THE ADVANTAGES OF A MIXED DIET. 127 



nearly half its dry weight of fat, and bread besides proteids 

 contains starch, fats, and sugar. In none of them, how- 

 ever, are the foodstuffs mixed in the physiologically best 

 proportions, and the practice of employing several of them 

 at each meal, or different ones at different meals during the 

 day, is thus not only agreeable to the palate but in a high 

 degree advantageous to the body. The strict vegetarians 

 who do not employ even such substances as eggs, cheese, 

 and milk, but confine themselves to a purely vegetable diet, 

 such as is always poor in proteids, daily take far more car- 

 bon than they require, and are to be congratulated on their 

 excellent digestions which are able to stand the strain. 

 Those so-called vegetarians who use eggs, cheese, etc., can 

 of course get on very well, since such substances are ex- 

 tremely rich in proteids, and supply the nitrogen needed, 

 without the necessity of swallowing the vast bulk of food 

 which must be eaten in order to get it from plants directly. 



Why do we commonly use several foods at one meal? What ele- 

 ment do strict vegetarians take in excess? How do nominal vegeta- 

 rians get their nitrogen? 



