FLESH FOODS.
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Pro- Carbohy- Calories
Water tein Fat drates Ash per lb.
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Beef, average 72.03 21.42 5.41 .... 1.14 ....
Veal, lean 78.84 19.86 .82 .... .50 ....
Mutton, average 75.99 17.11 5.77 .... 1.33 ....
Pork, average fat 47.40 14.54 37.34 .... .72 ....
Pork, average lean 72.57 20.25 6.81 .... 1.10 ....
Rabbit 66.80 22.22 9.76 .... 1.17 ....
Chicken, fat 70.06 19.59 9.34 .... .91 ....
Turkey 65.60 24.70 8.50 .... 1.20 ....
Goose 38.02 15.91 45.59 .... .49 ....
Pigeon 75.10 22.90 1.00 .... 1.00 ....
Duck, wild 69.89 25.49 3.69 .... .93 ....
Black bass 76.7 20.4 1.7 .... 1.2 450
Sea bass 79.3 18.8 .5 .... 1.4 370
Cod, steaks 82.5 16.3 .3 .... .9 315
Halibut, steaks 75.4 18.3 5.2 .... 1.1 560
Herring 74.67 14.55 9.03 .... 1.78 ....
Mackerel 73.4 18.2 7.1 .... 1.3 640
Perch, white 75.7 19.1 4.0 .... 1.2 525
Pickerel 79.8 18.6 .5 .... 1.1 365
Salmon 71.4 19.9 7.4 .... 1.3 680
Salmon trout 69.1 18.2 11.4 .... 1.3 820
Shad 70.6 18.6 9.5 .... 1.3 745
Sturgeon 78.7 18.0 1.9 .... 1.4 415
Trout, brook 77.8 18.9 2.1 .... 1.2 440
Clams, long 85.8 8.6 1.0 2.00 2.6 240
Clams, round 86.2 6.5 .4 4.20 2.7 215
Lobster 79.2 16.4 1.8 .40 2.2 390
Oyster in shell 86.9 6.2 1.2 3.70 2.0 230
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The food value of meat depends on the amount of fat and protein it
contains. Lean meat may contain less than four hundred calories per
pound, while very fat meat may contain more than one thousand five
hundred calories.
These foods are eaten because they are rich in protein. Protein is the
great builder and repairer of the body. It forms the framework for both
bone and muscle. We can get along very well without starch or sugar or
fat, but it is absolutely necessary to have proteid foods. They are the
only ones that contain nitrogen, which is essential to animal life.
Nitrogenous foods are used not only to build and repair, but in the end
they are burned, supplying as much heat as the same weight of sugar or
starch.
Proteid foods are generally taken to excess. To most people they are
very palatable, and they are generally prepared in a manner that renders
rapid eating easy. Besides, meats contain flavoring and stimulating
principles, called extractives, which increase the desire for them. The
consequence is that those who eat meat often have a tendency to eat too
much. Excessive meat eating often leads to consumption of large
quantities of liquor. Stimulants crave company.
As will be noted, most fish and meat contain about 20 per cent. of
protein, while about 75 per cent. is water. The fatter the meat, the
less water it contains, and the more fuel value it has. The leaner the
meat, the more watery the animal, and the more easily is the flesh
digested. Beef is fatter than veal and harder to digest. Also, the flesh
of old animals is more highly flavored than that of the young ones,
because it contains more salts. For this reason people who have a
tendency to the formation of foreign deposits, as is the case with those
who have rheumatism and gout or hardening of the arteries, should take
the flesh of young animals when it is obtainable.
In the past we have been taught to partake of excessive amounts of
protein. The prescribed amount for the average adult has been about five
ounces. If we were to obtain all the protein from meat, this would
necessitate eating about twenty-five ounces of meat daily. However,
inasmuch as there is considerable protein in the cereals and milk, and a
little in most fruits and vegetables, a pound of meat would probably
suffice under the old plan. A few physicians have known that such an
intake of protein is excessive, and now the physiologists are learning
the same. It has lately been determined experimentally that the body
needs only about an ounce of protein daily, which will be supplied by
about five ounces of flesh. Three or four ounces of flesh daily make a
liberal allowance, for it is supplemented by protein in other foods.
Workers eat large quantities of flesh because they think they need a
great deal. The fact is that very little more protein is needed by those
who do hard physical labor than by brain workers. The extra energy
needed calls for more carbohydrates, not for protein.
