1 82 How a Complex Animal Uses Food unit iv 



and most of the other vitamins if taken 

 in larger quantities than needed merely 

 pass through the body. Vitamin D has 

 been made in the laboratory. 



To see whether you are getting your 

 needed supply of vitamins, list all the 

 foods you ate yesterday. Using the food 

 table state: (a) of which vitamins you 

 got a large amount; {b) of which you 

 got only small amounts; {c) which vita- 

 mins were probably lacking. 



Other vitamins. Vitamin E complex has 

 been shown by experiment to be needed 

 by rats for reproduction, and probably 

 by most other animals, too. We know 

 that eggs produced by hens lacking E 

 complex do not hatch. What effect it 

 has on human beings we are not yet sure. 

 But it would seem wise to include it in 

 the diet. It is found in lettuce, carrots, 

 tomatoes, t<^^ yolks, peanut and other 

 oils, and in all whole-grain cereals. 



Vitamin K is necessary for the proper 

 clotting of blood as you will learn later. 

 Its richest sovirce is the green leaves of 

 our common vegetables. Exercise 8 is a 

 very important exercise for you to do. 



Loss of vitamins. The care and cooking 

 of food is as important to you as the 

 choice of food if you want to have your 

 full supply of vitamins. In general, ex- 

 posure to oxygen seems to destroy vita- 

 mins, and the higher the temperature the 

 more rapid is the destruction. Therefore, 

 keeping vegetables without refrigeration 

 means a steady and rapid loss. Vegetables 

 should, if possible, not be peeled or cut 

 up before cooking; the smaller the pieces 

 the more surface is exposed to oxyi^en. 

 Furthermore it is desirable to cook in 

 closed utensils because in this way air 

 is excluded. And since water contains air 



Fig. 200 The Basic Seven. Everyo7ie should eat 

 a generojis serving jrom each group every day. 

 Can you explain, in the case of each group, why 

 these foods are included among the Basic 

 Seven? 



(oxygen) until boiling drives it out, it 



is best to start your vegetables in boiling 



water. 



Extreme heat, especially in the pres- 

 ence of oxygen, destroys some vitamins, 

 particularly vitamin C and vitamin A. 

 For this reason cooking should not be 

 continued longer than necessary and 

 should be done rapidly. This is possible 

 in a pressure cooker. 



Most vitamins, with the exception of 

 vitamins A and D, are soluble in water. 

 We should, therefore, cook in small 

 amounts of water and whatever water is 

 left should be kept and used, since vita- 

 mins (and minerals) are dissolved in it. 

 Do Exercise 9. 



Vitamin pills. It is true that by paying 

 for capsules one can get the known vita- 

 mins. However, there may be many un- 

 discovered vitamins in our foods which 

 are necessar\' to us. For this reason, as 

 well as for the sake of economy, it is 

 better to depend on natural foods than 



