[Illustration: FIG. 101.--BLACKBOARD DIAGRAM. Amount of nourishment (black) and waste (white) in several foods. (After Latson.)] =The Order in which Man increased his Bill of Fare.=--Flesh-eating animals have a short food tube, as their food is digested quickly; they have long, pointed teeth for tearing, sharp claws for holding, and a rough tongue for rasping meat from the bones. Man’s even teeth, long food tube, soft and smooth tongue, and flattened nails, indicate that he is suited for a diet largely vegetable (see Table, p. 111). _The race at first probably ate tree fruits_,[8] both nuts and fleshy fruits (Fig. 101). Because of famine, or after migration to colder climates, and after learning the use of fire, the race probably began to use flesh for food. Afterward the hunters became farmers and learned to cultivate grain, which formed a most important addition to the food supply, and made possible a dense population. Coarse, woody foods, like the leaves and stems of herbs, were probably added last of all. Woody fiber (cellulose) can be digested by cattle, but it cannot be digested by man. [8] See Genesis i. 29. Some raw food should be eaten daily. Pecans are the most digestible of all nuts. A half dozen or more eaten regularly for breakfast will prevent constipation or cure it in ten days or less. =The Natural Guide in Eating is Taste.= Man should preserve his taste uncorrupted as, next to his conscience, his wisest counselor and friend. It has been developed and transmitted through countless ages as a precious heritage. Simple food is more delicious to people with natural tastes than the most artificial concoctions are to those with perverted taste. =Animal Food.=--The _flesh_ of animals furnishes proteid and fat (Fig. 102). As cooking coagulates and hardens albumin, raw or half-cooked meat is said to be more digestible than cooked meat; but meat that is not thoroughly cooked is dangerous because it may contain trichinæ (“Animal Biology,” p. 50) and other parasites. Lean meats contain much proteid. Some persons who cannot easily digest starch and sugar because of fermentation eat fat for a fuel food. _Beef tea_ and beef extracts contain but a small part of the proteid in meat and all of the waste matter, including urea. [Illustration: FIG. 102.--DIAGRAM SHOWING CUTS OF BEEF. 1. sirloin 2. loin 3. rump 4. round 5. top sirloin 6. prime ribs 7. blade 8. chuck 9. neck 10. brisket 11. cross-rib 12. plate 13. navel 14. flank 15. shoulder 16. leg]