83. COMPOSITION OF OYSTERS.--Oysters occupy a prominent place among
animal foods, because they are comparatively high in protein. In
addition, they contain a substance that most flesh foods lack in any
quantity, namely, carbohydrate in the form of glycogen, and for this
reason are said to resemble milk closely in composition. A comparison
of the following figures will show how these foods resemble each other:
WATER PROTEIN FAT CARBOHYDRATE MINERAL SALTS
Milk......... 87.0 3.3 4.0 5.0 .7
Oysters...... 86.9 6.2 1.2 3.7 2.0
Oysters, as will be observed, contain only a small quantity of fat, and
for this reason their total food value is somewhat lower than that of
milk. A pint of milk has a value of 325 calories, while the same
quantity of oysters has an approximate value of only 250 calories.
Because of the difference in the cost of these two foods, oysters
costing several times as much as milk, the use of oysters is not so
cheap a way of supplying food material.
84. DIGESTIBILITY OF OYSTERS.--When merely the ability of the digestive
tract to handle oysters is taken into consideration, they are said to be
easily digested if they are served raw or are properly prepared. This is
due to the fact that when taken as a food they are disposed of in a
comparatively short time by the stomach.
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