Potatoes Rice Hominy Hominy grits

Italian pastes in general, as vermicelli, macaroni, spaghetti Chestnuts Sweet potatoes

Yams

Tapico

Sago

Cassava

Arrowroot

Tous-les-mois

Taro

Starchy vegetables belong to the carbohydrates, are fat formers and heat and energy producers. The primary digestion of all starchy foods is in the mouth; thorough mastication aids the final digestion in the small intestines.

Potatoes (Solatium Tuberosum, Linnaeus). Composition Of Potatoes (Church)

Water ......................................... 75.0

Albuminoids ................................... 1.2

Extractives, as solanin and organic acids ...... 1.5

Starch ......................................... 18.0

Dextrin and pectose ........................... 2.0

Fat............................................ 0.3

Cellulose ....................................... 1.0

Mineral matter ................................. 1.0

The portion of the potato plant used as food constitutes an enlarged or gorged underground stem, and is the storehouse for the nourishment of the young plant. Many varieties are grown in this country, which are all cooked more or less alike. For the sick, invalids and children, use only full-grown ripe potatoes; those very young or very old are apt to provoke indigestion.

The water in which potatoes are boiled must be thrown away; it is usually unsafe for food.

Pare the potatoes very sparingly, as both nourishment and mineral matter are in greater proportion near the skin.

As the flavor of potatoes is due to the mineral matter, they are more tasty when boiled in their "jackets." Carefully-cooked potatoes make a good, easily-digested starchy food. The amount of nitrogen is small, but when served with the more nitrogenous foods, old peas, beans, nuts, meats, eggs and milk, help to make a balanced ration. Baked, boiled, mashed and rebaked, they are more easily digested than when cooked with fat. Fried foods are unfit for the well, and should never be used for invalids or children.