Middle class cookery book

but the same amount of flesh -forming power may be derived from certain vegetable products (which are much less expensive than meat), if taken in sufficiently large quantity. The vegetable products which yield the greatest amount of the kind of food which replaces the used-up materials of the body are peas, beans, and lentils, called collectively “ the pulses.” Persons who eat little or no animal food must find their chief flesh- forming food in the pulses, because these contain from two to three times as much flesh-forming power as even the grains that rank next them in that respect. Dr. Parkes writes 1 — “ A labouring man, by ringing the changes on oatmeal, maize, peas and beans, rice and macaroni (which is made from corn), to which may be added cheese and bacon occasionally, may bring up his children as well nourished as those of the richest people, and at a small cost. Oatmeal, the most nutritious of the cereal grains, and formerly the staple food of our finest men, . . . Indian corn, . . . peas and beans, and rice are far less used by our poorer classes than should be the case.” The names of heat-givers and flesh-formers correctly indicate the chief work of these two important classes of foods. But for the sake of exactness it must be stated that flesh-forming foods certainly do a little towards keeping up warmth ; whilst, on the other hand, heat-givers do a little towards making flesh. With regard to bones and some other parts of our bodies which require mineral matter, as salt, lime, 1 Page 21, in Personal Care of Jlealth, by E. A. Parkes, M.D., F.U.S. (published by the Society for Promoting Christian Know- ledge, price Is.) Professor Parkes was head of the Government Hospital at Netley. We are indebted to him for most important discoveries about food ; he had great opportunities for observations on soldiers, making great exertions on definite rations weighed out. Fuller informatiou is given in his larger work on Hygiene. 8 MIDDLE CLASS COOKERY BOOK PART ) iron, etc., it is enough to observe here, that with the exception of a certain amount of salt, these are not taken into the body in a solid form, but exist in very minute particles in different foods. They are chiefly supplied in vegetables, including grains and fruits. Lime is also supplied in water and in milk. These mineral matters are generally called III. Salts, which are essential to the health of the body. About two-thirds of the human body consist of water. In a full-grown person about five pints pass off daily in various ways. It is therefore evident that if one object of food is to replace the waste of the body, IV. Water