A Study in Nutrition

The Reciprocal Relationship of Plants, Animals and Humans

Francis M Pottenger, MD 1901 - 1967

Review by Cedric de Voil

McCarrison Society meeting

Perth Royal Infirmary Saturday 5th October 2002

Introduction

Between 1932 and 1942 Dr Francis Pottenger Jr. conducted a feeding experiment to determine the effects of heat processed food on cats. His study was prompted by the high mortality rate of his laboratory cats undergoing adrenalectomies for the use in standardising the hormone content of adrenal extract that he was making.

In his effort to maximise the preoperative health of his laboratory animals he fed them a diet of market grade raw milk and cooked meat scraps from his sanatorium.  This diet included liver, tripe, sweetbreads, brains, heart and muscle - all considered to be rich in all the important nutritive substances. He was perplexed that his cats were such poor operative risks. He began noticing that the cats showed signs of deficiency. All showed a decrease in their reproductive capacity and many of the kittens born in the laboratory had skeletal deformities and organ malfunctions.

He placed an order at a local meat packing plant for raw meat scraps, including viscera, muscle and bone. These raw meat scraps were fed to a segregated group of cats and within months this group of cats appeared to be in better health than those being fed cooked meat scraps. This prompted him to conduct a controlled experiment.

The book

The book is produced by the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation. There are three sections. The first is about cat nutrition. The second is about human nutrition. The third is about the reciprocal relationship of the health of plants, animals and humans. The Foundation has based the book on Francis Pottenger’s  observations of deficient and optimum nutrition in cats and humans recorded in his articles and clinical records between 1932 and 1956.

One of the criticisms of his work is that experimental work done on cat nutrition has no appropriate application to human nutrition. Pottenger never stated that a one-to-one comparison could be made between his findings in cat nutrition and his findings in human nutrition. He did say ÒWhile no attempt will be made to correlate the changes in the animals studied with malformations found in humans, the similarity is so obvious that parallel pictures will suggest themselves.

Conditions and details of the studies.

All animals were subject to the same routine procedures. All had clinical charts and notes kept throughout life. Kittens born dead were subject to autopsy. Naked eye and microscopic abnormalities were recorded. X-rays were made of some cats to study the effects of various experimental diets. Over 10 years 600 out of 900 had complete recorded health histories.

Definitions

Optimum diet: This refers to a diet of raw food, including raw milk, raw meat and cod liver oil.

Deficient diet: This is a diet including one or more cooked foods plus cod liver oil.

Normal cats: These are cats born of healthy parents and are maintained on an optimum diet of raw food. They are the control cats use for comparison with  deficient and regenerating cats.

Deficient cats: First generation. These are either mature cats donated to the study  or mature cats born of experimental cats raised on an optimum diet. These cats are placed on a deficient diet including cooked food.

Second generation: These cats are kittens born to first deficient generation mothers eating a deficient diet prior and during gestation. At the end of nursing these cats are maintained on a deficient diet.

Third generation: These cats are the kittens of the second generation deficient cats.

Regenerating cats: Regeneration of the first order. When a female cat of the first generation deficient group is placed back on an optimum raw diet after giving birth to a deficient litter, her next kittens, benefiting from the improved diet are regenerating kittens of the first order.

Second order: These are kittens born to a cat of the second deficient generation and placed on an optimum diet.
NB. There are never more than three generations of deficient cats, because of the third generationÕs inability to produce healthy viable offspring.

Raw  meat versus cooked meat

One group of cats receives 2/3 raw meat, 1/3 raw milk and cod liver oil. The second group receives 2/3 cooked meat, 1/3 raw milk and cod liver oil.

Comparisons are made between the two groups on the basis of growth, skeletal development, dentofacial structures, dental health, calcium and phosphorus content of their femurs, resistance to infections, allergic sensitivity and reproductive capacity.

Raw meat group

These cats show a striking uniformity in size and skeletal development. From generation to generation they maintain a regular broad face with prominent malar and orbital arches, adequate nasal cavities, broad dental arches and regular dentition. No evidence of infection or degenerative change. Tissue tone is excellent and good fur quality. Calcium and phosphorus contents of their femurs remain consistent. Internal organs show full development and normal function. Over their life spans they show resistance to infections (eg pleas and parasites) and show no signs of allergies.

