526 ^' S- BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



calories in the form of bread or potatoes, for instance, as he is in 

 getting a varied diet consisting of palatable foods with attractive 

 flavors. 



There is no question that flavor is the thing that makes foods 

 attractive, and it has a gi'eat deal to do with establishing their price 

 in competition with other foods. It is just in this matter of flavor 

 that fish and shellfish stand out most conspicuously. It is a well- 

 know fact that one of the first things people do when they travel from 

 the interior to any of the coasts is to indulge in oysters, clams, and 

 fish products. It is, first, the flavor^ that they are anxious to get, 

 and, secondly, the change in diet; at the same time they usually are 

 securing an unaccustomed source of nitrogenous nutrients. It is sur- 

 prising how popular "shore dinners" are in some places on the New 

 England coast and ''sea-food dinners," so-called, served in other 

 places. From beginning to end such meals may consist of various 

 fishery products and yet not give one the impression of overdoing the 

 matter. It is not the purpose of this chapter to go into the matter of 

 dietaries or the discussion of various attractive ways in which fish 

 can be prepared. 



There is one popular misconception regarding fish and shellfish, par- 

 ticularly fish, tnat should be corrected. The early investigators on 

 the composition of fish reported that considerable phosphorus was 

 present, and the idea that fish must be brain food on account of its 

 phosphorus content immediately gained popularity. As a matter 

 of fact, there is absolutely no foundation for this belief. The analyses 

 made do not show that there is an unusual amount of phosphorus in 

 fish, and even if this were the case it does not follow that the phos- 

 phorus in them would be absorbed and transferred especially to the 

 brain for the maintenance of that organ and thus enable brain work- 

 ers to excel in their particular line of activity. It is true that the 

 brain does contain considerable amounts of substances in wliich phos- 

 phorus and nitrogen play an important part. However, all the cells 

 of the body, as well as of the brain, obtain the necessary ingredients 

 for their life activities from the blood stream, selecting the materials 

 necessary for their life processes. There is no indication whatever 

 that the brain could function any better without water or without 

 nitrogen or sulphur or potassium than it could without phosphorus. 

 The truth of the matter is the brain must have all of these elements. 

 It has already been pointed out that the only safe course for an intU- 

 vidual to follow is to eat a varied diet consisting of the proper propor- 

 tion of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins, derived from fish, meat, 

 eggs, dairy products, cereals, fruit, and vegetables. When this is 

 done, and if pains are taken that the vitamins are not neglected in 

 the diet, the body can grow, maintain itself, and function in a normal 

 way. 



