I just pulled out a vegetarian cook book from 1910. There's a long section on nutrition at the back. It says:
In the accompanying tables of food values, ..., the nutritive food elements are classified under four heads: protein, or that which builds muscle and other tissue; fat and carbohydrates, which supply heat and energy; and the ash, or mineral, which contains elements needed to repair bones and nerves. Gluten, found principally in wheat; albumen, in eggs and meat; casein, in milk; fibrin, in flesh; and legumin, in legumes, are proteins. According to scientific research, it has been found that to nourish the body properly it must be supplied with about five times as much of the carbohydrates as of the protein.
This is a matter all should understand, for thus much inconvenience may be avoided.
The table then lists a bunch of foods, with the amount of Refuse (I think that's fiber), Water, Protein, Fat, Carbohydrates, Ash, and "Total Nutritive Value" in each.
Honestly, I think trusting the opposite of whatever all-up-in-your-business-facebook-friend says sounds like the best diet plan ever.
Oh, and the table has two main categories: Animal Food and Vegetable Food. "Vegetables" is a sub-category under Vegetable Food, and beans are listed there. (Though, "Soups" is also a subcategory of Vegetable Food, with Beef Soup listed.)
Chocolate and coffee are both under "Miscellaneous," under Vegetable Food.
Oh, I'd forgotten about this part! Good and bad combinations of foods. Good combinations: Grains and eggs, Grains and vegetables, Grains and fruits, Milk and grains. Bad combinations: Fruit and vegetables, Fats with fruits or vegetables, Milk and meat. There is no explanation given for this.
Honestly, I think trusting the opposite of whatever all-up-in-your-business-facebook-friend says sounds like the best diet plan ever.
She also snottily refers to soda pop as "corn water". (Because it's sweetened with HFCS, get it? And who would be dumb enough to drink "corn water"??? Parents should only give their kids water, but not tap water because OMG it's full of impurities!) (She's a little weird about food.) (To say the least.)
There is no website called isitavegetable. com. I checked.
So, business opportunity, then?
So, business opportunity, then?
Quick! To the nearest domain registrar!
There were two processed meat substitutes available in 1910: Protose and Nuttolene. This cookbook assumes that readers are familiar with both. As far as I've been able to tell from Googling, both were canned, and made from a combination of grains and peanuts. Both were still being produced until just a few years ago (or, at least, something with those names -- I'm sure the recipe changed over the years.) Protose was one of Dr. Kellogg's products.
