THE CULT OF BEAUTY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22009, 16 January 1935, Page 16

THE CULT OF BEAUTY

AID OF THE KITCHEN GARDEN Diet forms such n big part of most beauty treatment that it is of the greatest interest to all women. And once one gets out of condition, hall-, eyes and complexion all suffer, states an overseas writer.

It is hardly necessary to say anything about apples and their place in the beauty diet. Everyone knows the saying: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Apparently, _ the apple is the panacea for all ills. It is supposed to be good for the digestion, the liver, for sleeplessness—that enemy of good looks—it is nutritious and is good for clearing the voice. Carrots, it is said, clear tho skin and purify the blood. I onco knew a girl who had a glorious pink and white complexion and she used to eat a grated carrot every morning of her life. Whether her complexion was naturally lovely and would have been-so in any case, I do not know. But sho said it was the carrot juice. There seems to be. a widespread belief that celery is good for sufferers from rheumatism, but I had not heard that this vegetable was supposed to be a nerve stimulant and good food for those whose nerves aro not in order until I came across it in a book recently. As nervous diseases are other deadly enemies of beauty I write it down for what it is worth.

If you want to put on flesh —although it is most people's ambition to get thin or keep thin—then eat dates, raisins, figs and cream. i Honey is not often mentioned specifically, but it should find a place in every beauty diet. It is cleansing and healing and strengthening. From my own experience I know that a mixture of honey, lemon juice and brown sugar in equal parts is very soothing after a cold has left the throat rather sore and the voice hoarse. Lemons and oranges and lettuce are well known items on the diet sheets of the beauty seekers. Lemon juico, diluted, taken first thing in the morning, will cleanse the system from impurities. Jerusalem artichokes, which come into season during the winter months, ought also to bo a "safe" vegetable for tho slimming sisterhood. They contain very little sugar and no starch. But, without their thick white sauce —forbidden for the slendering enthusiasts —they would seem dull and uninteresting. There are people who scoff at the onion, but there is no doubt that it is good for ridding the skin of blemishes. It is considered a good germ-destroyer, either boiled or stewed, and many people pin their faith to the onion made into broth, stewed, baked or boiled as excellent for helping to euro a cold and for those who cannot sleep at night. "Onion juice mixed with vinegar takes away all blemishes, spots and marks in the skin." I quote from a famous seventeenth centurv herbal now.

Although the onion is not often given as a slimming vegetable I have heard it said in France that it is recommended for those who are too fat. Turnips and potatoes were both considered flesh-forming by writers on herbs and vegetables. As one-third of potatoes to two-thirds of turnips aro sometimes used to make a turnip puree I can thoroughly recommend this mixture to the rare people who wish to put on weight. I could never understand why those two fattening foods —milk and potatoes —should have been chosen as one of the most fashionable slimming diets three or four years ago. While we are on the subject of food for beauty remember that a glass of hot milk is one of the best restoratives for those who an? exhausted, mentally or through long exertion at games or sport. For those who do not like the taste of plain hot milk it can be disguised with a little of one of the powdered malt preparations on the market or a dusting of powdered cinnamon or ground ginger. This, last thing at night, makes one of tho best night-caps.