Food for Brain and Sinew.

Southland Times, Issue 15062, 4 October 1901, Page 4

Food for Brain and Sinew.

No woman can be said bo be thoroughly proficient as a professor of honsemifury until she underbtanda something of the obemical elements of food, and the purposes they serve when takes into the eyaiem. The use of chemistry ia cooking is to tench how to supplement one kind for another which contains oertain essential element} lacking in the first. The hntnan body bas been likened to a maohine, and like any other maohine is constantly wearing out. Every movement and every breath is breaking down cells and tissues, and this waste must be rapaired to keep the body in normal workiog condition. Food taken imo the system has two offices to perform, the repairing of the bodily waeta and the supplying of fael to keep tne bodily heat up to 98 degrees. Foods may be di vided into three claasts, nitrogenous, carbonaceous, and fchesa ia which both are j united. Nitrogemus food repairs bodily was'e and builds up mosale and ttaaue, and carbonaceous food supplies fat, beat and energy to the body. Wnen a knowledge of the needs of the body is supplement d by intelligent cooking a who'esome, strengthening, and nourishing m-al ia the reaule. Conking, too, loses its old seine of oo aim on drudgi-ry when considered as a Bcieatifie process and a cook who understands food value? and the chemistry of every day cookery has a perfect right to consider hmelf a scientist. Of ni'rogenou* foods the richest is found in the albumen of eggs, lean meat, the card "f v.ilk, pet a, beans, oat»,and whole wheat floar.and many vegeubl- e,of which cabbage and onion* rack firs'. Carboaaoeoue foods are in two classes, the fata and carboDbydrate»,boih detaining the hydrogen and oxygen. The fat» inolude (he fat of meat o earn, bultsr, vegetable oils and giaios. Cartoahydrabeo indu to etaroh and sugar, honey, and the sugar of fruit*. The starches include the *fc*rchy vegetables, aa potatoes and oereals, aa lice, corn, wheat and oatß. Milk is an almost perfect food. I' strengthens the whole body. The cream gives us fatj the whey contains the salt and phosphates that s'rengtbeo the brain, boD69 and digestive orgais, and the our 3 it the muscle-making, energy-producing Bubßtance. Eggs are rich in Dkrogen aid also saiphur for the brain and nerves. But aa a brain food fruit heads the list, containing as it dot-8 the salts and acids which are exceedingly wholesome, and which aid so materially in the digestion and assimilation of ojLhqr foods, fish, eggs, oysters, lobsters, game%nd cheese. From this it will be seen that the foo 1 that would best stutuia and nourish a labourer in the opso air would not be the beet diet for a brain worker. A dinner of boiled sil pork and cabbage and whtla wheat bread is nearly perfect for an outdoor labourer, as the cabbage is rich in nitrogen and the pork in carbon. Beans cext to moab contain the most nitrogen, and are excellent food for labourers, and next cornea oats, wheat, ami oarley. In cold weather the system r<- qoirea more carbonaceous food, and in summer fruit, creams, and vegetable u&l&dB should appear on the biU-of-fare. And from this it will be seen that a knowledge of food elements and the needs of the buman boriy is quite necessary iv order to provide the different members of the family wUh the balanosd ratio i of food be et suited to their needs.— 'Sanitary and Munoipal Engineer-