THE NEW EARTH 



the folly of waste, not only waste in discard- 

 ing from the table foods which could be used in 

 other form, and waste in cooking more food 

 than the eater needs, but waste in the foods 

 themselves as they go about their service to 

 the body. Unquestionably, one of the most 

 fruitful causes of indigestion and all the long 

 train of terrors that follow in its wake is the 

 eating of unnecessary foods, those which only 

 burden and clog the system. The new knowl- 

 edge has taught how to avoid this by select- 

 ing such foods as will preserve the proper 

 balance. This can be accomplished without in 

 any sense starving the body or robbing the 

 taste of any of its delights. Meat, eggs, fish, 

 fresh vegetables, milk, and fruits contain, to 

 quote again Professor Atwater, the most 

 refuse and water ; protein is most abundant in 

 the animal foods and in the legumes, as peas 

 and beans, and occurs in considerable quanti- 

 ties in the cereals; fats occur principally in 

 the animal foods, while carbohydrates are 

 found almost exclusively in the vegetable 

 products and milk. 



The work of investigating foods has pro- 

 gressed beyond the importance of the food as 



270 



