Foods of this group are familiar to all and are in constant use. They yield energy to the body, but do not build tissue. Starch is one of them, and is the same substance chemically whether found in the potato or in wheat, in cornstarch or in tapioca, the difference being merely a matter of refining. Foods containing starch - breadstuff's and cereals - make up a larger part of our diet than any one other food; and rightly so, since they are of vegetable origin and are less expensive than meat. They are also less costly to the nation as a whole; because it is better economy to obtain our food from the vegetable kingdom direct than to feed it to animals and then eat the flesh of the animal. Care, however, should be exercised not to have too much starchy food in the diet. It should never make up more than one third of the total bulk, and it should be used with a larger quantity of fruits and vegetables than many housekeepers are in the habit of serving. This will be more fully explained in a later chapter.

Other familiar carbohydrates are the sugars. These vary somewhat one from another chemically, but those obtained from the cane, the beet, and the maple-tree are all the same. Others are found in fruits and help to give this class of foods their value in the diet. Sugar should be looked upon as a valuable food, but should be used in its proper place with intelligence. It will be discussed more fully in chapter xiii (Food Accessories Beverages And Condiments).

There is yet another substance which comes under this head of carbohydrates, although it is not a food proper in that it does not nourish the body. This is the substance which makes up the basic structure of all vegetation and is known as woody fiber, or cellulose. It has its function to play in the diet in the form of bulk, without which the diet becomes too concentrated and binding. If it is not sufficiently plentiful in the form of fruits and vegetables, it must sometimes be introduced by bran muffins and coarse breadstuffs. The tendency is for our diet to be too refined, and this is the chief cause of the great American trouble, constipation. For this reason, if not for any other, it would be well for all of us to return to the coarsely ground meals and flours more in use in the days of our grandmothers.

Starch

Sugars

Woody fiber