The Chemistry of Food and Nutrition

The Chemistry of Food and Nutrition is by A. W. Duncan. The preface says only by conciseness has it been possible to give even a summary of the principles of dietetics within the limit of this pamphlet. The text says the carbohydrates comprise starch, sugar, gum, mucilage, pectose and glycogen, and that starch is insoluble in water but, when cooked, is readily digested and absorbed by the body.

The text says properly cooked foods are so rich in sodium chloride and other salts that the addition of common salt is unnecessary, and that an excess of the latter excites thirst and spoils the natural flavour of the food. Professor Jaffa reports that all the subjects appeared decidedly under-nourished, even allowing for their light weight, yet the two adults have lived upon this diet for seven years and think they are in better health and capable of more work than they ever were before. The text says condiments are the cause of much over-eating.