Quotation from: General Science

Written by: Bertha M. Clark


56. Fuel Value. By fuel value is meant the capacity foods have for
yielding heat to the body. The fuel value of the foods we eat daily is
so important a factor in life that physicians, dietitians, nurses,
and those having the care of institutional cooking acquaint themselves
with the relative fuel values of practically all of the important food
substances. The life or death of a patient may be determined by the
patient's diet, and the working and earning capacity of a father
depends largely upon his prosaic three meals. An ounce of fat, whether
it is the fat of meat or the fat of olive oil or the fat of any other
food, produces in the body two and a quarter times as much heat as an
ounce of starch. Of the vegetables, beans provide the greatest
nourishment at the least cost, and to a large extent may be
substituted for meat. It is not uncommon to find an outdoor laborer
consuming one pound of beans per day, and taking meat only on "high
days and holidays."

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