Why? The Science of Athletics

FOOD, FADS AND FACTS The water content has been mentioned, and while this is very high, as we shall see in a moment, it serves a par– ticularly useful purpose where athletes are concerned, since they often suffer from thirst, and the water contained in fruit is a convenient means of assisting the replacement of body fluid wastage. The water content in the general composition of fresh fruit is 85 to go per cent, then there is protein o· 5 per cent, fat o· 5 per cent, carbohydrates 5 I 12 to Io I I 2 per cent, cellulose 2 I I 2 per cent, and mineral matter O· 5 per cent. Constituents vary as much as in.the case of the strawberry, go·3 per cent water, I per cent protein, o·6 mineral matter, carbohydrates 5·3 per cent; to the banana, 75 per cent wa~er, I ·3 per cent protein, o·8 mineral matter, and 22 per cent ·carbohydrates. To understand anything about what the Flour, Bread athlete should, or should not, eat in the way and Pastry of bread, pastry, and cake, it is necessary to get down to the fundamental foundation of all three, which is flour. Otherwise we cannot deter– mine the food value or the suitability for the diet of the athlete. If a grain of· wheat is examined under a low-power microscope, the germ will be seen at the base of the grain. This is the young plant, very rich in gluten, the flesh-form– ing protein, and fat. The central part of the grain is the endosperm, which contains a high percentage of starch. Then there is the outer casing of bran which comprises cellulose and a preponderance of mineral matter. The proportions of gluten and starch vary in different wheats, and different grades of flour are obtained by breaking the whole grain up in the process of milling, and then, by mechanical sifting, blending in various propor– tions to produce different grades of flour. The two chief classes are the ordinary households and the patents, or pastry whites. The pastry flours are poor in gluten but rich in starch, whereas the household flour contains more gluten and so is more nourishing. Wholemeal flour and bread have a considerably higher food value, and may be