VEGETABLE FOODS 



59 



But what about the digestibility of bread? Is it 

 ever necessary to be careful about such plain food, and 

 will a knowledge of chemistry aid our judgment in 

 this respect? If people were always well, such infor- 

 mation would not be 

 necessary, but as almost 

 every one is likely now 

 and then to feel ill, facts 

 about this common food 

 may be useful. Bread a 

 day or more old is more 

 easily digested than new- 

 ly baked bread, as the 

 latter may cause fermen- 

 tation in a delicate stom- 

 ach. During the process 

 of baking, heat changes 

 some of the starch of 

 flour to dextrine, or grape 

 sugar, which is more 

 easily digested than 

 starch. On this account, 

 and because it is lighter, well-done bread is easier to 

 digest than that which is soggy. For a similar reason, 

 toast is a very excellent form of bread food. Another 

 advantage of toast is that it must of necessity be chewed 

 more thoroughly than bread before being swallowed; 

 but this advantage is lost when it is soaked in milk 

 or some other liquid. 



The Chautauqua Bread Mixer. 

 A child can operate it. 



