CHAPTER X 



VEGETABLE FOODS AS BODY-BUILDING MATERIALS 



BREAD is often called the " staff of life." What 

 building materials does wheat contain to merit this 

 proud title ? About one-seventh is water, nearly 

 one-eighth proteid, one-hundredth sugar, two-hun- 

 dredths fat, two-hundredths mineral matter, and a 

 little more than three-fifths starch. We notice that 

 the proportion of water is much smaller than in ani- 

 mal foods, and that the amount of starch is very 

 large. Of course the fat and proteid are somewhat 

 increased in bread by milk and other substances 

 added in its preparation. 



But what about the other grains ? Are they equal to 

 wheat in the food elements furnished? The composi- 

 tion of rye is very similar to that of wheat, the proteid 

 being somewhat less in amount. Its flour, however, 

 is likely to be infested with a harmful substance called 

 ergot, which gives the bread a bitter taste and is poison- 

 ous. Corn has less proteid than wheat, and more than 

 twice as much fat, but its building materials are not as 

 readily separated from the non-nutritious parts of the 

 flour by the digestive organs as are those of wheat. It 

 is, nevertheless, a very useful food. 



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