When the organism is supplied with sugar, starch and fat, or one of
these, the protein of the body is saved, only a very small amount being
used to replace the waste through wear and tear. Though protein can be
burned in the body, it is not an economical fuel, either from a
physiological or financial standpoint. The energy obtained from flesh
costs much more than the same amount of energy obtained from
carbonaceous foods. Ten acres of ground well cultivated can raise enough
cereals and vegetables to support a number of people, but if this amount
of land is used for raising animals, it will support but a few. The
protein obtained from peas, beans and lentils is cheap, but these foods
do not appeal to the popular palate as much as flesh.
Meat immediately after being killed is soft. After a while it goes into
a state of rigidity known as rigor mortis. Then it begins to soften
again. This third stage is really a form of decay, called ripening. It
is believed that the lactic acid formed is one of the principal agents
producing this softening. Some people enjoy their meats, especially that
of fowls and game, ripe enough to deserve the name of rotten. The
ripening produces many chemical changes in the meat, which give the
flesh more flavor. Consequently those who indulge are very apt to
overeat. It is a fact that those who eat much flesh go into degeneration
more quickly than those who are moderate flesh eaters and depend largely
on the vegetable kingdom for food.
If an excess of good meat causes degeneration, there is no reason to
doubt that partaking of overripe foods is even worse.
All meat contains waste. If the flesh comes from healthy animals and is
eaten in moderation this waste is so small that it will cause no
inconvenience, for a healthy body is able to take care of it. If too
much is eaten, the results are serious. Overeating of flesh is followed
by excessive production of urea and uric acid products. Some of these
may be deposited in various parts of the body, while the urea is mostly
excreted by the kidneys. The kidneys do not thrive under overwork any
more than other organs. The vast majority of cases of diabetes and
Bright's disease are caused by overworking the digestive organs. Too
much food is absorbed into the blood and the excretory organs have to
work overtime to get rid of the excess.
Meats are easily spoiled. They should be kept in a cold place and not
very long. Fresh meat and fish are more easily digested than those which
are salted, or preserved in any other way. Pickled meats should be used
rarely The same is true of fish.
Ptomaines, or animal poisons, form easily in flesh foods. These are very
dangerous, and it is not safe to eat tainted flesh, even after it is
cooked. Fish decomposes quickly and fish poisoning is probably even more
severe than meat poisoning. Fish should be killed immediately after it
is caught, for experiments have shown that the flesh of fish kept
captive after the manner of fishers degenerates very rapidly. Fish
should be eaten while fresh. Even when the best precautions have been
taken, it is somewhat risky to partake of fish that has been shipped
from afar.
Flesh foods are more easily and completely digested than the protein
derived from the vegetable kingdom.
From the table it will be noted that some fish is fat and some is lean.
The ones containing more than 5 per cent of fat should be considered fat
fish. These are somewhat harder to digest than the lean ones, but they
are more nutritious.
Shell fish is generally low in food value and if taken as nourishment is
very expensive. However, most people eat this food for its flavor.
COOKING.
Cooking is an art that should be learned according to correct
principles. Every physician should be a good cook. He should be able to
go into the kitchen and show the housewife how to prepare foods
properly. Medical men who are well versed in food preparation and able
to make good food prescriptions have no need of drugs.
The flesh of animals is composed of fibres. These fibres are surrounded
by connective tissue which is tough. The cooking softens and breaks down
these tissues, thus rendering it easier for the digestive juices to
penetrate and dissolve them. That is, proper cooking does this. Poor
cooking generally renders the meats indigestible.
The simpler the cooking, the more digestible will be the food. Flavors
are developed in the process, but these are hidden if the meats are
highly seasoned.
_Boiling_: When meats are boiled they lose muscle sugar, flavoring
extracts, organic acids, gelatin, mineral matters and soluble albumin.
That is, they lose both flavor and nourishment. Therefore the liquid in
which they are cooked should be used.
The proper way to boil meat is to plunge it into plain boiling water.
Allow the water to boil hard for ten or fifteen minutes. This coagulates
the outer part of the piece of meat. Then lower the temperature of the
water to about 180 degrees F. and cook until it suits the taste. If it
is allowed to boil at a high temperature a long time, it becomes tough,
for the albumin will coagulate throughout.
Salt extracts the water from meat. Therefore none of it should be used
in boiling. The meat should be cooked in plain water with no addition.
No vegetables and no cereals are to be added. All meats contain some
fat, and this comes into the water and acts upon the vegetables and
starches, making them indigestible. Season the meat after it is cooked,
or better still, let everyone season it to suit the taste after serving.