Cooked meat group

The litters produced are heterogeneous. Kittens are different in size and have different skeletal patterns. 2nd and 3rd generations show almost as many patterns as there are animals with regard to facial and dental structures. Long bones tend to increase in length and decrease in diameter, with the hind legs commonly longer than the fore legs. The trabeculation of the bone is coarser and there is evidence of less calcium. In the 3rd generation osteogenisis inperfecta is present.

Heart problems, near and far sightedness, underactive thyroid and inflammation of the thyroid are noted. Infections of the bladder, kidney, liver, testes and ovaries are noted. Arthritis, inflamed joints and nervous system problems also noted.

By the 3rd generation no cats survive beyond the sixth month of life and the strains terminate. Female cats show increased irritability and male cats become docile with a lack of sex drive. Vermin and intestinal parasites abound. Skin lesions and allergies increase progressively from one generation to the next. At autopsy female cats frequently show ovarian atrophy and males show failure of spermatogenesis. Abortion is common - about 25% in first generation and 70% in second generation. The average weight of kittens born is 19 grams less than raw meat nurtured kittens.

Regenerating cats

The time taken to recover their normal health is measured on regenerating cats.  It requires approximately 4 generations to return top a state of normal health. Improvement in resistance to disease is noted in the second generation regenerating cat, but allergic manifestations persist into the third generation.

It is noted that once a female cat is subjected to a deficient diet for a period of 12 to 18 months, her reproductive efficiency is so reduced that she is never ever again able to give birth to normal kittens.

Raw milk versus cooked milk

This feeding experiment involves four groups of cats. One group receives a diet of 2/3 raw milk, 1/3 raw meat and cod liver oil. The other groups receive a diet of either 2/3 pasteurised milk, 2/3 evaporated milk, 2/3 sweetened condensed milk plus 1/3 raw meat and cod liver oil.

The results of this experiment correspond with those of the raw meat versus cooked meat experiment. Cats fed on pasteurised milk as the principal item in their diet show skeletal changes, lessened reproductive activity and their kittens show progressive constitutional and respiratory problems. Cats fed on evaporated milk show even more damage than the pasteurised fed group and the most marked deficiency patterns show with the sweetened condensed milk group.

Variation - metabolised vitamin D milk: In this experiment cats receive vitamin D milk (from cattle fed with irradiated yeast) and raw meat. Young males fed this diet do not live beyond two months and adult males die within ten months. Females are unaffected.

Variation -  raw milk from cows fed dry feed versus raw milk from cows fed fresh feed: Cats fed raw milk from dry feed cows show similar deficiencies as those fed pasteurised milk. Moreover, cats fed cooked meat, milk produced from dry feed cows and cod liver oil always deliver deficient kittens and have difficulty nursing, while cats fed a high grade raw milk from cows in green pasture or from cows fed freshly cut greens, cooked meat and cod liver oil do better.

Variation - guinea pigs fed dry feed and fresh feed: Disease patterns such as diarrhoea, skin problems and central nervous system problems are manifested in a group of guinea pigs initially fed a diet of rolled and cracked grain with supplements of cod liver oil and field dried alfalfa. When fresh green grass is introduced into their diet there is remarkable improvement. Guinea pigs allowed to forage freely show more dramatic improvements.

A possible explanation. The researchers noticed the temperature inside the sacks of cut grass was warmer than the outside temperature.  This varied from 5 to 30 degrees warmer. This suggests that sacked cut grass becomes semi cooked by the time it is fed to the guinea pigs and that important thermolabile substances are partly destroyed.

The effect of raw and cooked food on the dentofacial development of cats

Normal cats: The cats receiving a raw meat, raw milk diet maintain a regular broad face with prominent malar and orbital arches, adequate nasal cavities, broad dental arches and regular dentition from generation to generation. The configuration of the female skull remains distinct from the male skull, and each maintains its normal facial outlines. The mucous membranes are healthy and show no evidence of infection or degenerative change. The teeth erupt without difficulty and remain free from decay.

Deficient cats: First generation. Adult cats placed on a cooked meat or pasteurised milk diet begin to show unhealthy patterns within three to six months. A pregnant cat shows changes more rapidly. These cats get gingivitis, followed by incrustation of salivary calculi which continues to increase whether the cat is maintained on a deficient diet or returned to an optimum diet. As salivary deposits increase their gums become spongy. This leads to infections and abscesses. In three to five years all the incisors and most of the molars are missing.

