The question may be asked with reason: “Why do we eat green vegetables?” They contain only about four per cent. nutriment, as will be seen in Table II, and are mostly made up of water and pulp. It will be noted that they are distinctly lacking in protein and in carbohydrates; hence, they have little food value. Some of them, however, contain acids which tend to increase the alkalinity of the blood, and salts which are needed by the system. Their merit lies in the fact that they have distinct flavors and thus whet the appetite. Another reason why green vegetables are thoroughly enjoyed is because they come in the spring, when the appetite is a little surfeited with the winter foods. They are diuretic, helping the kidneys and the skin to rid the system of waste. Because of their bulk of waste they are useful in constipation as they act as a stimulus to the peristaltic action of the bowels; thus they are more laxative to the intestines than the root vegetables, partly because of the salts which they contain and partly because of the undigested vegetable fiber. This vegetable fiber, being coarse, assists in cleansing the mucous lining of the stomach and intestines. They are diuretic and, if for no other reason than for this cleansing of the kidneys, and to make the stomach and intestines more efficient, the use of green vegetables is to be commended, and it is well to eat freely of them. TABLE II GREEN VEGETABLES —————————+—————+—————————+—————+—————————+———————+—————————+————————— |Water|Nitro- | Fat |Carbo- |Mineral|Cellulose| Fuel FOOD | per |genous | per |hydrates |Matter |per cent.|Value per MATERIALS|cent.|Matter |cent.|per cent.| per | | pound | |per cent.| | | cent. | |Calories —————————+—————+—————————+—————+—————————+———————+—————————+————————— Cabbage |89.6 | 1.80 | 0.4 | 5.8 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 165 Spinach |90.6 | 2.50 | 0.5 | 3.8 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 120 Vegetable| | | | | | | Marrow |94.8 | 0.06 | 0.2 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 120 Tomatoes |91.9 | 1.30 | 0.2 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 105 Lettuce |94.1 | 1.40 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 105 Celery |93.4 | 1.40 | 0.1 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 85 Rhubarb |94.6 | 0.70 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 105 Water | | | | | | | Cress |93.1 | 0.70 | 0.5 | 8.7 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 110 Cucumbers|95.9 | 0.80 | 0.1 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 10 Asparagus|91.7 | 2.20 | 0.2 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 110 Brussels | | | | | | | Sprouts |93.7 | 1.50 | 0.1 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 95 Beans | | | | | | | (string)| 8.92| 2.3 | 0.3 | 7.4 | 0.8 | 7.0 | 195