| Cereal is the name given to those seeds used | | | | use the grains, that they do not agree with |
| as food (wheat, rye, oats, barley, corn, | | | | them. With all deference to the opinion of |
| rice, etc.), which are produced by plants | | | | such people, it may be stated that the |
| belonging to the vast order known as the | | | | difficulty often lies in the fact that the |
| grass family. They are used for food both in | | | | grain was either not properly cooked, not |
| the unground state and in various forms of | | | | properly eaten, or not properly accompanied. |
| mill products. | | | | A grain, simply because it is a grain, is by |
| | | | no means warranted to faithfully fulfil its |
| The grains are pre-eminently nutritious, and | | | | mission unless properly treated. Like many |
| when well prepared, easily digested foods. In | | | | another good thing excellent in itself, if |
| composition they are all similar, but | | | | found in bad company, it is prone to create |
| variations in their constituent elements and | | | | mischief, and in many cases the root of the |
| the relative amounts of these various | | | | whole difficulty may be found in the |
| elements, give them different degrees of | | | | excessive amount of sugar used with the |
| alimentary value. They each contain one or | | | | grain. |
| more of the nitrogenous elements, gluten, | | | | |
| albumen, caseine, and fibrin, together with | | | | Sugar is not needed with grains to increase |
| starch, dextrine, sugar, and fatty matter, | | | | their alimentary value. The starch which |
| and also mineral elements and woody matter, | | | | constitutes a large proportion of their food |
| or cellulose. The combined nutritive value of | | | | elements must itself be converted into sugar |
| the grain foods is nearly three times that of | | | | by the digestive processes before |
| beef, mutton, or poultry. As regards the | | | | assimilation, hence the addition of cane |
| proportion of the food elements necessary to | | | | sugar only increases the burden of the |
| meet the various requirements of the system, | | | | digestive organs, for the pleasure of the |
| grains approach more nearly the proper | | | | palate. The Asiatics, who subsist largely |
| standard than most other foods; indeed, wheat | | | | upon rice, use no sugar upon it, and why |
| contains exactly the correct proportion of | | | | should it be considered requisite for the |
| the food elements. | | | | enjoyment of wheat, rye, oatmeal, barley, and |
| | | | other grains, any more than it is for our |
| Being thus in themselves so nearly perfect | | | | enjoyment of bread or other articles made |
| foods, and when properly prepared, | | | | from these same grains? Undoubtedly the use |
| exceedingly palatable and easy of digestion, | | | | of grains would become more universal if they |
| it is a matter of surprise that they are not | | | | were served with less or no sugar. The |
| more generally used; yet scarcely one family | | | | continued use of sugar upon grains has a |
| in fifty makes any use of the grains, save in | | | | tendency to cloy the appetite, just as the |
| the form of flour, or an occasional dish of | | | | constant use of cake or sweetened bread in |
| rice or oatmeal. This use of grains is far | | | | the place of ordinary bread would do. Plenty |
| too meager to adequately represent their | | | | of nice, sweet cream or fruit juice, is a |
| value as an article of diet. Variety in the | | | | sufficient dressing, and there are few |
| use of grains is as necessary as in the use | | | | persons who after a short trial would not |
| of other food material, and the numerous | | | | come to enjoy the grains without sugar, and |
| grain preparations now to be found in market | | | | would then as soon think of dispensing with a |
| render it quite possible to make this class | | | | meal altogether as to dispense with the |
| of foods a staple article of diet, if so | | | | grains. |
| desired, without their becoming at all | | | | |
| monotonous. | | | | Even when served without sugar, the grains |
| | | | may not prove altogether healthful unless |
| In olden times the grains were largely | | | | they are properly eaten. Because they are |
| depended upon as a staple food, and it is a | | | | made soft by the process of cooking and on |
| fact well authenticated by history that the | | | | this account do not require masticating to |
| highest condition of man has always been | | | | break them up, the first process of digestion |
| associated with wheat-consuming nations. The | | | | or insalivation is usually overlooked. But it |
| ancient Spartans, whose powers of endurance | | | | must be remembered that grains are largely |
| are proverbial, were fed on a grain diet, and | | | | composed of starch, and that starch must be |
| the Roman soldiers who under Caesar conquered | | | | mixed with the saliva, or it will remain |
| the world, carried each a bag of parched | | | | undigested in the stomach, since the gastric |
| grain in his pocket as his daily ration. | | | | juice only digests the nitrogenous elements. |
| | | | For this reason it is desirable to eat the |
| Other nationalities at the present time make | | | | grains in connection with some hard food. |
| extensive use of the various grains. Rice | | | | Whole-wheat wafers, nicely toasted to make |
| used in connection with some of the | | | | them crisp and tender, toasted rolls, and |
| leguminous seeds, forms the staple article of | | | | unfermented zwieback, are excellent for this |
| diet for a large proportion of the human | | | | purpose. Break two or three wafers into |
| race. Rice, unlike the other grain foods, is | | | | rather small pieces over each individual dish |
| deficient in the nitrogenous elements, and | | | | before pouring on the cream. In this way, a |
| for this reason its use needs to be | | | | morsel of the hard food may be taken with |
| supplemented by other articles containing an | | | | each spoonful of the grains. The combination |
| excess of the nitrogenous material. It is for | | | | of foods thus secured, is most pleasing. This |
| this reason, doubtless, that the Chinese eat | | | | is a specially advantageous method of serving |
| peas and beans in connection with rice. | | | | grains for children, who are so liable to |
| | | | swallow their food without proper |
| We frequently meet people who say they cannot | | | | mastication. |