Eat only one concentrated albuminous food at a meal. If you have meat, take no fish, eggs, nuts or cheese. CHAPTER XI. NUTS. ==================================================================== Pro- Carbohy- Calories Water tein Fat drates Ash per lb. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Acorns 4.1 8.1 37.4 48.0 2.4 2718 Almonds 4.8 21.0 54.9 17.3 2.0 3030 Brazil nuts 5.3 17.0 66.8 7.0 3.9 3329 Filberts 3.7 15.6 65.3 13.0 2.4 3432 Hickory nuts 3.7 15.4 67.4 11.4 2.1 3495 Pecans 3.0 11.0 71.2 13.3 1.5 3633 English walnuts 2.8 16.7 64.4 14.8 1.3 3305 Chestnuts, dried 5.9 10.7 7.0 74.2 2.2 1875 Butternuts 4.5 27.9 61.2 3.4 3.0 3371 Cocoanuts 14.1 5.7 50.6 27.9 1.7 2986 Pistachio nuts 4.2 22.6 54.5 15.6 3.1 3010 Peanuts, roasted 1.6 30.5 49.2 16.2 2.5 3177 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Nuts vary a great deal in composition. They are generally the seeds of trees, enclosed in shells, but other substances are also called nuts. The representative nuts are rich in fat and protein, containing some carbohydrate (sugar or starch.) A few nuts, such as the acorn, cocoanut and chestnut, are very rich in starch, and these should be classified as starchy foods. Very few foods contain as high per cent of starch as the dry chestnut. In southern Europe chestnuts are made into flour, and this is made into bread or cakes. An inferior bread is also made of acorn flour. Chestnuts may be boiled or roasted. They are very nutritious. The more representative nuts are pecans, filberts, Brazil nuts and walnuts. These may be used in place of flesh foods, for they furnish both protein and fats. If the kernel is surrounded by a tough membrane, as is the case in walnuts and almonds, it should be blanched, which consists in putting the kernel in very hot water for a little while and then removing this membrane. The pecan, though it does not contain very much protein, is one of the best nuts, one which can be eaten often without producing dislike. Nuts have the reputation of being hard to digest. If they are not well masticated they are very hard to digest indeed, but when they are well masticated they digest almost as completely as do flesh foods and they produce no digestive troubles.