~ The proteins get their name from a word which means
" first ' ' or " chief." They received this name because they
are the only foodstuffs which contain nitrogen and so are
essential for building and repairing body tissue, for this
also contains nitrogen. Besides nitrogen, they contain
oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon, as well as other elements,
such as sulphur and phosphorus, in smaller quantities.
Meats, eggs and milk provide us with large amounts of
animal protein. Protein is also found in our vegetable
foods, — most of the nuts, some of the grains, and a few
vegetables containing appreciable amounts.
The carbohydrate group receives its name because all
the compounds in this class are composed of carbon, and
of hydrogen and oxygen which are usually in the same pro-
THE AMOUNT OF FOOD NECESSARY 153
portion as in water. Starch, cellulose, and sugar, as well
as pectin and dextrine, are all members of this group.
The fats contain only the three elements which are found
in the carbohydrates, but they are present in quite differ-
ent proportions. Oils are merely fats which are liquid
at ordinary temperatures instead of solid.
As has already been said, the last three classes of foods
act as fuels in the body, supplying it with energy. The
energy which is thus supplied is the sole source of the
energy of the body. It is used not only for maintaining
the temperature, but for all muscular movement as well.
It is, then, a matter of great moment, not only that the
body should be supplied with enough protein for building
material, but that it should also be supplied with enough
energy. At first thought it might seem as if proteins
could be used entirely for both these purposes and fats and
carbohydrates omitted from the diet, but there is every
reason to believe that the results would be bad, for a
number of causes, one of which is that this would furnish
the body with a great excess of nitrogen.
It is easy to see that enough energy must be furnished,
but what is "enough" and how is the amount to be deter-
mined? This can be done by measuring the energy
needed by the body, and the amount of energy supplied
by various foodstuffs.
While energy may be measured in a variety of ways, for
example, as work, measured in foot-pounds, or as light,
measured in candle power, the energy value of foods is
measured as heat in calories. The unit of measurement,
the calorie, is the amount of heat necessary to raise the
temperature of a kilogram (about a quart) of water one
degree Centigrade, or it may be expressed as about the
amount of heat that would raise the temperature of a
pound of water four degrees Fahrenheit.
154 FOOD STUDY
Food study
1917Page 77
Presented as published in 1917. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
~ The proteins get their name from a word which means " first ' ' or " chief." They received this name because they are the only foodstuffs which contain nitrogen and so are essential for building and repairing body tissue, for this also contains nitrogen. Besides nitrogen, they contain oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon, as well as other elements, such as sulphur and phosphorus, in smaller quantities. Meats, eggs and milk provide us with large amounts of animal protein. Protein is also found in our vegetable foods, — most of the nuts, some of the grains, and a few vegetables containing appreciable amounts.
The carbohydrate group receives its name because all the compounds in this class are composed of carbon, and of hydrogen and oxygen which are usually in the same pro-
portion as in water. Starch, cellulose, and sugar, as well as pectin and dextrine, are all members of this group.
The fats contain only the three elements which are found in the carbohydrates, but they are present in quite different proportions. Oils are merely fats which are liquid at ordinary temperatures instead of solid.
As has already been said, the last three classes of foods act as fuels in the body, supplying it with energy. The energy which is thus supplied is the sole source of the energy of the body. It is used not only for maintaining the temperature, but for all muscular movement as well. It is, then, a matter of great moment, not only that the body should be supplied with enough protein for building material, but that it should also be supplied with enough energy. At first thought it might seem as if proteins could be used entirely for both these purposes and fats and carbohydrates omitted from the diet, but there is every reason to believe that the results would be bad, for a number of causes, one of which is that this would furnish the body with a great excess of nitrogen.
It is easy to see that enough energy must be furnished, but what is "enough" and how is the amount to be determined? This can be done by measuring the energy needed by the body, and the amount of energy supplied by various foodstuffs.
While energy may be measured in a variety of ways, for example, as work, measured in foot-pounds, or as light, measured in candle power, the energy value of foods is measured as heat in calories. The unit of measurement, the calorie, is the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of a kilogram (about a quart) of water one degree Centigrade, or it may be expressed as about the amount of heat that would raise the temperature of a pound of water four degrees Fahrenheit.