Chief functions in the body.
{ Meats {
{ Fish { Build tissues.
{ Eggs {
I. { Milk {
Protein { Cheese { Repair daily waste
{ Peas { of tissue.
{ Beans { Give heat energy.
{ Gluten in flour {
{ Butter {
{ Cream { Give heat energy.
{ Fat of meats {
II. { Cheese {
Fats { Oil in nuts {
{ Olive oil {
{ Egg yolk {
{ Corn oil { Produce fat.
{ Seed oils {
{ { Cane {
{ { Beet { Give heat energy.
{ { Maple {
{ Sugars { Malt {
{ { Sugar of milk {
{ { Sugar of fruit {
{ {
III. { { Cereals {
Carbohydrates { { Flours {
{ { Peas, Beans {
{ Starches { Corn {
{ { Potatoes {
{ { Some other { Produce fat.
{ { vegetables {
{
{ Celluloses { Vegetables } Give bulk.
{ { Fruits }
{ { Aid in formation of
{ Fruit acids { bone.
{ { Enter into composition
{ { of every living
{ { cell and body
{ { liquids.
{ { Useful in the blood
{ { (carrier of body’s
{ { oxygen).
{ { Necessary to maintain
{ { osmotic pressure.
IV. { { Govern contraction
Mineral { { of muscles,
salts { { 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
{ { products found in
{ Vegetables { body and render
{ { them harmless.
{ { Solvent for food.
{ In all vegetables { Carries food to
{ { blood.
V. { { Carries off waste.
Water { { 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.