| We may define a food to be any substance which | | | | They form the essential part of every living |
| will repair the functional waste of the body, increase | | | | cell.Proteids are excreted from the body as water, |
| its growth, or maintain the heat, muscular, and | | | | carbon dioxide, urea, uric acid, sulphates, &c.The |
| nervous energy. In its most comprehensive sense, | | | | principal proteids of animal origin have their |
| the oxygen of the air is a food; as although it is | | | | corresponding proteids in the vegetable kingdom. |
| admitted by the lungs, it passes into the blood, and | | | | Some kinds, whether of animal or vegetable origin, |
| there re-acts upon the other food which has passed | | | | are more easily digested than others. They have the |
| through the stomach. It is usual, however, to restrict | | | | same physiological value from whichever kingdom |
| the term food to such nutriment as enters the body | | | | they are derived. |
| by the intestinal canal. Water is often spoken of as | | | | The Osseids comprise ossein, gelatin, cartilage, &c., |
| being distinct from food, but for this there is no | | | | from bone, skin, and connective issue. They approach |
| sufficient reason.Many popular writers have divided | | | | the proteids in composition, but unlike them they |
| foods into flesh-formers, heat-givers, and | | | | cannot form flesh or fulfil the same purpose in |
| bone-formers. Although attractive from its simplicity, | | | | nutrition. Some food chemists wish to call the |
| this classification will not bear criticism.Flesh-formers | | | | osseids, albuminoids; what were formerly termed |
| are also heat-givers. Only a portion of the mineral | | | | albuminoids to be always spoken of as proteids |
| matter goes to form bone.Water forms an essential | | | | only.Jellies are of little use as food; not only is this |
| part of all the tissues of the body. It is the solvent | | | | because of the low nutritive value of gelatin, but also |
| and carrier of other substances.Mineral Matter or | | | | on account of the small quantity which is mixed with |
| Salts, is left as an ash when food is thoroughly burnt. | | | | a large proportion of water.The Vegetable Kingdom is |
| The most important salts are calcium phosphate, | | | | the prime source of all organic food; water, and to a |
| carbonate and fluoride, sodium chloride, potassium | | | | slight extent salts, form the only food that animals |
| phosphate and chloride, and compounds of | | | | can derive directly from the inorganic kingdom. When |
| magnesium, iron and silicon.Mineral matter is quite as | | | | man consumes animal food?a sheep for example?he |
| necessary for plant as for animal life, and is therefore | | | | is only consuming a portion of the food which that |
| present in all food, except in the case of some | | | | sheep obtained from grass, clover, turnips, &c. All the |
| highly-prepared ones, such as sugar, starch and oil. | | | | proteids of the flesh once existed as proteids in the |
| Children require a good proportion of calcium | | | | vegetables; some in exactly the same chemical |
| phosphate for the growth of their bones, whilst | | | | form.Flesh contains no starch or sugar, but a small |
| adults require less. The outer part of the grain of | | | | quantity of glycogen. The fat in an animal is derived |
| cereals is the richest in mineral constituents, white | | | | from the carbohydrates, the fats and the proteids of |
| flour and rice are deficient. Wheatmeal and oatmeal | | | | the vegetables consumed. The soil that produced the |
| are especially recommended for the quantity of | | | | herbage, grain and roots consumed by cattle, in most |
| phosphates and other salts contained in them. Mineral | | | | cases could have produced food capable of direct |
| matter is necessary not only for the bones but for | | | | utilisation by man. By passing the product of the soil |
| every tissue of the body.Organic Compounds are | | | | through animals there is an enormous economic loss, |
| formed by living organisms (a few can also be | | | | as the greater part of that food is dissipated in |
| produced by chemical means). They are entirely | | | | maintaining the life and growth; little remains as flesh |
| decomposed by combustion.The Non-Nitrogenous | | | | when the animal is delivered into the hands of the |
| Organic Compounds are commonly called carbon | | | | butcher. Some imagine that flesh food is more easily |
| compounds or heat-producers, but these terms are | | | | converted into flesh and blood in our bodies and is |
| also descriptive of the nitrogenous compounds. | | | | consequently more valuable than similar constituents |
| These contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen only, | | | | in vegetables, but such is not the case. Fat, whether |
| and furnish by their oxidation or combustion in the | | | | from flesh or from vegetables is digested in the |
| body the necessary heat, muscular and nervous | | | | same manner. The proteids of flesh, like those of |
| energy. The final product of their combustion is | | | | vegetables, are converted into peptone by the |