Second generation: In the second generation of cook fed cats, the newborn kittens show irregular development of the contours of the skull cap and a narrowing of the malar and orbital arches. The latter become incomplete as the deficiency progresses. Most cats show longer and narrower faces with a retraction of the middle third due to diminished development of the zygomatic arch and diminished closure of the frontal sinuses. Failure in the lateral movement of the face causes material narrowing of the mandible and maxillary portions, so that there is insufficient room for a complete set of teeth to descend into place.

Third generation:  The degenerative changes become more pronounced in the third generation of cooked food fed cats. The skull of the third generation cat is materially smaller than that of the second generation cat. The teeth are smaller and more irregular in size, shape and alignment. When the permanent teeth erupt these cats are frequently prostrate.

Kittens in which deficiency is established by an inadequate diet show stigmata thoughout their lives.  If deficient kittens are allowed to live in the open and to feed on rats, mice, birds and other natural foods to the cat they will show a certain amount of correction in their deficiencies.

The effect  of raw and cooked food on the calcium and phosphorus content of bones

The calcium and phosphorus content as well as the weight and size of the femurs of normal and deficient cats are determined at death.

The kittens of mother cats on raw food and on cooked food all prove to have approximately the same amount of calcium and phosphorus at birth. After the first two weeks, a marked depletion of calcium and phosphorus occurs in the kittens. This corresponds to the period of greatest growth. However, within two months, the bones of kittens nurtured on raw food are approaching normal in respect of these salts, while those of the kittens fed on cooked food lag behind. This effect becomes more pronounced in the second and third deficient generations. Kittens on raw food have two to three times more calcium and phosphorus in their bones.

Body and femur weights: Two sets of 20 kittens were maintained on the respective diets of their mothers. The mothers fed on cooked meat are fed this diet for at least six months before conception and throughout pregnancy. The marked superiority of the raw meat nurtured kittens as to weight of body and weight of femur is evident. The average body weight is 1008 grams for the raw meat kittens and 638 grams for the cooked meat kittens. The average femur weight is 4.23 grams for the raw meat kittens and 3.35 grams for the cooked meat kittens.

Calcium and phosphorus: The average calcium content of the raw meat animals is 9.48 percent and 5.53 percent for the cooked meat. The average phosphorus is 4.55 and 2.63 respectively.  The average calcium / phosphorus ratio is 2.08/L for the raw meat kittens and 2.63/L for the cooked meat kittens.

When the experiment was repeated using milk as the test food there were equally profound differences in the bones of the animals.

Bone changes: Deficient cats on cooked meat and heat pr ocessed milk reveal a decrease in the diameter of their bones, while their long bones tend to increase in length. By the third generation these bones are soft like rubber. They fracture easily, though they usually heal. Epiphyseal slips and injuries to the vertebrae are common. The bones of the mandible are also soft and the teeth can be moved easily by the touch of the finger.

The first deficient generation shows trabeculation with the fineness of a silk scarf. The second generation trabeculation is similar to a plain pocket handkerchief. The third generation is like mosquito netting. Just as these three deficient structures vary in their mesh, so they vary in their ability to provide support.

When cats have an excellent calcification though their growing years up to the time of the closure of the epiphyses of the long bones, they have an excellent start in life. Those which show low calcification during their early years of life are less able to stand the usual stresses and strains.

Allergies and thyroid deficiency

Normal cats on a raw food, cod liver oil diet show no evidence of allergy or hypothyroidism. This applies to their offspring for generation after generation. The incidence of these problems corresponds with the introduction of cooked foods.

Allergies: Giving cats cooked meat and milk leads to the development of allergies. They sneeze, wheeze and scratch. They are irritable, nervous and do not purr. First generation allergic cats produce second generation kittens  with greater incidence of allergies. By the third generation it is almost 100%. When second generation allergic animals are bred after being returned to an optimum raw food diet, their allergic symptoms begin to diminish and by the fourth generation, some cats show no evidence of allergy. Milk allergies prove common in second and third generation deficient cats and their regenerating counterparts.

The intestinal tracts of the allergic cats prove remarkable at autopsy. Measurements of the length of the intestinal tract show ch anges from normal cats. In the average normal cat the intestinal tract is 48 inches long. In some of the allergic cats the intestinal length measured between 72 to 80 inches. These elongated tracts lack tissue tone and elasticity.

