Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1847-12-04


Many popular notions sbout different articles
Of food (and there are few subjects upon which
people indulge more notions.) are totally die
proved by scientific facts. We propose TO write
'own lew well established truths, respecting
the relative quantity oi rutrment in different
kinds o. food. and the relative time occupied in
theirdigestion. i-t. s.
IN the first place. however. we would remind
our readers, that it is BY no means the article
containing tie greatest proportion Of nutritious
and other necessary elements Of animal life -
Neither is the most physical strength supplied
BY the articles containing the most nutriment.
Nuts ore almost entirely composed Of nutritious
material, oil; potatoes contain eighty. eight
parts or wasted matter to twelve Of nutriment,
Yet the latter impart fsr more strength to the
body than the former. Bread is more nutritious
than meat; but meat 10 stipulating ss we'll a.
nutritive, and is supposed to strengthen the 90.
dily functions more than bread.
Another important fact 10 be remembered in
this connexion s, that ell stomachs ere not q.
like, and that the calculations given below are
applicable to healthy stomach. What proper.
ton OF healthy stOmachs is in the worl6, we do
not know; bu; the probability is, that in the
majority Of cases. food is not digested ss rapidly
as here stated. In some stomacbs, food Of n
particular kind fermen,s. which in,erfercs with
complete digestion. This happens most fire.
quently with regard 10 vegetabes-saw.dust
doctors to the contrary no,withs,sndi ---
In general, however. the most nutritious and
most easily digested are the best for health and
strength. % .E. ....,.. ,I..-,.,-..,
Wheat is the most nutritious Of al substan.
ces except oil; containing ninety.6 parts ot
nutriment to five waste matter. Dry ,ess, nvss
and barley, are nearly nutritious ss wheat. Gar.
den vegetables stand lowest on the list. inas.
much az they contain, when fresh, large pro.
portion Of water. The quantity of waste mat.
ter is more than eight ten,hs Of the whole. Only
one.forticth Of cucumber is capable Of being
converted into nutrinent. The nutritious part
OF different meat varies from oae.fifth to one.
eighth Of the whole. Veal is the most putri.
tious; mutton next, then chicken; then beef;
last pork Fruits vary between two and three
tenths Of nutritious matter, and their order is
as follows, the most nutritious being placed
first: plums, grapes, spricots, cherries; peach.
es, eooseberries. apples. Strawberries, tnellons
Milk contains less than one.tenth OF nutritious
matter. as i, is msinly composed Of water.
Ofsll articles of food, boi!ed rice 10 digested
in the shortest time-an hour. As il also con-
tains eight tenths Of nutritious matter, il 10 q
valuable substance Of diet. Tripc and pigs feet
(strange to telD are dgested almost as rapidly.
Apples, if sweet and ripe are next in ORDER
Venison is digested almost as soon ss sppes.-
Roasted potatoes are digested in half the time
required BY The same vegetable boiled, which
occupy three hours and baltimore than teef
and mutton! Bread occupies three hours sod
aquarter. Stewed oysters and boiled eggs ere
dipes,ed in three hours and half-sn hour more
than is required by the same articles raw Tur.
key and goose are converted in two hours and q
quarter, and an hour and half sooner than
chicken. 'taFs
Roasted veal. pork and salted beef. occupy
five hours end . half-ths longest Of all articles
OF food. d.-Hart. Rev.