| water and carbon dioxide (carbonic acid gas).The | | | | digestive juices?taking the form of a perfectly |
| Carbohydrates comprise starch, sugar, gum, mucilage, | | | | diffusible liquid?otherwise they could not be absorbed |
| pectose, glycogen, &c.; cellulose and woody fibre are | | | | and utilised by the body. Thus the products of |
| carbohydrates, but are little capable of digestion. | | | | digestion of both animal and vegetable proteids and |
| They contain hydrogen and oxygen in the proportion | | | | fats are the same. Formerly, proteid matter was |
| to form water, the carbon alone being available to | | | | looked upon as the most valuable part of the food, |
| produce heat by combustion. Starch is the most | | | | and a large proportion was thought necessary for |
| widely distributed food. It is insoluble in water, but | | | | hard work. It was thought to be required, not only |
| when cooked is readily digested and absorbed by the | | | | for the construction of the muscle substance, but to |
| body. Starch is readily converted into sugar, whether | | | | be utilised in proportion to muscular exertion.These |
| in plants or animals, during digestion. There are many | | | | views are now known to be wrong. A comparatively |
| kinds of sugar, such as grape, cane and milk | | | | small quantity of proteid matter, such as is easily |
| sugars.The Oils and Fats consist of the same | | | | obtained from vegetable food, is ample for the |
| elements as the carbohydrates, but the hydrogen is | | | | general needs of the body. Increased muscular |
| in larger quantity than is necessary to form water, | | | | exertion requires but a slight increase of this food |
| and this surplus is available for the production of | | | | constituent. It is the carbohydrates, or carbohydrates |
| energy. During their combustion in the body they | | | | and fats that should be eaten in larger quantity, as |
| produce nearly two-and-a-quarter times (4 : 8.9 = | | | | these are the main source of muscular energy. The |
| 2.225) as much heat as the carbohydrates; but if | | | | fact that animals, capable of the most prolonged and |
| eaten in more than small quantities, they are not | | | | powerful exertion, thrive on vegetables of |
| easily digested, a portion passing away by the | | | | comparatively low proteid value, and that millions of |
| intestines. The fat in the body is not solely | | | | the strongest races have subsisted on what most |
| dependent upon the quantity consumed as food, as | | | | Englishmen would consider a meagre vegetarian diet, |
| an animal may become quite fat on food containing | | | | should have been sufficient evidence against the |
| none. A moderate quantity favours digestion and the | | | | earlier view.Indigestible Matter?Food is never entirely |
| bodily health. In cold weather more should be taken. | | | | digested. As a reason against confining ourselves |
| In the Arctic regions the Esquimaux consume | | | | solely to vegetable food, it has been stated that |
| enormous quantities. Nuts are generally rich in oil. | | | | such is less perfectly digested than animal food and |
| Oatmeal contains more than any of the other cereals | | | | that it therefore throws more work on the digestive |
| (27 analyses gave from 8 to 12.3 per cent.)Vegetable | | | | organs. It is also urged that on this account a greater |
| Acids are composed of the same three elements and | | | | quantity of vegetable food is required. We have |
| undergo combustion into the same compounds as | | | | shown elsewhere that, on the contrary, vegetarians |
| the carbohydrates. They rouse the appetite, | | | | are satisfied with a smaller amount of food. Man |
| stimulate digestion, and finally form carbonates in | | | | requires a small quantity of woody fibre or cellulose in |
| combination with the alkalies, thus increasing the | | | | his food to stimulate intestinal action and prevent |
| alkalinity of the blood. The chief vegetable acids are: | | | | constipation.Selina Cormin and Jaynne Nichols have |
| malic acid, in the apple, pear, cherry, &c.; citric acid, in | | | | partnered to put this research on food chemistry |
| the lemon, lime, orange, gooseberry, cranberry, | | | | together. Read more at Alt Cooking. While you are |
| strawberry, raspberry, &c.; tartaric acid, in the grape, | | | | there check out the resource and books |
| pineapple, &c.Proteids or Albuminoids are frequently | | | | sections.Jaynne Nicols has done a lot of research into |
| termed flesh-formers. They are composed of | | | | illness and why we get ill. One of the things she came |
| nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and a small | | | | across is that almost all illness starts in your colon. |
| quantity of sulphur, and are extremely complex | | | | Sign up for her free newsletter Health and Wellness |
| bodies. Their chief function is to form flesh in the | | | | in the 21st Century and learn more in and through her |
| body; but without previously forming it, they may be | | | | series on health issues. |
| transformed into fat or merely give rise to heat. | | | | |