Hypothyroidism: Thyroid deficiency produces marked disturbances in bone development.  An important physiological factor in determining the bone development of infants, and later in adults, is the potency of the maternal thyroid. A disturbance in thyroid function in the mother and / or her ancestors shows in the anatomy of her young.

Pottenger’s diagnosis of thyroid deficiency in the female cat is based on two things. Firstly, the physical characteristics of her kittens such as prominent frontal area of the skull, small teeth, retracted jaw and failure of the anterior development of the face. Secondly, on pathological examination of the thyroid tissue upon death.

Among nursing mother cats on a raw meat, raw milk diet, there were no incidences of hypothyroidism among the kittens. Among the nursing mother cats on cooked diets there is a significant number of kittens with thyroid deficiency.

A general finding in the cat study is that a correlation can be made between hypothyroidism in deficient cats and their lessened reproductive efficiency. Of the second generation deficient male cats, 83% prove to be functionally sterile on pathological examination. They show no spermatozoa. 53% of the females show under developed and infantile ova.

Comment: Ordinary house cats, living a semi wild life maintain regular features and functions from generation to generation. in contrast, cats which are prevented from hunting, subjected to a life of ease and fed prepared cooked foods show tendencies towards maldevopment.

The elements in raw food which activate and support growth in the young appear easily altered and destroyed by heat processing and oxidation. What are these vital elements? Their nature is not yet known. We know that ordinary cooking denatures protein, rendering them less easily digested. It is p[possible that the alteration of the physiochemical state of foods may be all that is necessary to make them deficient for the maintenance of healthy cats.

Human nutrition

Definition: Nutrition and diet are words with different meanings.

Nutrition means the total of the metabolic processes supporting life, prenatal and postnatal. In the broadest sense, human nutrition depends upon the adequacy of the progenitors, the quality of the food, the climate, the emotional makeup and the education, as well as upon the illnesses and stresses an individual sustains during the growing years.

Diet refers to specific nutrients or foods eaten by an individual.

Equalisation and mass diet: Food provided in quantity by new agricultural technology is assumed to be of adequate nutritional quality. However, long term effects of synthetic chemicals in animal feeds, of hormones to stimulate growth and of pesticides have not been determined. Their use produces foods which are beautiful in appearance and free from pest damage. But are these foods nutritionally adequate? The same applies to the effects of air and water pollution.

Signs of deficiency (Pottenger writes before the obesity epidemic!): Surface indices easily recognised include - 1) thin, splitting, peeling nails due to disturbance in protein assimilation, especially lysine, 2) thin skin due to lack of fat, 3) thick skin which cannot be picked up between the fingers due to lack of iodine or to excessive carboÿhydrate intake, 4) dry, brittle lack luster hair caused by too little unsaturated fatty acids. These individuals tend to be irritable and unpredictable without cause. Exhaustion is a universal symptom of deficiency.

Less apparent  indices of deficient nutrition relate to the development of the bones and ligaments as well as the dentofacial structures. Signs include - hyperextensile elbow joints, hyperextensile shoulder joints, hyperextensile knee joints with lateral play, wrist bones that can be pulled apart, waddling roll to the hips, weak ankles and flat feet.

Breast feeding

Human milk is rich in structural proteins, fats, hormones, enzymes and vitamins essential for the optimum growth of the human brain as well as the body. Alterations in the metabolism of the mother can quickly reflect in the health of her nursing infant.

Professor Erf's observations: Twin calves were fed the same milk. One calf suckles, the other drinks from a bucket. At the end of a year the marked superiority of the suckled calf is recognised by the cattle judges. Professor Erf thought that the oxygen churned into the milk by the action of milking altered the chemical composition of the milk so that it was not as nutritious as that squeezed from the teat directly into the calf’s mouth.

Heating milk effects: Of probably more significance are the changes brought about by the processes of pasteurising, condensing, homogenising and reconstituting milk. Add to this the deficient dry feed dietary of most dairy cattle and you will find that cowÕs milk is usually a poor second to motherÕs milk. (Besides it was designed for cows and not for humans. The two species grow at very different rates. my comment)

Chewing and sucking: Another advantage of breast feeding is the active exercise involved provides a growth stimulant to the muscles of the face, neck, chest and spine.