Meats that are to be boiled should never be soaked, for the cold water
dissolves out some of the salts and some of the flavoring extracts, as
well as a part of the nutritive substances. It is better to simply wash
the meat if it does not look fresh and clean enough to appeal to the
eye, which it always should be.
_Stewing_: If meat is to be stewed, cut into small pieces and stew or
simmer at a temperature of about 180 degrees F. until it is tender. It
is to be stewed in plain water. If a meat and vegetable stew is desired,
stew the vegetables in one dish, and the meat in another. When both are
done, mix. By cooking thus a stew is made that will not "repeat" if it
is properly eaten. Foods should taste while being eaten, not afterwards.
_Broths_: If a broth is desired, select lean meat. Either grind it or
chop it up fine. There is no objection to soaking the meat in cold
water, provided this water is used in making the broth. Use no
seasoning. Let it stew or simmer at about 180 degrees F. until the
strength of the meat is largely in the water.
When the broth is done, set it aside to cool. Then skim off all the fat
and warm it up and use. One pound of lean meat will produce a quart of
quite strong broth.
_Broiling_: Cut the meat into desired thickness. Place near intense
fire, turning occasionally, until done. Be careful not to burn the
flesh. An ordinary steak should be broiled in about ten minutes. Of
course, the time depends on the thickness of the cut and whether it is
desired rare, medium or well done, and in this let the individual suit
himself, for he will digest the meat best the way he enjoys it most.
Beefsteak smothered in onions is a favorite dish. It is not a good way
to prepare either the onions or the steak. A better way is to broil both
the steak and the onions, or broil the steak, cut the onions in slices
about one-half to three-fourths of an inch thick, add a little water and
bake them. Beefsteak and onions prepared in this way are both palatable
and easy to digest.
_Roasting_ is just like broiling, that is, cooking a piece of meat
before an open fire. Here we use a larger piece of meat and it therefore
takes longer. Of old roasting was quite common, but now we seldom roast
meat in this country.
_Baking_: Here we place the meat in an enclosed oven. Most of our
so-called roast meats are baked. The oven for the first ten or fifteen
minutes should be very hot, about 400 degrees F. This heat seals the
outside of the meat up quite well. Then let the heat be reduced to about
260 degrees F. If it is kept at a high temperature it will produce a
tough piece of meat. The time the meat should be in the oven depends
upon the size of the piece of meat and how well done it is desired.
While baking, some of the juices and a part of the fat escape. About
every fifteen minutes, baste the meat with its own juice. A few minutes
before the meat is to be removed from the oven it may be sprinkled with
a small amount of salt, and so may broiled and roasted meats a little
while before they are done. However, many prefer to season their own
foods or eat them without seasoning and they should be allowed to do so.
_Steaming_: This is an excellent way of cooking. None of the food value
is lost. Put the meat in the steamer and allow it to remain until done.
The cheapest and toughest cuts of meat, which are fully as good as the
more expensive ones and often better flavored, can be rendered very
tender by steaming. Tough birds can be treated in the same way. An
excellent way to cook an old hen or an old turkey is to steam until
tender and then put into a hot oven for a few minutes to brown. Some
birds are so tough that they can not be made eatable by either boiling
or baking, but steaming makes them tender.
It is best to avoid starchy dressings, in fact dressings of all kinds. A
well cooked bird needs none, and dressing does not save a poorly cooked
one. Most dressings are very difficult to digest.
_Fireless cooking_: Every household should have either a good steamer or
a fireless cooker. Both are savers of time and fuel and food. They
emancipate the women. Those who have fireless cookers and plan their
meals properly do not need to spend much time in the kitchen.
Place the meat in the fireless cooker, following the directions which
accompany it. However, if they tell you to season the meat, omit this
part.
_Smothering_ is a modification of baking. Any kind of meat may be
smothered, but it is especially fine for chickens. Take a young bird,
separate it into joints, place into a pan, add a pint of boiling water.
If chicken is lean put in a little butter, but if fat use no butter.
Cover the pan tightly and place in oven and let it bake. A chicken
weighing two and one-half pounds when dressed will require baking for
one hour and fifteen minutes. Keep the cover on the baking pan until the
chicken is done, not raising it even once. Gravy will be found in the
pan.
