It is very evident, therefore, that the person who plans the meals for the family should understand how to select wisely the foods which supply the needs of the human mechanism. Foods are grouped according to their nutritive uses into the following classes: Proteins, Fats, Carbohydrates, Mineral Matters.

Table Of Food Nutrients

Water. Nutrients

Food as Purchased Contains

e. g., flesh of meat, yolk and white of eggs, wheat, flour, etc.

Protein. Fats.

Carbohydrates. Mineral matters.

Refuse.

e. g., bones, entrails, shells, bran, etc.

Uses Of Nutrients In The Body

Protein................

e. g., white (albumen) of eggs, curd (casein) of milk, lean meat, gluten of wheat, etc.

Builds and repairs tissue.

All serve as fuel to yield energy in the forms of heat and muscular power.

Fats...................

e. g., fat of meat, butter, olive oil, oils of corn and wheat, etc.

Are stored as fat........

e. g., sugar, starch, etc.

Are transformed into fat. ,

Mineral Matters (ash) Share in forming bone, assist in digestion, etc. e. g., phosphates of lime, potash, soda, etc.

The Proteins form tissue and muscle for growth and repair. They are found in lean meat, white of eggs, gluten of wheat, curd of milk, beans, peas, etc.

The Fats are either used as fuel foods or stored as fat. Examples are the fat of meats; the oils of corn, peanut, and olive, etc.

The Carbohydrates, such as starch and sugar, are fuel foods.

All three of the above, Protein, Fats, and Carbohydrates, serve as fuel to yield energy in the forms of heat and muscular power.

The Mineral Matters (ash) share in forming bone and in acting as body regulators. They are found in fruits and in many vegetables.

Water enters every tissue, regulates body temperature, and aids in the work accomplished by all other foods.

In planning a day's meals, fuel foods, growth-and-repair foods, and mineral matters should be provided in correct proportion. This subject is further discussed in the chapter on Balanced Rations.