FOODS AND DIETARIES 281 



greater amount of fat in the tissues of the woman, making 

 loss of heat less. Larger bodies, because of greater surface, 

 give off more heat than smaller ones. Men are usually larger 

 in bulk than are women, — another reason for more food in their 

 case. 



The Relation of Digestibility to Diet. — Animal foods in general 

 may be said to be more completely digested within the body than 

 plant foods. This is largely due to the fact that plant cells have 

 woody walls that the digestive juices cannot act upon. Cereals 

 and legumes are less digestible foods than are dairy products, 

 meat, or fish. This does not mean necessarily that these foods 

 would not agree with you or me but that in general the body would 

 get less nourishment out of the total amount available. 



The agreement or disagreement of food with an individual is 

 largely a personal matter. I, for example, cannot eat raw toma- 

 toes without suffering from indigestion, while some one else can 

 digest tomatoes but not strawberries. Each individual should 

 learn early in life the foods that disagree with him personally 

 and leave such foods out of his dietary. For '' what is one man's 

 meat may be another man's poison." 



The Relation of Cost of Food to Diet. — It is a mistaken notion 

 that the best foods are always the most expensive. A glance at 

 the table (page 283) will show us that both fuel value and tissue- 

 building value is present in some foods from vegetable sources, as 

 well as in those from animal sources, and that the vegetable foods 

 are much cheaper. The American people are far less economical 

 in their purchase of food than most other nations. Nearly one 

 half of the total income of the average workingman is spent on 

 food. Not only does he spend a large amount on food, but he 

 wastes money in purchasing the wrong kinds of food. A compari- 

 son of the daily diets of persons in various occupations in this 

 and other countries shows that as a rule we eat more than is nec- 

 essary to supply the necessary fuel and repair, and that our working- 

 men eat more than those of other countries. Another waste of 

 money by the American is in the false notion that a large ])ro])or- 

 tion of the daily dietary should be meat. Many ])c()])le think 

 that the most expensive cuts of meat are the most nutritious. 