Pressed chicken is very good. Get a hen about a year old. Place it into
steamer or fireless cooker until so tender that the flesh readily falls
from the bones. Remove the bones, but keep the skin with the meat. Chop
it up. Place in dish or jar, salting very lightly. Over the chopped-up
meat place a plate and on this a weight, and allow it to press over
night. Then it is ready to slice and serve. This is very convenient for
outings.
Fish should preferably be baked or broiled. It may also be boiled, but
it boils to pieces rather easily and loses a part of its food value. It
must be handled with great care. No seasoning is to be used. When served
a little salt and drawn butter or oil may be added as dressing.
_Frying_ is an objectionable method of cooking. It is generally held,
and with good reason, that when grease at a high temperature is forced
into flesh, it becomes very indigestible. In fact the crust formed on
the outside of the flesh can not be digested. It is folly to prepare
food so that it proves injurious.
However, there is a way of using the frying pan so that practically no
harm is done. Grease the pan very lightly, just enough to prevent the
flesh from sticking. Make the pan very hot and place the meat in it.
Turn the meat frequently. Fries (young chickens) may be cooked in this
way with good results. The same is true of steaks and chops.
Avoid greasy cooking. It is an abomination that helps to kill thousands
of people annually.
_Paper bag cooking_ is all right if it is convenient. Those who have
good steamers or fireless cookers will not find it of special advantage.
Brown flour gravies are not fit to eat. If there is any gravy serve it
as it comes from the pan without mixing it with flour or other starches.
It may be put over the meat or used as dressing for the vegetables. Milk
gravies are also to be avoided. Use only the natural gravies.
Oysters may be eaten raw or stewed. Stew the oysters in a little water.
Heat the milk and mix. Eat with cooked succulent vegetables and with raw
salad vegetables. It is best to leave the crackers out. The oysters
themselves contain very little nourishment, but when made into a milk
stew the result is very nutritious.
Eggs should be fresh. Some bakers buy spoiled eggs and use them for
their fancy cakes and cookies. This is a very objectionable practice and
may be one of the reasons that bakers' cookies never taste like those
"mother used to make." Eggs take the place of fish, meat or nuts, for
they are rich in protein. They may be taken raw, rare or well done.
Eggs may be boiled, poached, steamed or baked. Soft boiled eggs require
about three and one-half minutes. Hard boiled ones require from fifteen
to twenty minutes. The albumin of an egg boiled six or seven minutes is
tough. When boiled longer it becomes mellow. Eggs may be made into
omelettes or scrambled, but the pan should be lightly greased and quite
hot so that the cooking will be quickly done. Eggs are variously treated
for an omelette. Some cooks add nothing but water and this makes a
delicate dish. Others use milk, cream or butter, and beat.
Bacon is a relish and may be taken occasionally with any other food. It
should be well done, fried or broiled until quite crisp. This is one
place where frying is not objectionable.
Pork should rarely be used. It is too fat and rich and requires too long
to digest. When eaten it should be taken in the simplest of
combinations, such as pork and succulent vegetables or juicy fruits,
either cooked or raw, and nothing else.
Flesh may be eaten more freely in winter than in summer. Meat especially
should be eaten very sparingly during hot weather, for it is too
stimulating and heating. Nuts, eggs and fish are then better forms in
which to take protein.
COMBINATIONS.
Flesh foods combine best with the succulent vegetables and the salad
vegetables or with juicy fruits. It is more usual to take vegetables
with flesh than to take fruit, but those who prefer fruit may take it
with equally as good results. Both fruits and vegetables are rich in
tissue salts, in which flesh foods are rather deficient. The succulent
vegetables contain some starch and the juicy fruits some sugar, but not
enough to do any harm. They both act as fillers.
Flesh is quite concentrated and it is customary to take it with other
concentrated foods, such as bread and potatoes. As a result too much
food is ingested. It would be a splendid rule to make to avoid bread and
potatoes when flesh food is taken, but if this seems too rigid, make it
a rule never to eat all three at the same meal. It is best to eat the
flesh foods without bread or potatoes, but if starch is desired, take
only one kind at a time.
Most people crave a certain amount of food as filler, and they have
fallen into the habit of using bread and potatoes for this purpose. This
is a mistake. Use the juicy fruits and the succulent vegetables for
filling purposes and thus get sufficient salts and avoid the many ills
that come from eating great quantities of concentrated foods.
When possible, have a raw salad vegetable or two with the meat or fish
meal.
Eat only one concentrated albuminous food at a meal. If you have meat,
take no fish, eggs, nuts or cheese.