Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-12-12
THE BREAD WE EAT.
"read from Whole Meal Thought 10
lie More Nourisbing Than
That from White,

At IS commonly supposed that whole
meal bread is more nourishing than
ordinary white bread because it con
talns higher proportion Of nitro
senous and mineral substances. I;ut.
VS. we nave frequently pointed out. the
ni'rosenous value Of Il given food is not
necessarily indicated by an empirical,
chemical analysis. Not all heterogeneous
substances are feeding stutfs. and fur
Their, it does rot follow that the ouanti-
~ OF food partaken Of is the quantity Q.
iooo asslmllated. In other words, eat
ing IS not necessarily feeding. There
are many substances containing Il very
hlgh proportion of nitrogen which are
falueless as food stuffs, and on the con-
trary there are many edible materials
"hlch contain a comparatively small
proportion of heterogeneous substances,
winch, however, are completely avail
aole Tor nourishing the organism We
now know that it is not enough for
chemical analysis to record merely the
proportion Of heterogeneous substances;
the nature of these Substances must be
declared, without wl:;s... the food value
Of given substance cannot be esti-
mated
It was formerly assumed that whole
meal bread contained more nitrogen
than white bread, but in the light OF re-
cent analysis this is not true. Whether
or not, however whoIemeal bread is sll-
perlor as regards its heterogeneous con
tents, it is certainly inferior as regards
It's digestibility. This may lie at
trlbuted in large measure 10 the fact
that wholemeal bread contains ccmpar-
atlvely large, indiges1ibe and irritating
articles OF husll. There seems. however
no reason for doubling that wholemeal
bread would be much more digestible
II the branny particles We're finely com
minuted. In several patent breads the
germ Of the wheat is retained, which
adds considerable to The heterogeneous
value Of the bread. But the germ Of
wheat tends TO excite Preventative
changes in the sponge and produce
an unpalatable loaf. Several processes
however, have been devised which avert
the possibility of this undesirable el-
feet
We do not believe that with the i'm
ProveInents in machinery generally the
dletetic value of bread has pari paSsu
increased. We still hold that a more
nourishing article, as it is certainly
more palatabc, is the old-fashioncd
farmhouse loaf, which presents 4 gold
wheaton color rather than the banched
appearance which seems to be looked
upon as guarantee of quality in the
modern white loaf. Our own labor a.
tory experience, al any rate, shows that
probably on account Of the increased
employment Of roller-milling processes
the Important mineral constituents or
White bread have very materially di-
unfinished. When it is considered that
these constituents play not unim.
portant part in supplying the bone
forming factors Of the organism this
fact assumes a serious Importance ans
may evea throw light upon the preva.
lence Of dental decay. On the other
hand, wholemeal bread and germ bread
contain an enhanced proportion of min
eral salts, such as the phosphates of
lime and potash, which are necessary in
the building up of the entire fuman
trame.-London Lancet.