Food Values 361 



4 



and flavors like vanilla and lemon extract. Tea, coffee, cocoa, and" 

 various forms of alcoholic drink might also be included in the list 

 of food accessories. Some of them, such as cocoa, undoubtedly 

 have a little food value, but most of them act merely as stimulants. 

 The question whether a drink 

 containing alcohol is a food or a 

 poison has been the cause of much 

 discussion. Experiments seem to 

 prove that it is not a food, or at 

 least not a desirable food. 



Fuel Value of Food. The 

 fuel value of any food is meas- 

 ured by the amount of energy it 

 is capable of furnishing when it 

 unites chemically with oxygen in 

 the body. Just as energy is re- 

 leased by the burning of wood 

 in a stove or coal in the firebox 

 of an engine, so it is released 

 by the oxidation of food in the 

 cells of the tissues. 



The food which we eat, after it is digested and absorbed into 

 the cells of the body, comes into contact with the oxygen which 

 reaches the cells through the blood. The food is oxidized by the 

 oxygen, and heat and other forms of energy necessary to carry 

 on life processes are released. The total amount of heat finally 

 given off represents the fuel value of the food taken. This value 

 as a source of energy is measured in heat units. A heat unit is 

 called a Calorie (C). 



Calories. A Calorie is the amount of heat required to raise 

 the temperature of 1000 grams of water one degree Centigrade, 

 or of one pound of water four degrees Fahrenheit. Since the heat 

 value of any food is expressed by the number of Calories it con- 

 tains, the daily food requirement of an individual may be deter- 

 mined by the use of Calorie tables, provided his daily fuel need 

 is known. Remember, he must fully replace his output of heat 

 in order to continue his efficiency. 



Brown Brothers. 



A MODERN MILK PLANT WHERE 

 CLEANLINESS is THE RULE 



