BEATRICE TRUM HUNTER'S FAVORITE NATURAL FOODS

The mission of this adaptation of Hunter's TV series (Boston-based, like Julia's) is not the rigors of technique. Nor do the aesthetics of eating enter into the preparations and recipes of this new-fangled home-ec drill sergeant. What matters here is getting full food value -- by not impairing the vitamins in your vegetables, stretching those proteins with brewer's yeast or wheat germ and so forth. The instructions on sprouting, yogurt- and sauerkraut-making and on baking (with the Cornell Mix and sourdough) have that commonsensical touch, as does the extensive selection of recommended readings. This style of eating (too limited to be thought of as cuisine) has a growing following -- witness the proliferation of health-food stores and specialty sections at the supermarket. Hunter's The Natural Foods Cookbook (1961) or Jean Hewitt's The New York Times Natural Foods Cookbook (1971) are far more complete, if less theoretically oriented.