Barley water and oat water, made by boiling the ground kernel thoroughly and then straining, are nourishing foods for invalids and children. They are often used as drinks by athletes and manual laborers, as they have the advantage of both quenching thirst and supplying energy.
Gruels are made in the same way, only strained through a sieve. This process allows more of the starch to pass with the water.
Legumes
The legumes are the seeds of peas, beans, lentils, and peanuts.
TABLE VIII
Legumes
| FOOD MATERIALS | Water per cent. | Protein per cent. | Fat per cent. | Carbohydrates per cent. | Ash per cent. | Fuel Value per pound Calories |
| Dried Legumes: | ||||||
| Navy beans | 12.6 | 22.5 | 1.8 | 59.6 | 3.5 | 1605 |
| Dried peas | 9.5 | 24.6 | 1.0 | 62.0 | 2.9 | 1655 |
| Lentils | 8.4 | 25.7 | 1.0 | 59.2 | 5.7 | 1620 |
| Lima beans | 10.4 | 18.1 | 1.5 | 65.9 | 4.1 | 1625 |
| Peanuts | 9.2 | 25.8 | 38.6 | 24.4 | 2.0 | 2560 |
| Peanut butter | 2.1 | 29.3 | 46.5 | 17.1 | 5.0 | 2825 |
| Fresh Legumes: | ||||||
| Canned peas | 85.3 | 3.6 | 0.2 | 9.8 | 1.1 | 255 |
| Canned lima beans | 79.5 | 4.0 | 0.3 | 14.6 | 1.6 | 360 |
| Canned string beans | 93.7 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 3.8 | 1.3 | 95 |
| Canned baked beans | 68.9 | 6.9 | 2.5 | 19.6 | 2.1 | 600 |
| String beans | 89.2 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 7.4 | 0.8 | 195 |
| Shelled peas | 74.6 | 7.0 | 0.5 | 16.9 | 1.0 | 465 |
Like the cereals, they are seeds, yet they contain a very much larger proportion of protein and may be substituted for meat or eggs in a diet. In all vegetarian diets, under normal conditions, the legumes should be used freely to replace meats.
All legumes must be thoroughly cooked and thoroughly masticated. Because the protein in these foods is less digestible than that in meat or eggs, particularly if they are not thoroughly masticated, they are better adapted for the use of those who do manual labor. Soldiers in battle, day laborers, and others whose work calls for hard physical exercise, can digest legumes more easily than can those whose occupation is more sedentary.
If not thoroughly masticated legumes usually produce intestinal fermentation with consequent production of gas. For this reason they occasion distress in those who partake of them too freely and with insufficient preparation by cooking.