Those low in total food value contain, as a rule, larger
quantities of it than those high in food value. This is due to the fact
that both water and cellulose, which are usually found together in large
quantities, help to detract from the fuel, or food, value of foods.
Very young persons or those who are ill sometimes find it impossible to
take in its original form a vegetable that contains a large amount of
bulk, or cellulose. In such a case, the vegetable may be put through a
colander or a sieve in order to break up the cellulose and make it
easier to digest. Under ordinary conditions, cellulose should not be
avoided, but should be included in large quantities in the diet through
the vegetables that are consumed daily.
17. WATER IN VEGETABLES.--The majority of vegetables contain a large
quantity of water. Such vegetables as lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes,
etc., which are low in total food value, contain the most water, the
average percentage being about 95. The dry vegetables, which are high in
food value, average only about 10 per cent. of water. The water that is
found in vegetables, whether it is much or little, is contained in
cell-like structures surrounded by cellulose, and it holds in solution
the mineral salts and much of the nutriment of the vegetables. In
addition, the water holds in solution to a certain extent the material
that gives vegetables their distinctive flavor. When any of this water
is lost in the preparation of vegetables, the substances that it
contains are also lost.
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