The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1908-11-13
CuRI0SITES OF DIET:
How Mature Adapts Food 10 Ma.
and Man to Food.
GREAT VALUE OF CEREALS


Meal Without Getting Tired CT Il.
The Fruits OF the Burning Tropics
and the Fats Of the Frozen arctic,
Modern science has shown that nj,
ture provides food for mankind with
marvellous care and foresight. The hui
man system requires u certain amount
of proted daily to replace wornout
muscle and tissue. Fish and meat sup
ply this In large quantities. In hot
climates. however these spoil so quick
ly that their use is limited Nature.
as II to compensate for this. has given
to certain tropical fruits a much larger
quantity of proteid than northern fruits
contain. Thus government analysis
shows that figs have FIVE units or Gallo.
tenths and bananas one and five-tenths.
Apples have five-tenths. peaches nine
tenths and pears seven-tenths. Prob
ably the figs and dates tested had lost
part of their moisture. ana some allow.
ance should be made for this.
The Arab can. therefore. maintain his
visor on a diet chiefly plucked from
trees. Henry NJ. Stanley and his white
companions subsisted almost entirely
on banana -four for two years in the
African jungle. Their freedom from
disease was in part attributed TO the
wholesoneness of this diet. The dried
banana contains 20 per cent of proteld.
i. sI,ae
-four.
At the opening of the mango season
In jamaica many of the natives prac-
ticaily live on this fruit for two or
three weeks. They fairly rcvel In ii.
An Engishnan who WAS familiar with
.ic science Of Giet could not undnr-
stand how they coulG not only main
tUin their health on this fare, but
actually grow sleek and fat. He knew
that an effort to live on the fruits of
his native country would result In
weakness. sickness and eventual death.
Chemical analysis showed. however.
that the mango contained enough pro-
ted to supply the bodily needs.
If nature has been thus kind in
adapting food TO mans uses. she has
been equally so in adapting man to his
food. You may have wondered why
people can eat bread at every meal
without firing of 1t. The difficulty of
eating one quail day for thirty days
is well known. Even such delicacies as
asparagus and Strawberries cause an
aversion when served too frequently.
Nature sends men never failing APP
petite for cereals because they are alto
gether the most valuable of foods.
They contain considerable amount of
proteid, their salts are of Importance
to the organism. they are readily di-
gested when properly cooked. and they
furnish great deal of nourishment in
small bulk.
Thus wheat -four. cornmeal, oatmeal
dry and rice dry have more than
100 units to the ounce. Baked potatoes
have 1927 units, cabbage has 90. spin
ach {. aspara gus Go, apples 1874, straw
berries ia. spring chicken 1915 and
tenderloin OF beef broiled 80. If man
tried to get even half of his nutrition
from the coarse vegetables. which have
a considerable indigestible residue. he
would have to eat pounds of them
daily. and his stomach would be sadly
overburdened. Nature gives us the de-
sire for varied diet, and science
shows that this is altogether the best
for us.
In the arctic regions there is little
II.
wholly en- animal foods. Fish and
meat would not suffice, because they
contain only proteids. These would re-.
place wornout muscle and tissue. but
could not be burned in the body to
generate heat and energy. Fats, how
ever. consist OF carbon and hydrogen.
which are the chief components of the
foods of vegetable origin and supply
the fuel needed by the body. The po-
lar animals have fat In abundance, but
residents of the temperate and torrld
zones can eat it only in limited guam
titles. To them the mere though; or
chewing chunks of grease is nausc
atlng
The children of the frozen north
however, are endowed not only with
the ability 10 eat and TO digest larg,
quantities of fat, but with a keen ap.
petite for it. One who is sensitive to
such Impressions must turn away
when he sees the natives of southern
Alaska. The Ihihihl;s, swallowing sea.
oil favored by salmon berries with the
gusto of a boy over Ice cream. The
Eskimos. farther north, will eat blub'
Der. slightly cooked In the flames. to
an Indefinite number Of pounds.-New
York Tribune.