Comparative facial development between nursed and bottle fed infants

327 patients of all ages studied. Attempts were made to eliminate external  variables most apt to influence facial development. 1) heredity, 2)  nutrition, 3) exercise. The majority of those who came to the clinic as patients did so because they suffered from respiratory ailments, so this study is based on a group suffering from poor facial development to a greater or a lesser degree.

Facial measurements: Bimalar and biorbital bony landmarks are easy to measure. The difference between the two areas is important because the masseter muscle attaches to the malar prominence, but no muscle attaches to the zygoma area. Those individuals who are not nursed at all show the least malar growth. Those nursed for three months or less show better malar growth and those nursed for more than three months show the best malar growth. Breast feeding for over three months causes the best facial development as 57.2% of these individuals have a greater bimalar distance than biorbital distance.

Consequences: Why is good facial development important in a young child? A face that is narrow in the frontal region has crowded sinuses and a narrow dental arch. Crowded sinuses lead to respiratory problems and a narrow dental arch leads to impactions, displaced teeth, malocclusions and agnathia.

Dentofacial deformity requiring mechanical reconstruction by the use of braces, retainers and bands is a wide spread problem.

Experimental and clinical evidence of the value of raw milk

Destruction of bacteria in milk by heat processing is assumed to be essential in preventive medicine because of the findings of Pasteur. However, there are many good properties of milk which are also affected by the heat processing because the entire physiochemical state of the milk is altered. Colloids are precipitated and mineral salts are thrown out. Hormones such as thyroid, insulin and adrenal steroids are affected as well as enzymes essential to efficient metabolism. Minerals are rendered less soluble. Though the destruction of these substances in pasteurisation may not produce death as hostile bacteria may, their deficiency in milk may impair the lifelong health of a child. This may be shown in poor skeletal development, lower resistance to disease and in degenerative problems such as allergy and arthritis.

Professor Erf and his collaborators wanted to produce the environment necessary for the raising of the finest cattle in order to produce the finest milk. Their experiments included freezing, drying, curing and adding chemicals to preserve the maximum amount of vital elements in the hay and other feeds needed for the winter months. They discovered that it is desirable to preserve the optimum amount of grass juice and fresh factors in the feed. This is similar to Pottenger’s cats and guinea pig studies.

Erf concluded - when the nutrition of cows is poor, the nutritional value of their milk is poor. When a cow’s milk is deficient in trace elements important for proper metabolism, faulty metabolism will occur in the consumer - animal or human.

High cholesterol: The specific charge that milk produces high cholesterol in humans is largely based on the premise that the ingestion of cholesterol and the deposit of cholesterol are the same. Extensive use of quality raw milk, cream and farm eggs with tuberculous patients at PottengerÕs sanatorium failed to produce a single case of raised cholesterol. A life time consumption of clean fresh raw milk from healthy cattle does not produce metabolic disease in man. Cholesterol is not the villain - the villain is what man does to his cattle and milk.

Pyorrhoea and arthritis: ErfÕs experiments show that pasteurised milk causes pyorrhoea in cats and imperfect development of rat incisors. PottengerÕs studies show that poor quality and heat processed milks cause osteoporosis and certain types of arthritis in cats and rats.

Allergies: Erf’s work shows that methods of processing and preserving foods enter into the problem of digestion and immunity. The digestive mechanisms, both enteral and cellular, permit infants, children and adults to become sensitive when elements controlling the permeability of cells are altered. The heat processing of foods destroys elements that protect these two areas.  Some individuals who become sensitised to subquality milk can not be desensitised, so milk should be removed from their diet.

Milk and the human skeleton

Effects of different milks on bone development.

150 children drinking different kinds of milk had comparison studies of their  bone age and skeletal structures.

31 infants were breast fed for at least six months. Among these 19 had maternal histories of thyroid dysfunction and others have histories of severe genital disorders.
18 of the children showed delay in the development of ossification, 4 were slightly advanced and 9 were normal. 7 children have fine bones and 7 have large poorly calcified bones.
6 children were given raw certified milk. This group showed excellent bone measurements. 4 drink Metabolised Vitamin D Milk - of these 2 are slightly advanced, 1 is normal and 1 is delayed.

8 children on raw milk formulas show no deviation from standard measurements.

