In the above diet list we have a variety of foods, which variety is of great importance. It is very advantageous, according to our observation, to append to this diet some milk, carbohydrates, fat, green vegetables, and fruit, with the exclusion of meat. This we may do, especially if the weather is warm in spring, summer, or early autumn; but in winter the above diet with meat should be taken. It would be an excellent thing to take these two diets in alternating periods. Much will depend upon the tastes of each person, and the special indications which we give later on in their respective chapters. When no meat is eaten, then at least 1½ to 2 liters of rich milk should be taken, and some cream cheese. After these general remarks on food we will treat of the merits and drawbacks of the various kinds of food. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER XXXV. ON PROTEID FOOD, ANIMAL FOOD, MEAT, FISH, EGGS, MILK, ETC. MEAT is the commonest animal food, is the most nutritious, and most closely resembles in its composition our own bodily tissues. Because the albumin of meat is much better absorbed than any other kind of albumin, such food can replace wasted body elements in a shorter time than can any other kind of nutriment. Even the albumin of milk leaves more residue than that of meat. From this latter, therefore, is derived the most benefit during the period of bodily growth, or in the other conditions above mentioned; but it will not be so efficacious in those whose growth is already finished, or whose body tissues are wasted by disease or by other demands on them. Meat contains very valuable nutritive elements, such as large quantities of proteids and fat, but very little carbohydrates; also various important salts, such as chlorides, phosphates, and carbonate of potassium. Meat also contains iron, the largest amount being found in the blood of pigs. We can estimate the nutritive value of different kinds of meat from the following table; according to Professor Rubner,[263] each 100 parts contain:— ────────────┬──────────┬──────┬────────── Food. │ Albumin. │ Fat. │Calories. ────────────┼──────────┼──────┼────────── Lean beef │ 20.6 │ 1.5 │ 98 Fat beef │ 16.9 │ 27.2 │ 327 Fat pork │ 14.5 │ 37.3 │ 406 Lean pork │ 19.9 │ 6.8 │ 145 Lean veal │ 19.8 │ 0.8 │ 89 Fat veal │ 18.9 │ 7.4 │ 146 Fat chicken │ 18.5 │ 9.3 │ 162 Hare │ 23.3 │ 1.1 │ 106 Herring │ 10.1 │ 7.1 │ 107 Bacon │ │ 95.3 │ 886 ────────────┴──────────┴──────┴────────── Footnote 263: Rubner: “Physiologie der Nahrung und der Ernährungtherapie,” Leipzig, 1897.