffee have been continuing for a long time, with the result that there are several good cereal and fruit mixtures on the market today, including our own Bambu Coffee Substitute.

These substitute coffees are healthy and have none of the undesirable effects of the coffee bean. Even the milk in fruit coffee suffers none of the drawbacks it encounters in ordinary coffee. Milk taken in ‘bean’ coffee coagulates or curdles in the stomach, with each mouthful becoming a little ball of curd in the acid medium of the stomach. However, if ingested in cereal and fruit coffee, milk curdles in fine flakes, making it much more digestible.

Bambu coffee also mixes well with raw milk for a cold drink in summer. Its bitter constituents, which come from acorns, and other minerals, are all of importance to the body in general and the liver in particular, which may well apply to bitter elements in other foods too. However, the principal benefit of this coffee is its coagulating effect on milk, as described above. Of course, if you are fit and healthy, none of these considerations will mean much to you, but if your health is not so good, or you are nervous, sensitive and highly-strung because of a life-style that is contrary to nature, it is a different question. In that case, you should definitely choose only mild food and drink.

*1083/28/1*

I shall never forget the Indian children we met in Central America. They would approach us slowly, smiling timidly, while chewing on a piece of sugar cane. This seemed to satisfy their sweet tooth and helped them to overcome their shyness. Practically all children like sugar, the peculiar carbohydrate that gives our taste buds the pleasant sensation of sweetness. The young Indians enjoy raw sugar cane and also the raw fresh juice that is then condensed over a fire, making what they call pilosillo. Most astonishing to me was the fact that although they ate a great deal of the sweet brown syrup their teeth were strong and beautiful. In fact, if they had no knife handy, I often saw them using their teeth like one.

*1013/28/1*

A health diet should be planned in such a way that it does not cause unnecessary disturbances in the system. Special attention should be given to the requirements of the individual organs that are weak. The liver and the pancreas cannot tolerate unhealthy fats or excessively sweet things; the kidneys react to too much salt and spices. As regards salt, the latest research has shown that sea salt is vastly superior to mined stone salt because in its unrefined state it contains many of the substances and trace elements that are found in healthy blood. Moreover, if the sea salt is enriched with herbs you have an excellent seasoning. We have such a tasty and wholesome preparation in Herbamare. For those who are prone to catarrh and similar infections or inflammations, there is also Trocomare. This herbal seasoning salt is also indicated as a prophylactic for infectious diseases. It is a dietary salt made up of natural sea salt and enriched with eight different fresh plants whose antibacterial effects are similar to those of penicillin, but without the danger of the body becoming resistant to them or the intestinal flora being damaged. As with herbal seasonings, Trocomare should never be boiled, but should be added after the food has been cooked so as not to destroy any of the active ingredients. Remember, Trocomare provides valuable remedial properties as well as flavouring.

*942/28/1*