The Virginia enterprise., 1909-02-12


for flesh building and 5V per cent.
starch for muscular energy and heat.
They are richer than any other food
In minerals, except few of the nuts,
though the excessive roasting to
which they are usually submitted to
make them palatable and to make
their starch digestible, largely precipi-
tates the mineral elements and CO.
agulates the albumen in them. 1t
would hardly be possible to find a
better diet for hard physical or men,
tai work than beans. Few other
foods, except brown bread, are CON-
patible with them, and especially not
fruit, milk or eggs. The addition of
fat is an advantage, but olive or pea
nut oil would be better than pork.
Peas, beans and lentils, contain
every element of food necessary for
vigorous physical and mental life. It
is no mere coincidence that they are
used, commonly, as staple in the
logging camp and have come to be as
sOciated with the name of the Athens
of America. The bean is especially
rich in potash and phosphorus, two
leading brain foods, besides having a
larger percentage of iron than milk.
l have had an opportunity to watch
the physical and mental effects of an
exclusive 60-days' diet of beans, which
clearly proved them most: complete
and substantial diet for physical or
mental worker, even though they are
not included in the ideal dietary.
Bean starch is much more easily
digestible than wheat starch and is
far less likely to cause such bowel
troubles as appendicitis. An exclusive
ever, liable to cause rheumatism and
kidney troubles, owing to the excess
of albumen they contain. Peas and
lentils differ little from beans. the
former being the richest of this class
OF foods. A few slices of toast or
acid fruits only in the morning and
uncooked cabbage, lettuce, cucum
bers, ETC., alternating with prunes
dates or figs, for the evening meal
would be an ideal dietary for labor
er eating beans with coarse bread fo1
the principal meal, at noon.
Bananas are the most nourishing o1
fruits, except raisins and currants
Properly ripened they are easily di
gested. But as we ordinarily find
them in our northern market they are
difficult of digestion and likely tC
cause constipation. Banana flour is
superior to superfine wheat flour and
could be produced more cheaply, il
transportation facilities were ade
quate. The ripened banana, with the
peanut, form a perfect ration, on
which the population of the world
could be fed by the product of Texas
and the other gulf states and the
tropics. Only a suitable method o1
preserving the banana and an mex
pensive method of transportation be
ing necessary, to solve the food prob
lem.
Bacon is almost pure fat and is
therefore, good source of heat
muscular energy and fat, but it is in
ferior to olive or peanut oil, which are
purer and more easily assimilated
It should be eaten only in winter, il
cold climates, if at all. Pork products
in general, are the most Objectionable
of the flesh foods. The flesh of wilC
animals, the goat, sheep and fresh
water fish, fresh are the best of ami
NAL foods. Fish spoils quickly and
may become more poisonous than
meat. Vegetable-cooking oils are pre-
ferable to lard.
Oysters (the edible portion, I mean
for it is as necessary to clean oysters
as chicken or fish,, are comparatively
nutritious raw, but fried they are in
digestible. They contain nothing thai
cannot be obtained from vegetable
foods, eggs or fish. Often they are
dangerous, causing serious bowe
trouble and even typhoid and typhus
fever.
Eggs, eaten in their natural state Of
only slightly cooked in water, moi
fried in fat, are very nutritious and
easily digested. They are, however
stimulating and undesirable unless
eaten sparingly. A whipped egg with
zwieback is a suitable meal for an in
will be dealt with in subsequent arti
cles.
Figs, dates and prunes are the most
substantial of the fruits, next to the
banana. Either of these, or all, makes
suitable evening meal. The CHIEF
objection to them is, they are very
liable to be spoiled, by fermentation
and worms. Prunes can be obtained
in cans free from contamination OF
the Objectionable chemicals used in
the dried fruit, and as they are chiefly
sugar the injury done by cooking is
immaterial, as compared with the dan
ger in fermentation in the spoiled fruits
Cocoa is less Objectionable than tea
or coffee, being only slightly stimulat
ing. 1t contains considerable fat
more than chocolate. Cereal coffee il
harmless.
Grapes are, next to the apple, fol
all general purposes, the best fruit
There should be a grape arbor in
every garden. Unfermented grape
juice is delicious and highly-nutri
tious drink, of which we shall have
more to say in treating of the cura
tive values of foods.
Pine apple is true fruit medicine
very valuable in some digestive disor
ders.
Potatoes are chiefly water and
starch, but are rich in the mineral
elements of food. They are best
baked slowly, at low temperature;
tho11 should MT ho friod 60