Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-06-08
Nutritive Qualities of Food.

The excessive dearness Of all
kinds of food should induce not only
habits Of economy in lis use, but
should lead TO the adoption of those
articles of food for the table which
are most nutritious in their quality,
and which, fortunately for the labor
ing classes, are the cheapest in price.
Many persons go on in the old way,
when food was plentiful and cheap,
and use wha, costs them nearly four
times the price of better and more
wholesome articles of diet, consider
ing the nuirment which they rcspec-
lively supply. The comparative
quantities of Du,riment contained in
the principal articles used as food
have been tested by strict chemical
analyses, and some very excellent
books on the subject have been pub
llshed, and ought to be studied in all
communities where the laboring pop
ulation predominant. ltwould teach
them to discriminate between the va
rious articles Of food, aud be the
means Of introducing more generally
among them the use Of articles of a
much better quality, more wholesome,
and far better adapted TO supply the
wastes Of the substance Of the body
caused by daily toll.
The following results Of such an
alyses, which we find in the BALD
more Patriot, derived from the best
scientific sources, commend them
selves TO general attention for iheil
value. 1t will be seen here what ar
iicles are the most nutritious. White
beans, corn meal, wheat flour, barley
meal, aud rice are shown 10 be the
very best kinds of food, and these
arc the very kinds which are the chea-
pest TO purchase and use. Potatoes
which are enormous in price, lose
more than three four,hs Of their sub
stance, and are the dearest kind Of
food which can be ed.-Phiiadei
Phia Ledger.
at is proper to state that the ar,i-
cles were all reduced to u perfectly
dry state by evaporaling the water
they contained, and then subjecline
them to careful chemical analysis
The following table, divided into tire,
parts, animal food, vegetable food
and fruit, shows The quantity of nu-
irlllve matter and of water IN each
article, and by comparing one article
with another, shows the comparative
value of each as food. But as all the
elements Of nutrition are not OF the
fatt I'D haaqSt 4 Nus, 'as d1 1' pe in'eaIeo
quantity Of starch, for example, is
more nutritious than one that con-
tains small quantity of animal iibrin
and no starch. Both starch and an
imal hbrln ate elements OF nutrition,
but they are appropriated by the ami
nal economy 10 very different pur-
poses, the former to the formation Of
fat and animal heat, and the latter tc
the supply of all the tissues, bone
muscle, &c. The two elements ar,
required in very different proportion,
also, in forming food, and hence
bread though men cannot live up
on bread alone,") with its Is lbs. 0
vegelo-animal matter (gluten,) an.
lis so lbs. Of starch and 35 lbs. of wa
ter, forms composition Of nuirimen
more nearly complete than any othe
substance. Starch is required in
much large! proportion than gluten il
vegetable nuiriment, and il is fur
nisbed abundantly in all kinds o
grain, beans, and potatoes. II pota
toes contained small proportion o
gluten, say 5 lbs. 10 the 100 lbs. the,
their nutrltiye property would com
pare with that Of wheat -four in ,b,
proportion Of % l-2 10 90. That is
potatoes would be worth Just ON,
quarter as much by weight as whea
flour. But as they contain no glute
nor caseine, aud very little albumer
consequently little if any of the ele
ments Of porteine, larger quantit
Of animal food Of some kind is rt
qsifed 10 be combined with ther
than with bread, in the formation Q
food.