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SECOND BOOK. 
should therefore be eaten with milk, or with some- 
thing else that is rich in flesh-forming food. 
5. Peas, beans, and lentils are sometimes called 
‘pulse’. They are very rich in nitrogen, and 
therefore are good flesh-formers. But as they have 
not much oil or fat, it is best to eat fatty foods 
with them. In favour of pulse 
food, we may notice that one 
pound of it contains as much 
nitrogen as three pounds of 
meat; but against it we must 
add that it is not so easily 
digested as meat. Therefore, 
when it is used it should be 
very thoroughly cooked. 
6. The fruits of the banana, 
plantain, and bread-fruit add 
abundantly to our stores of 
food. While unripe they con- 
Head of Rice. . j i 
tarn a large supply ot starch, 
which changes into sugar as the fruits ripen. But 
they are poor in flesh-formers, and in this respect 
remind us of the rice. 
7 . There are some vegetable foods in common 
use which are nearly all starch; the gluten which 
was mixed with it in the plant having been taken 
away. Amongst such foods are arrowroot, from the 
root-stocks of the plant; sago, from the pith of a 
palm; tapioca, from the tubers of cassava; corn- 
