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ample amount of protein, and, in addition, the fat equivalent of 6% 

 ounces of butter. 



Nuts should be eaten every day and should be made a substan- 

 tial part of the bill of fare. So long as the nut is regarded as a 

 dainty, suitable only for dessert, the demand will be limited. But 

 as its merits come to be appreciated, it will be in greater demand and 

 the supply will rapidly grow in volume. 



The Lime Content of Nuts 



In proportion to their weight, nuts contain more lime than any 

 other class of foodstuffs except legumes, the average being more 

 than one-third grain to the ounce (.370 grs.). Certain nuts are 

 surprisingly rich in lime. For example, the almond affords one and 

 one-third grains of food lime to the ounce, while the hazel-nut or 

 filbert affords one and three-quarters grains of lime to the ounce, or 

 11.3 per cent of a day's ration of lime. The pecan and the walnut 

 are also fairly rich in lime, as is also the peanut. 



An ounce and a half of each of almonds and hazel-nuts or fil- 

 berts will supply one-third the total lime requirement for a day. In 

 general, this addition to the ordinary bill of fare would be quite 

 sufficient to insure against any serious deficiency of lime. 



Meats of all sorts are poor in lime. The lime in animals is 

 almost exclusively in the bones. One ounce of almonds, for in- 

 stance, contains as much food lime as a pound of the choicest steak, 

 and a quarter of a pound of black walnuts supplies as much food 

 lime as nearly two pounds of average meats. 



The Iron Content of Nuts 



The almond, hazel-nut, chestnut, peanut, pecan and walnut, all 

 contain a rich store of iron, the average iron content expressed as 

 per cent, of the iron ration being 4.79, more than two and one-half 

 times that of fruits (1.74), three times that of vegetables (1.46), 

 greater than that of cereals and even superior to average meats. It 

 is true that the extraordinarily high food value of nuts renders them 

 less available than fruits as prime sources of iron, for one would 

 have to eat 5,000 calories of chestnuts or walnuts or more than 

 4,000 calories of pecans or peanuts to get a day's ration of iron ; but 

 three quarters of a pound of almonds or hazel-nuts would supply the 

 needed quantum of iron with an energy intake of 2,500 calories, on 

 account of their unusually rich store of iron. 



It is worth while to know that vegetable milk prepared from al- 

 monds, by adding five parts of water to one part of blanched almonds 

 made into a smooth paste, supplies two and a half times as much 

 iron as does cow's milk in equal quantity, and furnishing the same 

 amount of protein. It is worth noting, just here, also, that the pro- 

 tein of the almond is, like that of milk, a complete protein, that is, a 

 protein out of which human tissues may be readily formed, which 



