Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1898-05-07
sTARCHY FOODS.
nssV They Should BE Cooked and Who
They Are Good For.

n.s They should BE Cooked and who
They Are Good For.
Starch forms an important ele-
ment of human food in every eli
mate except the arctic. where fat. to
which starch is somewhat related
chemically, takes its place.
In many minds an imperfect idea
of what constitutes sfarchy foods
prevails. The various preparations
resembling powdered laundry starch
and cornstarch. such as arrowroot
and farina. form but a small part of
the starch eaten. About one half
the bulk of wheat, rye. oats, peas
and beans is starch. OF potatoes
about one fifth is starch. and of rice
and corn about three-fourths.
The dlgestibillty of starch is great
ly enhanced by proper cooking. As
general thing, starchy foods are
not cooked sufficiently
Young children especially suffer
from insufficiently cooked starchy
food Steamed oatmeal and wheat
preparations should be boiled an
hour before they are served TO chill
dren If fed to children under 2
years of age or to those troubled
with stomach distur bance, they
should also be strained. When the
various cereals are used in the grain,
merely hulled and unpulverized,
hey should be soaked in cold water
for several hours and then boiled
from two to three hours.
Crackers, in all of which starch Is
the chief ingredient, may be given
to children after they are Is months
old. If eaten between meals, they
are best taken with milk.
One reason for the frequent faulty
digestion of starchy foods lies in i'll
sufficient mastication. The actual
digestion of starchy articles should
begin in the mouth by process of
thorough mastication; otherwise,
since starch is not acted upon in the
stomach, they remain practically
unaliered and undigested until they
have passed from the stomach into
the intestine, where digestion of the
starchy matter reeommences.
Starchy foods. if imperfectly mas
ticated previous to their introduc-
ton into the stomach, are liable to
partial fermentation, which inter
feres with the active digestion of
other articles of diet.
Starch Is demanded by the system
for supplying heat and muscular en-
Int
quently utilize a large quantity of
starchy food Oatmeal, for exarhple,
forms an excellent article of every
day diet for them, while those Whose
occupations keep them sedentaEy CT
within doors should partake Of it
sparingly.-Youth S Companion
Pre.s-hins and fr.cticins.
The Boston Transcript tekas .,
school story which elrforces ~ -.
son that preaching is of littl& use
without practicing. In a schdbl in
Boston not far above the prime airy
grade the teacher was one day read
ing story the subject of which was
borrowing. She supplemented the
reading with some remarks of her
OVID, which she closed with this
parting admonition:
Above all things, children, wher.
you have occasion to borrow, never
forget to return the borrowed arti-
Gle. Do not put the person who was
kind enough to accommodate you to |
the trouble of sending for it.
While she was still speaking a
knock was heard at the door.
Come in, said the teacher as
soon as she had finished her sen
tence. A pupil from another depart
ment entered and stood waiting.
We'll, what is it, pleasei' said
the teacher.
Miss Blank says" the visitor
called ont in voice loud enough to
be heard all over the room, viii
you be kind enough to send back
her blotting pad which you borrow
ed the other day.