Balancing the Diet
It will help to balance the ration and to avoid an excess of protein and also to avoid a deficiency of either fat or carbohydrate, if we take a bird’s-eye view of the various common foods in respect to the protein, fat and carbohydrate they contain. For this purpose the following table has been constructed.
Common Foods Classified
COMMON FOODS CLASSIFIED
| Poor in Fat. | Rich in Fat. | Very rich in Fat. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very high in Protein | White of Eggs Cod Fish Lean Beef Chicken Veal | ||
| High in Protein | Shell-fish Skim Milk Lentils Peas Beans | Most Fish Most Meats Most Fowl Whole Egg Cheese | |
| Moderate or Deficient in Protein | Most Vegetables Bread Potatoes Fruits Sugar | Peanuts Milk Cream Soups Most Pies Doughnuts | Fat Meats Yolk of Eggs Most Nuts Cream Butter |
The foods given in the uppermost compartment are those “very high” in protein (above 40 per cent. of their total calories, or food value, being protein). Those in the two compartments next below are merely “high” in protein (20 to 40 per cent.), while the lowest three compartments contain those “moderate or deficient” in protein (zero to 20 per cent.).
The compartment farthest to the right contains a list of those foods “very rich in fat.” The two compartments next to the left contain those “rich in fat,” and the three compartments to the extreme left contain those “poor in fat.”
With reference to carbohydrates (starch or sugar), we can say that the foods in the lower left compartment are very rich in carbohydrate. Those in the two neighboring compartments (the one beginning “shell-fish” and the one beginning “peanuts”) are moderate, and those in the remaining compartments are those poorest in carbohydrate.
Thus, practically, the nearer the name of any food is to the upper corner of this triangular table, the more protein that food contains; the nearer it is to the right hand corner, the more fat; and the nearer to the remaining corner (lower left), the more carbohydrate (starch and sugar).
Ideal Food Proportions