cited against the free use of fruit is that "the acids act injuriously
upon the teeth." Until I became a vegetarian I used to visit a dentist
regularly every six months. I had done this for ten years, and nearly
every tooth in my gums had its gold filling. The last time I visited the
dentist I told him that I had become a vegetarian, and he replied that
he rather thought my teeth would decay quicker in future on account of
an increased consumption of vegetable acids. But from that day, now
nearly six years ago, to the present time, I have never been near a
dentist. My teeth seem to have taken a new lease of life. It is a fact
that the acids in fruit and vegetables so far from injuring the teeth
benefit them. Many of these acids are strongly antiseptic and actually
destroy the germs that cause the teeth to decay. On the other hand, they
do _not_ attack the enamel of the teeth, while inorganic acids do.
Nothing cleanses the teeth so effectually as to thoroughly chew a large
and juicy apple.


_Fruit is a Food._

Until quite recently the majority of English-speaking people have been
accustomed to look upon fruit not as a food, but rather as a sweetmeat,
to be eaten merely for pleasure, and therefore very sparingly. It has
consequently been banished from its rightful place at the beginning of
meals. But fruit is not a "goody," it is a food, and, moreover, a
complete food. All vegetable foods (in their natural state) contain all
the elements necessary to form a complete food. At a pinch human life
might be supported on any one of them. I say "at a pinch" because if
the nuts cereals and pulses were ruled out of the dietary it would, for
most people, be deficient in fat and proteid (the flesh and
muscle-forming element). Nevertheless, fruit alone _will_ sustain life