The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-06-10
.NUTS-THEIR NUTRITIVE
VALUE. AND THEIR
PLACE IN THE DIET

NUTRITIVE
VALUE AND THEIR
PLACE IN THE DIET
This is another essay by Miss Fran
ces Wheeler, daughter OF MIR. and
and Mrs. Jas. D. Wheeler of New
berry which won the first prize of
S25. Miss Wheeler recently gradu-
Sated at Winthrop and is now home
for the summer.
AS interesting and important as
Sxhis subject would have been four
eor five years ago, it is more so no"
,on account of the conditions caused
Soy the war Food is and has been
from the beginning of the world
sthe most important activity of man
No matter what may happen, the
..demand for nourishing food is sure
TO grow as long as the population
increases, for our existence ltsel1
depends on nourishing food. The
standard for food, however, even
before the war in Europe started,
showed tendency to change. The
man who is interested in the chang
ing of food standards, and who
realizes how largely the meat sup
1ply of the world has been depleted,
and who realizes how long it will be
e- tie was is over before this
can be remedied, will see in the nut
an opportunity to help change the
conditions.
Let us not forget the fact that
somewhere back in the history OF
the race man was frugivorous or
fruit and nut-eating animal. But in
time nature introduced the meat OF
animals, and he acquired omnivor-
,eous eating habits. The food chem
ist, however, is causing the stand
ard to change back somewhat to the
sd;et of our earliest ancestors. He
among other things, is trying 70
eonyi.. &c US that nuts are among the
most nutritious of our neglected
foods. He has much in his claim,
FOR there are in season all kinds OF
.znstenances to be had in field and
wood. if we but know how to pre-
pare them.
The Indians in various parts OF
the country have shown the white
man the possibilities in this direc-
lion. Take, for example, the most
common nut perhaps in America
the acorn. Acorns are commonly
Ihoueht to be ft for feeding hogs
but many varieties Of them are
either sweet enough to eat Or can OK
made edible from the standpoint OF
abe Indian, and have been used a
food. especially when other food:
were scarce. They were able te
make a dark kind of flour by re-
knowing the tannin, which was real.
Nv valuable as. food because It con,
1sained considerable starch. Inc
smethod they used was not the BEST
...of course, but with the scientific
aknowaedge man has today he could
rvasty improve this product and
....-,at other results. Think what could
be accomplished!
TIE reason for the nut tree not
sbeing planted in this country Is
somewhat similar to the reason for
automobiles not being used fifty
years ago-people had thought very
httle about the subject. The time
is coming, however, when nuts
win play as important part in our
food production as the automobile
~does to transportation.
Taking the protein of the human
-hody as a standard, Investigations
prove that the proteins which are
found in vegetables and cereals are
incomplete. { They are lacking IN.
certain elements, which are abso-
autely essential to the building OF
healthy human blood and tissues.
( Careful chemical analysis, how
ever. has shown in recent years, that
protenzs Of nuts, or at least some OF
them, are complete proteins. Nuts,
in fact, furaish pSoteins OF such
sne quality that they are capable
of scemplementing other foodstuffs.
Their proteins supply the elemtnts
necessary to render complete the
proteins of cereals and other vege-
table foods. This discovery is one
of great Importance, for they have
found in nuts, the most neglected
Of ALI food products an ample sup