Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1905-12-21

Home Health
Club
D DAVID b. REEDER. Ph. D., n. D.
La Porte, Ind.
OUR DAILY BREAD.
=

years prior TO the detailed experiments
in digestion conducted by the govern
'ment experiment stations in Maine and
Minnesota. Nevertheless, nearly all Of
my arguments were proven correct. The
principal error discovered, which was
as great surprise to the Investigators
as it was to me, was that from stand
point of actual nutritive value and d.
gestibility of all available products, the
finest and whitest or what is known
as straight-grade -four, is the cheapest.
In the whole wheat -four, the starch
granules, on account of their coarse
ness, cannot be so readily digested and
as it does not keep so we'll as straight
-four on account of the liability to fer
mentation, the fine white -four not only
makes the most attractive loaf, but, as
an exclusive diet, the lost palatable and
nutritious.
The following general summary of re-
suits and conclusions of experiments
with bread, as given in the government
reports, will not only be found interest
ing but valuable
I'm IS digestion experiments with men
It was found that white (straight-grade)
-four was more completely digested than
either graham or entire-wheat flour,
and yielded a larger amount of digest
ible nutrients and available energy.
While graham and entire wheat fours
contain more total protein and fat and
have a higher heat of combustion, they
actually yield to the body, because of
their lower digestibility, smaller per-
centages of digestible nutrients and
available energy than the straight-grade
-four.
"The same general differences in d.
gestibility of the three grades of -four
have been noted in experiments with
hard northern spring wheats grown in
Minnesota and Dakota, hard winter
wheat grown in Oklahoma, and soft win
ter wheats grown in Michigan, Indiana
and Oregon. In "a digestion trials with
both hard spring wheats and soft win
ter wheats in which six separate sam
pies of wheat have been milled SO as to
procure the three types of flour-Gra-
ham, entire-wheat, and straightforward
uniform results have been secured, and
in all of the comparative trials the
largest amounts of available nutrients
and energy have been secured from the
white flour.
I'm the three digestion trials in which
fnely-pulverized bran was added to
white flour in the same proportion as is
removed in milling, it was found that
the condition of the bran lowered the
.digestibility of the -four so that small
er amount of digestible nutrients and
available energy was obtained from the
bran flour than from the white -four
with which the bran was mixed. The
-four containing flnely-pulverized bran
was more digestible than the coarsely
granulated graham -four, but less d.
gestible than the white -four. When
bran was finely pulyerized it failed to
digest as completely as the white -four
and, therefore, the addition of the bran
lowered the food value to the -four
I'm three digestion trials in which
fnely-pulverized wheat germ was add
ed to white -four in the same proportion
as is removed in milling. it was found
that the addition of the germ did not
materially change the digestibility of
the -four, and that the amount of total
digestible nutrients and available en-
ergy in the germ flour and the white
-four was about the same. There was
no material gain in the total digestible
nutrients by the addition of the germ to
the white -four. The germ -four pro-
duced smaller sized, sweeter, but less
porous loaf than the white flour. Be-
cause of it's fermentable character wheat
germ is excluded from white -four.
"As to pecuniary value, a larger
amount of available nutrients and en-
ergy can be produced at the usual prices
for a given sum of money in the form
of white, that is. straight-grade -four,
than of any other -four. White flour con-
tains the largest amount of available
nutrients, and is not only the most d.
gestible, but at present average market
prices is also the cheapest kind of -four.
1t should not be inferred, however, that
the use of entire-wheat and graham
-four is to be discouraged. All the flours
are very uuLIlLlOuS duu cCOAO1A1Cdl
foods, and experience has shown that
they are wholesome as we'll. The differ
ences in the amounts of total nutrients
furnished the body by the various grades
of flour are comparatively slight, al
grades being quite thoroughly digested.
I'm discussing the nutritive value Of
tnr breads made from the three kinds of
-four, the quite noticeable effect of the
breads upon the subjects is of interest.
In the experiments reported all the sub
jects expressed a preference for the
white bread. The graham bread, when
it furnished t ! bulk of the ration for
four days, produced little discomfort,
suggesting slight irritation of the d.
gestive tract. The ration of white bread
and milk was less bulky in character
and gave better results as to safety and
particularly as to ease of digestion. It
should be borne in mind, however, that
the, tendency of the coarser fours to in
crease the peristaltic action of the in-
testines is often of undoubted value,
pcrticr1or1v RI norsonc If cedontarv