Many years ago, and elderly patient from Havelock North here in Hawke’s Bay (New Zealand) mentioned that her favourite doctor was a bit of a maverick, in fact he was in some sense a natural therapist.
Dr. Herbert SutcliffeMany years ago, and elderly patient from Havelock North, a small town in Hawke’s Bay (New Zealand) mentioned that her favourite doctor was “a bit of a maverick”, in fact, you could say he was in some sense a natural therapist. This was in the 1960s when medicine was much more about drug therapy than today. The Doctor’s name was Dr. Sutcliffe, and you can read all about him here, The School Of Radiant Living
Dr Sutcliffe even treated Sir Edmund Hillary (first bloke to climb Mt. Everest) amongst others and recommended simple living. By considering people as threefold beings – body, mind and spirit, he believed we could achieve individual health and happiness by changing diet, physical habits, attitudes and spiritual awareness, and by following the ‘laws of nature’.
The first “Sutcliffe School of Radiant Living” was founded in America in 1931. During the 20 years Sutcliffe set up 36 schools – 24 in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong and Australia, and even 12 in New Zealand.
By 1942 Sutcliffe had made Havelock North, with its history of alternative spirituality and pleasant climate, his home and the international headquarters of the movement. He bought a large Quaker-built house called Swarthmoor and renamed it Peloha. For the next four decades, it hosted summer schools, conferences and Easter observances, and also functioned as a commercial health retreat.
Radiant Living thrived in New Zealand from the 1940s to the 1970s. Many schools built or purchased their own premises, and annual banquets, often attended by mayors, MPs and other dignitaries, celebrated the founding of each school.
At a meeting in Wellington in the 1940s, Prime Minister Peter Fraser suggested that if more people followed Radiant Living health principles, he would be “closing hospitals rather than opening them”. Perhaps Fraser could have recommended that Dr. Sutcliffe become Minister of Health. It may have saved the country billions of dollars in health care over the years. The current government spends billions on health care annually, and still there are so many people dying of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. We call them “diseases of modern civilisation”.
Dr Sutcliffe would have viewed this as quite different and sought to correct the causes of ill health. The Eliminating Diet took a prominent place in Sutcliffe’s teachings. To remove toxins from the body and mind, the Eliminating Diet was commonly prescribed for a variety of ailments. The dietary theories of Radiant Living, based on a high intake of fresh fruit, vegetables and their juices, foreshadow much later mainstream dietary advice. Correct breathing, exercises to improve eyesight, and he also encouraged singing and music.
All were an embodiment of the philosophy that by following ‘laws of nature’ ailments could be cured and quality of life improved. How outstanding is that!
Dr Sutcliffe’s Potassium Broth RecipeTake equal parts of the following vegetables finely chopped or put through the mincer: About 2 cupfuls each of spinach, onions, celery, carrots, tomatoes; one-quarter cup of parsley. Add 1.5 ltrs of cold water and place over a suitable flame to boil in 20 minutes, then simmer slowly for 20 minutes. Flavour with either asparagus, carrot tops, marmite, beet tops, turnip tops or green pepper. DO NOT usUSE cabbage. Season with vegetable salt or celery salt.
MENTAL AND PHYSICAL
As recommended by :
Herbert Sutcliffe, D.Sc.,Ph.D., F.F.Sc. (Lond.)
To obtain physical fitness, it is of vital importance that the right mental attitude should accompany the food diet to enable the emotions, nerves and glands to co-operate with the healing processes of the body.
The following ‘Mental Diet’ will be found of wonderful benefit to ensure success.
General Instructions:
For ten days, make a resolution to eliminate all fears from your mind. Affirm the following three times each, for the said ten days:
Commence the day with the following Mental and Physical exercise:
TENSE EVERY MUSCLE and PUT VITAL ENERGY INTO MOVEMENT AND WORD.
INSTRUCTIONS: Read carefully.
The following menu is a scientific method of eating abundantly of foods calculated to impregnate the blood with vital health. It frees the tissues of mucus, toxic poisons and congested cells. Cold, catarrh, asthma, bronchitis, liver troubles, intestinal and stomach troubles, constipation, blood pressure and many other diseases can be eradicated by taking this wonderful menu of vital foods.
SPECIAL NOTE: For the specified period (except where specially stated) entirely refrain from eating proteins, i.e. meats, fish, eggs, peas, beans, lentils, poultry, cheese and etc., and carbohydrates, such as bread, biscuits, scones, cakes, potatoes and all sweets. Do NOT drink tea, coffee, cocoa, milk or any makes of soft drinks.
Endeavour to drink 2 quarts of the potassium broth each day. This, together with the fruit juices, will supply the body with the liquids required.
