NUT GROWING 



1435 



of nearly 500 experiments with different 

 sorts of mixed diet, namely: Protein, 92 

 per cent; fat, 95 per cent; and carbo- 

 hydrates, 97 per cent. 



Nuts were the main source of protein 

 for the fruitarians, and it will be noted 

 that this constituent had practically the 

 same coefficient of digestibility in the nut 

 and fruit diet as in the other cases cited. 

 The studies with fruitarians have all in- 

 dicated that nut protein is fairly well as- 

 similated; and that this is true with the 

 average healthy person is well illustrated 

 Dy an experiment with a university stu- 

 dent, who, though entirely unaccustomed 

 to such fare, gradually changed from an 

 ordinary mixed diet to one of fruit and 

 nuts, which he followed for a time with- 

 out apparent loss of health or strength. 



It is somewhat difficult to arrive at 

 definite conclusions regarding the actual 

 percentage of nut protein digested or as- 

 similated. The experimental data obtain- 

 ed at the California station show a range 

 of 75 to 82 per cent digestibile protein 

 when fruit and nuts were eaten together, 

 but the figure for nut protein is doubtless 

 higher. These coefficients were in all 

 probability influenced by the fruit pro- 

 tein, which has been found to be less di- 

 gestible than the nut protein. The di- 

 gestibility of protein in 28 experiments 

 with mixed diets, to which were added 

 fruit and nuts, averaged 90 per cent. 



As fruits, with the exception of the 

 avocado and olive, yield only a small 

 amount of fat, the fat which is contained 

 in a fruitarian diet must be very largely 

 obtained from the nuts. The average co- 

 efficients of digestibility for this nutrient 

 in 30 experiments with men on a diet of 

 fruit and nuts was 86 per cent, and in 

 28 experiments just referred to it was 

 85 per cent. These figures are about 10 

 per cent lower than the average coeffi- 

 cient for digestibility of fats in the or- 

 dinary mixed diet. The digestibility of 

 the carbohydrates in nuts, so far as the 

 available data show, is about equal to 

 that of the same ingredients in other 

 foods. 



So far as can be ascertained no experi- 

 ments have been made on the ease or 



rapidity of digestion of nuts. In the ab- 

 sence of such data it is fair to assume 

 that within reasonable limits the finer the 

 state of subdivision of the food material 

 the easier, the more rapid, and perhaps 

 the more nearly complete will be the di- 

 gestion or assimilation, presupposing, of 

 course, that the nuts are not eaten in ad- 

 dition to a hearty meal. Too much stress 

 can not be laid on the necessity of 

 thorough mastication of nuts. This is em- 

 phasized by the results obtained with one 

 of the subjects at the California station, 

 a man at moderately active work, who 

 ate largely of nuts but did not properly 

 masticate his food. The coefficients of di- 

 gestibility of the food were far lower than 

 for other subjects who chewed their food 

 thoroughly. The experiments with fruit 

 and nut diets in general indicate that nut 

 protein is as easily, even if not quite so 

 completely, digested as protein from bread 

 and milk. 



The present discussion refers only to 

 the nuts included in the studies at the 

 California station, viz., the almond, Brazil 

 nut, cocoanut, peanut, pecan, pignolia and 

 walnut. It is believed that these are 

 typical of the ordinary edible nuts, but 

 further digestion experiments are much 

 needed for the purpose of testing some 

 other nuts. 



As regards the work of other investiga- 

 tors, both Memmo* and Merrillt report di- 

 gestion experiments with cooked chest- 

 nuts. Memmo's subject was a farm la- 

 borer, 53 years old, working eight hours 

 a day. The experiment lasted four days. 

 During the first two the food consisted 

 exclusively of chestnut products. This 

 was modified during the last two days 

 by the addition of herring and cheese. In 

 this experiment 75 per cent of the protein, 

 87 per cent of the fat. 97 per cent of the 

 total carbohydrates, and 83 per cent of 

 the ash were assimilated. The last figure 

 is exceptionally high; the others corres- 

 pond to those reported for the California 

 experiments with men on a fruit and nut 

 diet. 



The subjects of Merrill's experiments 



• Ann. Inst. Ig. Sper. Univ. Roma, n. s., 4 

 n.'!94). p. 2fi3. 



1- Maine Station Bulletin i;!I. p. 146. 



