About the richest food that can be found in all the products used by man is unquestionably nut meats. It is a general impression that these foods are very difficult to digest, and in fact the average individual will warn you against their use for the reason that they are almost sure to cause indigestion. When they are eaten as is usual this result occurs in many instances. Most any other food element, if eaten in the same way, would produce similar results. The general opinion is that nuts are a delicacy which should not be indulged during a meal, but at odd times whenever the appetite may desire them. As stated in a previous chapter, this habit of "piecing" between meals is productive of evil results in every case, and it applies with equal if not more force to rich food like that furnished by nut meats.

NUTS.

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Nuts should be eaten during the meal just the same as any other food, and the necessity for thorough mastication cannot be too strongly emphasized. Every mouthful should be chewed until it is an actual liquid, and if this is followed in every case, and the nuts are eaten as a part of your meal and at the time you are usually in the habit of eating, there will be little or no difficulty in digesting them.

The enormous activity manifested by those animals that live almost exclusively on nuts is ample evidence of their nourishing qualities. For instance, take a squirrel which has been able to secure an ample store of nuts, you will find him usually fat and sleek and capable of activity which hardly a single animal can equal. He will jump from tree to tree when the distance is as great or greater than the longest leap ever made by man. If they are being pursued it is not at all infrequent for them to jump from the top of a high tree to the ground, light on their feet, and run away, apparently not in the least affected by leaping from such a great height.

I am personally acquainted with a man who subsisted for many months exclusively on a nut and fruit diet, and he maintained that it was satisfactory in every respect. He stated that his usual habit was to eat twice a day, and the first part of his meal was usually a half-pound of shelled pecans or walnuts, after which he would eat whatever fruit he might desire. He stated that though when beginning this diet he was suffering from a complication of complaints, that it was continued but a short time before all these weaknesses disappeared absolutely.

The analyses furnished herewith indicate percentage of the various elements which these nuts contain. In all analysis previous to this I have combined the starch and fats as they are practically for similar purposes, though all hygienists claim that fat is more easily assimilated than starch or sugar. Nuts contain such a large quantity of pure fat or oil, whichever it may be termed, that I have separated it from the starch that my readers may see how rich nuts are in this particular element. The average reader will no doubt be surprised upon perusing this list, to note the large quantity of muscle-making elements furnished by peanuts. They are also very rich in fats and consequently are a very valuable food to nourish the body under conditions of hard mental or physical work.

Of course in selecting nuts for your own particular use it is well for you to consult your appetite entirely, though if you are aware of the different elements of these different nuts, and also realizing your particular needs, this will unquestionably to a certain extent influence your appetite.