I was made aware of the importance of gratitude in our life some years ago when a good friend who was an instructor at a missionary school in the State of New York asked me whether I had expressed thanks for the air I had inhaled that day. In a way, this unexpected question startled me, because I had never before thought of expressing gratitude for this indispensable gift, but had for years taken for granted its being there to receive daily. Of course, I am sure that I am not alone in having been thoughtless in this respect. At the same time, I realised that I had reason to be grateful for many other precious gifts. Moreover, I became conscious of the fact that everyday life with its hectic demands and its various joys, but also its many obstacles, often crowded out the invaluable precious things we receive from the Giver of all good and perfect gifts at no cost to us whatsoever. Once we have begun to realise that, in spite of many difficulties, we have reason to be grateful for all the indispensable things that we cannot produce ourselves, then the awakening gratitude will permeate our being with a warm feeling, and this inner warmth is a gift of which we can always avail ourselves without cost.

*1230/28/1*

Patients who are unable to go for walks should have their sickroom aired regularly in order to allow oxygen-laden fresh air to replace the stale air and so accelerate their recuperation. Lack of oxygen will retard their progress.

Those who practise winter sports will benefit more healthwise if they climb uphill with their skis for an hour rather than using the ski-lift. The lazy or convenient way does not benefit them as much as they would like it to. Modern means of transport have a similar effect, hindering us from using our legs. We appreciate our legs when we use them vigorously, letting them benefit our health. Walking briskly makes us breathe more thoroughly and this, in turn, supplies the body with plenty of oxygen. Our daily activities and work deprive the body of oxygen, yet it needs this vital element to keep it fit and healthy and to recuperate from illnesses. How good it would be if we resolved not to fill up with more petrol but, instead, with more oxygen! Better health would surely follow.

*1161/28/1*

When travelling abroad, any useful experiences and observations in connection with food should be recorded and utilised, if necessary adapting them to suit our own circumstances. I have tried to put this suggestion into practice by experimenting at home with new blends of herbs and spices according to specific rules and principles. The combination of fresh herbs, fresh vegetables and sea salt, as in Trocomare, and partly also in Herbamare, is an example of my efforts.

Years ago, herbs were dried and powdered before use, but today we know and appreciate that fresh herbs are much more active and effective for seasoning. A fresh herbal seasoning is therefore more savoury and full-tasting. Herbamare and Trocomare seasoning salts are available in convenient shakers and offer you the goodness contained in the fresh vegetables and herbs from which they are made. The plants are organically grown, gathered from the garden and used immediately in the manufacturing process, while still fresh. A wonderfully green mush is made first, to which pure sun-dried sea salt is added. The salt dissolves and absorbs the juices, while the mush is dehydrated without heating. When ready, the seasoning is packed into the shakers. Modern nature-oriented families appreciate having these seasonings on their tables every day.

*1092/28/1*

You can guarantee healthy nutrition if you always supplement a dish of preserved vegetables or fruit with some fresh produce. Not everything you eat need have a high vitamin content; it suffices when part of the meal meets this criterion. The important thing is to make sure that you do not leave out anything essential when planning your menu. Let us suppose that, for lunch in winter, you have yogurt, which contains vitamins, and some fresh carrot or beet salad. In addition you may have some of your preserved vegetables, as well as potatoes or natural brown rice. The body will then obtain its vitamins from the fresh vegetables, and other nutrients from the preserved or bottled food. All in all, you will be adequately and correctly fed.

Preserve and bottle all surplus from your garden produce, but do not make the mistake of depriving the children of fresh fruits and berries just because you want to keep them. I remember as a child having to watch the blackcurrants and raspberries I longed to eat being made into jam. Parents, in their eagerness to preserve them, forget about the value of fresh fruit.

*1022/28/1*

Although it should be sufficiently well known that fattening-up diets are anything but sensible, and contrary to the findings of modern nutritional research, they are still occasionally recommended. Lymphatic children with swollen glands and shadows on their lungs are overfed during their stay in Swiss mountain resorts to such an extent that they return home quite plump. It is not surprising that when they are back home in the lowlands and complain of excessive tiredness, show signs of some liver trouble, or even succumb to jaundice. The weight increase achieved by stuffing butter, milk and rich foods into them is no longer the accepted procedure of the nature-oriented, progressive doctor, since it has been found that there are other factors of even greater importance.

The fattening-up diet produces something like an optical illusion. Fat, heavy-bodied children somehow create the impression of being in the best of health, but that this is not always true is borne out by past experience and common knowledge. Excessive feeding usually affects the liver because the diet contains too much fat. This, in turn, leads to other metabolic disturbances which eventually have to be corrected. So forget fattening-up diets. They are not sensible. The resistance to infection is nearly always lowered after such an extreme feeding programme and, all in all, nothing good is ever gained by it.

*951/28/1*