FOOD 353 



natural instincts and better judgment in the selection of foods. 

 Costly, highly-seasoned, stimulating, and unnatural substances 

 are frequent invaders of our digestive apparatus, to the detriment 

 both of our bodies and our bank accounts. For the majority of 

 people in normal health, meats, fish, eggs, milk, butter, cheese, 

 sugar, flour, meal, potatoes, and other vegetables make a fitting 

 and sufficiently varied diet the main point being to use them in 

 proportions suited to the actual needs of the body and not according 

 to acquired whims of the " appetite." 



Another fact that is often misunderstood, even after a study of 

 nutrients, is the very essential nature of mineral salts, especially 



From the American Museum of Natural History. 



FIG. 113. A U.S. soldier in the field is allowed a daily ration 

 supplying 4199 calories of energy. A typical daily field ration supply- 

 ing this amount of energy is shown above. 



iron, calcium, and potash compounds, which we obtain from green 

 vegetables, otherwise not rich in food value. As shown by the 

 "Summary of Nutrients" on p. 357, these mineral* compounds are 

 a necessary, though small part of every properly balanced diet. 

 Furthermore, the fact that many foods, especially of vegetable 

 origin, contain considerable indigestible matter such as cellulose, 

 or connective tissue, is also of value as supplying a certain bulk of 

 matter required to keep the digestive apparatus properly filled and 

 active. 



A diet could be divised made up of highly concentrated and pre- 

 digested foods, which, though giving all necessary nutrients, would 

 be very harmful, because of relieving the digestive organs of the 



