FOODS AS BUILDING MATERIALS 13 



Two other necessary food components that furnish 

 heat and energy are starch and sugar. They are 

 called carbohydrates. Starch is abundant in flour, 

 corn meal, oatmeal, and other cereals. Our fa- 

 miliar food friend, the potato, has a great deal 

 of starch, and so have rice, tapioca, and other 

 similar foods. Like fat, starch furnishes fuel for the 

 body. We know that wood does not furnish as much 

 heat as coal. The same is true of starch and fat. 

 The latter furnishes about two and one-half times as 

 much heat and energy as the former. Nevertheless, 

 in a temperate climate from six to eight times as much 

 starch should be eaten as fat. 



Sugar is another fuel and energy furnishing 

 food. What visions of caramels, taffy, and other 

 candy favorites it brings to mind ! Although sugar 

 is the food children often like best, many are harmed 

 by eating too much. It produces about the same 

 amount of heat and energy that starch does, and, 

 in small quantities, is an excellent food. But when 

 much sugar is eaten, it is likely to get the digestive 

 organs out of order and cause poor health. 



Is it found in any foods except the sugar, candy, 

 honey, sirup, and molasses with which all are so 

 familiar? Remarkable as it may seem, milk contains 

 a small amount, fruit has some, and beets, corn, and 

 other vegetables are well stocked with it. Few children 

 associate the cooked beets served at dinner with the can- 

 dies and other sweets that come with dessert. Never- 



