As mentioned before, the fuel for the body consists of _fats, starches,
and sugar_, which, in combination with oxygen, create force. The
combination of oxygen with other elements in the body is known as
oxidation. This oxidation liberates heat and at the same instant
produces energy, either in muscle, gland or nerve. The muscular energy
expresses itself in muscular motion, the glandular in chemical action,
and the nervous in nervous energy. The nervous energy is closely allied
to electrical force.
The _starches_ come largely from cereals and root vegetables; the
_sugars_ largely from cane, from certain trees, and from vegetables,
fruit, and milk; the _fats_ come from vegetable oils, from animal fat,
as fat, and some from milk and butter. Some fats are also formed from
proteins.
From the above, it follows that the fuel value of food depends upon the
amount of fats, starches, and sugars contained.
The exact process of the conversion of the potential energy latent
in food into heat and energy is not known. It is partly released
during the digestive process, as the elements of the food come into
contact with the oxygen swallowed and with the digestive juices. This
combustion gives to the digestive organs the necessary warmth for their
effective work. Digestive juices will not flow freely when the body is
cold. The heat liberated during the digestive process is necessary,
also, to put the elements of the food into condition for absorption, a
certain amount of heat being required for the chemical changes. This
liberated energy is expressed, not alone in the chemical formation
of the compounds, but in the peristaltic movements of the digestive
organs.
A small portion of the heat of the body is gained from the sun or
from artificial heat, but by far the greater part is generated within
the body. If one is cold, the quickest way to get warm is to generate
more heat within by “turning on the draught”, or, in other words, by
breathing in more oxygen. So many people cover up the body with more
clothing to reserve the body heat and forget to generate more heat by
arousing the fires within. This is like covering up a dying fire to
reserve the heat, instead of turning on the draught to create more
combustion.
Nature provides for a reserve of heat and energy, above the immediate
needs, by storing up a supply which is called into use whenever
the daily supply is inadequate. Many hibernating animals store up
sufficient fat in summer to provide heat for the entire winter. This
fat would not last the winter, however, were the animal active. Many
individuals store up excess of fat sufficient to last them for months,
even though all fat building elements be omitted from the diet.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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