SOURCE AND USE OF CHIEF FOOD CONSTITUENTS.
| Chief functions in the body. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| I. Protein | Meats | ||
| Fish | Build tissues. | ||
| Eggs | |||
| Milk | |||
| Cheese | Repair daily waste | ||
| Peas | of tissue. | ||
| Beans | Give heat energy. | ||
| Gluten in flour | |||
| II. Fats | Butter | ||
| Cream | Give heat energy. | ||
| Fat of meats | |||
| Cheese | |||
| Oil in nuts | |||
| Olive oil | |||
| Egg yolk | |||
| Corn oil | Produce fat. | ||
| Seed oils | |||
| Sugars | Cane | ||
| Beet | Give heat energy. | ||
| Maple | |||
| Malt | |||
| Sugar of milk | |||
| Sugar of fruit | |||
| III. Carbohydrates | Starches | Cereals | |
| Flours | |||
| Peas, Beans | |||
| Corn | |||
| Potatoes | |||
| Some other | Produce fat. | ||
| vegetables | |||
| Celluloses | Vegetables | Give bulk. | |
| Fruits | |||
| IV. Mineral salts | Aid in formation of bone. | ||
| Fruit acids | Enter into composition of every | ||
| living cell and body liquids. | |||
| Useful in the blood | |||
| (carrier of body’s oxygen). | |||
| Necessary to maintain | |||
| osmotic pressure. | |||
| Govern contraction of muscles, | |||
| including those of the heart. | |||
| Help to maintain neutrality of the | |||
| blood (increase alkalinity). | |||
| Assist in digestion. | |||
| Assist in the removal of waste. | |||
| Unite with harmful | |||
| Vegetables | products found in | ||
| body and render them harmless. | |||
| V. Water | Solvent for food. | ||
| In all vegetables | Carries food to blood. | ||
| Carries off waste. | |||
| Helps to regulate temperature. | |||
| In all animal foods | Aids digestion. | ||
| Aids tissue building. | |||
Overuse of Carbohydrates.—If too much sugar and starch are eaten, fermentation may take place and interfere with digestion. Too much sugar and starch overworks the liver.
Because sweet foods have the quality of satisfying the appetite very readily they should not be taken to satisfy hunger, but should rather be eaten after sufficient body building and body regulating foods have been taken to meet the body’s need for such foods. The custom of serving the sweet food at the last of the meal is in harmony with this dietetic principle.
It is important that children should form sane habits of eating sweet foods. The practice of using large amounts of sugar on cereals, cooked fruits, and in beverages should be discouraged.
The overuse of sugar irritates the lining of the digestive tract. This is caused by the abstraction of water from the mucous lining. Sugar is one-sided in its value, consequently it is much wiser to obtain a high percentage of heat from foods which serve other purposes as well.
Protein Foods.—The first class of foods, the proteins, includes those which have tissue building for their chief purpose. They are essential for maintenance and for body growth, as they are the only source of nitrogen. Therefore they are necessary for the growing child and for the athlete in the development of strong, vigorous muscles. The more easily digested protein foods are advised for the tubercular patient whose muscles and tissues have become debilitated by disease.
Proteins are required by each individual, but in varying amounts, to suit age, occupation, condition of system, and climate. The value of a mixed protein diet is urged by the best authorities rather than the diet which contains but one protein food.
Overuse of Protein Foods.—It is true that a high percentage of illness is caused by an accumulation of wastes in the body. It is also true that protein foods leave a higher percentage of waste material in the body than any other class of foods. It follows, then, that an overuse of protein foods overworks the excretory organs and tends to weaken them. The weakened excretory organs are unable to take care of the waste products, and as a result the system is affected by poisonous wastes which are produced by putrefaction in the intestines. A person in this condition is more liable to have rheumatism, gout, kidney and liver diseases than one in normal condition.
A Short Study of Protein Foods
| Some common forms. | Some sources. |
|---|---|
| Albumen | Eggs |
| Casein | Milk |
| Myosin, fibrin, and elastin | Meat |
| Gluten | Wheat |
| Tuberin | Potato |
| Legumin | Peas and beans |
| Excelsin | Brazil nuts |
| Zein | Corn |
Milk contains a small amount of protein. In a glass of about 12 tablespoons of milk there is less than 1 tablespoon of protein.
Egg contains nearly as much protein as lean meat.
Value of Fruit and Vegetables.—Vegetables contain protein, starch, sugar, cellulose, mineral matter, water, and undetermined substances.
Fruits contain (chiefly) sugar, cellulose, mineral matter, and water.
Water removes wastes, lubricates tissues, aids in forming secretions, helps to equalize the temperature.
Acids help to maintain the alkalinity of the blood—stimulate the appetite.
- Mineral salts—
- Build bone.
- Help to make blood alkaline.
- Aid in digestion.
- Aid in excretion.
- Build red blood-cells.
- Build nerve tissue.
- Build cells.
Cellulose exercises muscular lining of digestive tract.
Note.—Good authority makes the statement that the housekeeper is wise who pays as much for milk, vegetables, and fruit as for meat, eggs, and fish.
Use of Eggs.—Eggs serve as a meat substitute.
Eggs require the addition of carbohydrates and some fruit or vegetables to form a well-planned meal.
Digestibility of Eggs.—Raw eggs are more easily digested when beaten. They are often prescribed when a nutritious, highly concentrated diet is desired, and in cases of tuberculosis, some forms of anemia, and various wasting diseases.
Effect of Heat.—Egg albumen begins to coagulate at 134° F. and becomes jelly-like at 160° F.
Preservation of Eggs.—1. Water-glass (Sodium Silicate).—Nine quarts of boiled water (cooled) to 1 quart of water-glass. Eggs will keep in this solution three and a half months.
Note.—A good grade of water-glass should be of the consistency of molasses. If heavier than this the water-glass should be diluted to the right consistency, as the eggs should sink.
Eggs may be added to the solution from day to day as gathered. Do not wash. If the nests are clean the eggs will not need washing. Keep in a stone jar in a cool place just above the freezing-point. Do not use the solution the second year. The water-glass may be obtained in the dry or liquid form, and dissolved in either hard or soft water.
2. Lime Solution.—Piece of lime size of lemon. Pour 1 gallon of boiling water over it. Let stand until cold. Add 1½ cups of salt.
3. Paper Wrapping.—Wrap perfectly fresh eggs in paper and keep in cool place. This is not as effective as Methods 1 and 2, but keeps eggs for a short time.