The carbonaceous foods furnish the elements that produce fat. The human body, and in fact, the bodies of all animals, are from one standpoint only storage batteries. In an electric battery the power stored is electricity. The element of power that can be stored in the body is fat. Fat is to an animal body, human or otherwise, what electricity is to a storage battery. It is nothing more than stored up power. A person overburdened with fat has no excuse for being hungry for foods of a fattening nature. In fact it is really doubtful if he has any excuse for being hungry at all, for when a large amount of fat has accumulated, in nearly every case such a person could fast for several weeks with actual benefit to body and mind. The bear accumulates enough fat in the summer to enable him to go without food all winter, and any animal by acquiring similar fasting habits could perform similar feats of fasting.

All fattening foods produce energy and maintain the body at a proper temperature. Whenever these foods are supplied beyond the actual needs of the body, under perfectly normal conditions, a large amount of the surplus is deposited in the form of fat. A certain amount of fat is healthful and is useful to round out to greater symmetry all parts of the body, but when it is allowed to accumulate beyond this, it produces in time a weakened condition that causes the body to become easy prey for all sorts of diseases. Every effort of brain or muscle consumes a certain amount of fat in the blood.

Under the head of "Starch, Fat, Etc.," I have included with fat, all starch, sugar, and food elements of this character. As I consider that the fiber performs an important purpose in assisting towards the proper digestion of foods I have given a little more importance to this particular element than have the Agriculture Department in the original analyses.