i8 



FOOD-GRAINS OF INDIA. 



adjusted, even from a chemical point of view, much less in its 

 combined chemical and physiological aspect. Even human milk, 

 as a food for adults, is far from perfect. Its nutrient-ratio is 

 i : 7, when i : 5 is required ; and it contains no starch, although 

 two special ferments are provided in the digestive secretions 

 (saliva and pancreatic juice) for the purpose of dealing with this 

 important carbohydrate. But when we examine the nutrient-ratios 

 of the food-grains which are discussed in the following pages, we shall 

 discover how very rarely any single food-staple presents the normal 

 nutrient-ratio of a standard diet : in the few cases in which such a 

 standard is approached, another defect becomes evident on closer 

 inspection, namely, a deficiency in oil or fat. Take a few cases. 

 Out of the forty or more important grains or seeds, four or five 

 only approach sufficiently near to the standard nutrient-ratio of 

 i : 5 to form satisfactory aliments when used alone for any length 

 of time. These are : 



Buckwheat (husked) with the ratio i : 47 



Wheat (Indian, whole, average) ,, ,, i : 5*2 



Pea-nuts (seeds, whole) ,, i : 5'2 



Amaranths (seeds, whole) i : 5'3 



And even amongst these four foods, one, namely wheat, would 

 approach nearer perfection if it contained more oil, while pea-nuts 

 would be more useful if they contained much less. If we take 

 other instances, we shall find very extreme divergences from our 

 standard ratio ; 



Ragi (Eleusine coracana), with the ratio 



Rice (cleaned) 



Maize (whole) 



Chick-peas 



Pigeon-peas 



Soy-beans 



It is obvious from these figures that any one consuming 

 sufficient ragi, rice, or maize to provide himself with the required 

 amount, say 3 ounces per diem, of albuminoids, would have 

 to consume along with these 3 ounces an immense excess of 

 starch over that really wanted. In the case of the three cereals 



