——————————————+————————+————————+————————+————————+————————+—————————— | | | | Carbo- | |Food Value | Water |Protein | Fat |hydrates| Ash |per pound Food Materials|Per Cent|Per Cent|Per Cent|Per Cent|Per Cent| Calories ——————————————+————————+————————+————————+————————+————————+—————————— Sweet Potatoes| 69.4 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 26.2 | 2.6 | 440 White Potatoes| 75.0 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 22.0 | 0.7 | 295 Parsnips | 64.4 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 10.8 | 1.1 | 230 Onions | 86.0 | 1.9 | 0.1 | 11.3 | 0.7 | 225 Beets | 87.0 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 7.3 | 0.7 | 160 Carrots | 88.2 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 8.2 | 6.0 | 210 Turnips | 92.7 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 120 * * * * * =Potatoes.= It will be noted from the above table that sweet potatoes have a larger percentage of carbohydrates, hence they produce more heat and energy, than any other vegetable; next to the sweet potato, the Irish potato. In the above table, the skins of the vegetables are included, and while the white potato contains two per cent protein, this is almost all located in a very thin layer immediately beneath the skin, so that when the potato is peeled in the ordinary way, the protein is removed. This holds true in many vegetables. They lose their distinctive flavor, as well as their value as tissue building foods, when the skins are removed. In baking a potato, the outer skin is readily separated from a less perceptible covering containing the protein, and this second skin should be eaten to get the full value and flavor. In the white potato, of the twenty-two per cent carbohydrates three and two-tenths per cent is sugar and eighteen and eight-tenths per cent is starch. In the sweet potato, ten and two-tenths per cent is sugar and sixteen per cent is starch. Since sugar digests more quickly than starch, the sweet potato digests more quickly than the white. Because of the large per cent or carbohydrates in each, it is a mistake to serve these two vegetables at the same meal. For the same reason, bread and potatoes should not be eaten, to any extent, at the same meal, unless by one who is doing heavy manual labor, requiring much energy. * * * * *