Symptoms, such as dizziness and temporary weakness are food signs that the diet is assisting the blood to cleanse the body of uric acid, congestion and mucus. Persevere, and they will pass away. Eat all you can of the right foods.
FOODS REQUIRED FOR THE ELIMINATING DIET
This menu consists of TWELVE CITRUS FRUITS – 6 oranges, 3 grapefruit and 3 lemons – taken every day for ten days, (for special cases a longer period may be necessary), together with salads, VEGETABLES and other FRUITS. Remember, No Additions are to be made to the Eliminating Menu. This is not a process of elimination through starvation.
The time stated hereafter for meals is an approximate time and can be adjusted to suit each person’s requirements.
It is advisable to keep these fruit juices separate.
Clean the teeth and rinse the mouth well.
Half an hour before breakfast. 2 glasses of warm lemon water, (juice of half a medium sized lemon to a tumbler full of water.)
NO SUGAR.
If salt is desired, use only vegetable or celery salt.
The vegetables to be used for lunch and dinner can be chosen from: celery, carrots, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, cabbage, parsley, sorrel, onions, watercress, cauliflower, radishes, spring onions, asparagus and tomatoes either cooked or raw, but NEVER USE flour or milk gravies on any vegetable.
POTASSIUM BROTH
Take equal parts of the following vegetables finely chopped or put through the mincer: About 2 cupfuls each of spinach, onions, celery, carrots,tomatoes; one quarter cup of parsley. Add 2 quarts of cold water and place over a suitable flame to boil in 20 minutes, then simmer slowly for 20 minutes. Flavour with either asparagus, carrot tops, marmite, beet tops, turnip tops or green pepper. DO NOT USE cabbage. Season with vegetable salt or celery salt. (If fresh vegetables quite unobtainable, we may substitute with tinned goods.)
ALTERNATIVE: Make 1 quart of Potassium Broth. Take 1 pint at morning period and 1 pint at evening period. For lunch drink half a pint of cocktail. (See substitute.)
SUBSTITUTES: Breakfast: 1 medium to large apple, mild, grated or ‘snitzled’, 3 prunes and 1 dessertspoonful wheat-germ. (Add one beaten egg yolk as directed.)
COCKTAIL: Two parts of carrot juice and one part each of the following, spinach, beetroot, tomatoes, celery with a little lemon or apple juice to flavour, and vegetable salt. Stir well.
Sour oranges may be substituted for grapefruit.
CLEANSING FOOD
To ensure thorough elimination through the bowels, make up the under-mentioned cleansing food to take before retiring. The bowels must work at least twice a day or the poisons will be re-absorbed into the system. Take one or two teaspoonsful.
One-half pound of:
Dates, prunes, seeds, raisins, figs. Put the fruit through a mincer and mix. Add 3 tablespoonsful of senna powder, also 4 tablespoonsful of black molasses or treacle.
Mix all very thoroughly, adding more of the molasses if the mixture is too dry. Bottle in air-tight jars. A tablespoonful of glycerine will help keep it moist, but it is not essential.
AFTER having taken the ELIMINATING DIET be careful to gradually return to a balanced diet. Reduce the quantity of fruit, vegetables and broth, adding 2 pieces of whole-wheat bread, butter, honey, olive oil, cream and egg yolks. Then, in general, let proteins, carbohydrates and fats be 20% of the total dietary.
GOD BLESS YOU. FAITH AND PERSISTENCE WIN THROUGH
From Radiant Living Dec/Jan 1958-59
Crisp, Rejuvenating and Radiant with Life
Colour, beauty, exquisite artistry find joyous expression in the Art of Salad Making. The homemaker who serves salads so deliciously and artistically tempting that the family cannot resist is thereby blessing all with the glorious gift of health.
Cheese and Carrot
Serve Cottage Cheese or Cream Cheese rolled in grated carrot, on nests of lettuce, or watercress with Radiant French Dressing.
Sutcliffe French Dressing-Equal parts lemon juice and olive oil, with honey and vegetable salt to taste.
Stuffed Tomato Salad
Scoop out as many tomatoes as servings. Place shell in a bed of tender spinach, and fill with finely chopped celery, shredded cabbage, chopped apples and nuts. Garnish with parsley and serve with dressing.
Apple and Cheese Salad
Core and cut apples in ½ inch slices. Spread cream cheese thick between slices, arrange on bed of lettuce or watercress, and garnish with shredded beet or carrot.
May Salad
Individual plates-Place slice of pineapple on sprigs of mint. On this place a slice of orange, then a layer of banana discs, and on top a strawberry. Pour over the salad dressing. Let stand in a cool place for an hour before serving.