The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1914-03-13

Aions " Dsdnsp oPtHaCHt SoFFoNs aHo
Cabbage Are Nourishins and obviate
Intestinal Disorders-Way Paved For
Vegetable Innovations.
The Journal OF the American Medi-
cal Association, commenting on the
availability of nutrients from plant
sources, says IT has long been believed
that 1t may be possible to utilize green
vegetables so as to make them more
available for digestion and assimilation
by man. Some experiments in this d.
rection have been carried on In Ger
for useful innovations In the use of
vegetable foods.
1t has been found that bean powder
fed to man In the form of a PURGE con-
tains far more nourishment than string
beans served In the usual form. Spin
ach, carrots and cabbage similarly
prepared were enjoyed with singular
freedom from the troublesome intes-
final symptoms which so often follow
their use. The usefulness OF these
plant products appears to have been
augmented by their preliminary treat
ment. A group Of vegetable products
has thus been converted into a source
| of nutriment.
The efficiency here recorded" says
the writer. is rendered the more strik-
ing by the report from the Altoona elm
ic that ten ounces a day of vegetable
powder, equivalent to six pounds of
fresh plant, may easily be assimilated
IA amount which In the natural state
could not be tolerated. Possibly by
suitable preparation such plant prod
ucts as grasses, which have hitherto
been excluded from the dietary of man,
may yet be used as direct sources of
energy In human nutrition.
Dependence Upon Plants.
without discussing the advantages
and disadvantages of the use OF foods
of animal and vegetable origin. respec-
lively. we are found to admit that man
and animal alike are dependent on
plants for nutrition. A recent writer
has said that man Is a parasite living
on the plant kingdom. The final
source Of human energy is found In
plants. In SO far as mankind obtains
energy by consuming the flesh of the
domestic animals, only a fraction of
the supply taken by the latter In the
plant products a ever reach the
sphere OF usefulness TO man.
"The animals which furnish food TO
man are expensive converters OF the
energy OF plants into a form directly
available for his uses. Only a very
small residue Of the energy intake of
such animals is left In the tissues
which they furnish as food to man.
The great bulk of what has been con.
sumed has become lost In the processes
OF animal life during the long periods
OF growth and maintenance before the
animal food products can be marketed.
To appreciate this one need only con.
slider the enormous amounts Of vege-
table food necessary to produce the
flesh Of cattle for human consumption.
A COW eats a liberal plant ration daily
during several years before she Is
ready for the market.
~ 40 GtiuCnl thaL IL WOuIu bt III
advantage II IA could utilize more
directly the energy which he now Sc
cures only after II has been converted
by animals into the forms that suit his
preferences.
Products Science Has Made Edible.
Hitherto the contributions Of the
plant world to the human dietary have
consisted OF the parts of plants which
serve as storage depots-as reserve
supplies for subsequent growth. Seeds
roots. tubers and fruits represent tn,
chief types OF plant products which
find their way into the ration of man
kind. These are by no means all wei
adapted for food. but the progress Of
science and the Industries and the In
genuity OF the domestic arts have Lit
tie by little SO improved the form II
which such materials as cereals. nuts
ETC., are presented for human consump
ton that their utilization has become
greatly enhanced.
Processes for grinding, cooking ant
baking are not natural operations
They have been evolved by the genius
Of man SO that he might readily takt
direct advantage Of the energy which
nature has stored up. The indigesti
bility Of raw starch, as In the potato
Is overcome by cooking. The resist
ance OF grains to digestion is minimizet
by grinding and cooking. The struggle
to wrest energy from plant products
has been a long one.
There GSe other plants which AMI
mails use freely, but which mankind
has not yet employed. The green part
Of plants, rich In food material, contain
SO much cellulose that they a b.
utilized only to a small degree ant
with enormous waste. We may softer
them by cooking and by masticatioI
without h~berating their foodstuns t
any extent"