43 canned milk formulas. Striking feature is over half (23) have very fine small bones.
9 have marked disturbance in calcification in bones of normal size or larger than normal.
9 exhibit marked weakness in their joints and ligaments. When the bone age of all the children is calculated, 23 are below the normal standard for their age, 15 are normal and 5 are above normal.

10 pasteurised milk formula babies are studied. 4 are delayed in ossification, 3 are normal and 3 are advanced. The bones of 7 are fine, 1 is normal and 2 are rachitic.

34 children on another boiled milk formula. 21 show delay in bone age, 12 are normal and 1 is advanced. 18 have fine bones, 6 have normal bones and 10 have poorly calcified large bones.

2 children on a formula containing no milk or milk products show delayed bone age with enlarged weak joints.

The effect of disturbed nutrition on bones developing under stress

Prenatal disturbances.

The different organs within the foetus develop over a staggered time schedule. Eg The mandibular arch begins to develop about day 28 while the dental ridge does not begin to form until days 40 to 45. The deciduous teeth start to form about day 65.

In a group of 15 children with very small deciduous teeth and narrow arches, histories of serious metabolic disturbance and accompanying dietary insufficiencies occur in the first three months of pregnancy. Serious nutritional disturbances during the 7th week of pregnancy correlate with receding mandible and developmental failure of the maxillary portion of the face and in protruding mandible.

Postnatal disturbances.

After an infant is born, dietary deficiencies leave their mark on the bones developing under the stresses of chewing and walking. Tarsals and metatarsal bones and facial structure are studied by Xray.
The carpals and metacarpals of the hand are not under the same stresses at the same developmental time as the corresponding bones in the foot. Therefore, direct comparisons of bones in hands and feet do not show correlation. Correlations can be made between fragmentation found in the foot and the malformation of dentofacial structures.

Nutritional principles.

Using Xrays of the skull Pottenger was able to demonstrate recovery in a 5 year old girl with a disfiguring mandibular protrusion. She was placed on a diet rich in growth and developmental activators, and was encouraged to strengthen her facial structures by chewing tough objects and making faces.

In applying the principles learned from the experiments with cats and human beings, we find that (1) all people are influenced by preceding generations and (2) people can be healthy only if the stock from which they come is healthy and the food which they eat is adequate.

Good food is important to the infant, the adolescent, the adult and especially to the expectant mother. At any age injury can be done by an inadequate diet. Inadequacy in infancy and childhood alters development. In later life it affects the efficiency of organic function, reproductivity and general physiological activity.

NB
Scientists first thought that they had established that good nutrition depends upon the adequate intake of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and minerals. Later they realised that hormones, enzymes and vitamins are just as essential. They are slow to realise that these vital growth substances are destroyed by modern methods of milling, heating and processing foods. Moreover, modern methods of agriculture and animal husbandry are depleting the soil and depleting the quality of plant and animal products which furnish these substances to our diet.

The reciprocal relationship of the health of plants, animals and human beings

Man is part of a biological cycle. The continued development of optimum human beings requires that this cycle be maintained. The soil is the first element in this cycle and it is vitalised by the bacteria which inhabit it. The bacteria provide food for the earthworms which process the soil through their bodies converting organic matter into humus, and, humus provides the food for the growth of plants supporting animal and human life. When the excreta of animals and humans is returned to the soil, it nourishes the bacteria and so allows the cycle to go on ad infinitum.

Sanitary engineering has destroyed some of this rejuvenation of the soil. Fertilisers, which destroy bacteria and earthworms are now substituted for organic compost to the long range detriment of the soil.

Navy bean experiments

A chance observation led Pottenger to experiment with the growth properties of the excreta in the pens of the cats on the various cooked and raw diets. As feeding experiments were completed pens became empty and weeds start to grow in them, but with noticeable differences in their size and health. The number of weeds and their hardiness appeared to be in direct relationship to the health and vigour of the animals that had lived in them. Controlled experiments with navy beans confirmed these observations.

No definite conclusions can be drawn from this experiment, but it does suggest the possibility that the excreta of diseased and healthy animals contain principles that affect plant growth, and that the health of the animal determines to some degree the effect on the vitality of the plant and its seeds as well as the chemical constituents of the plant, seed and pod of the beans.

The importance of fats in nutrition

Fats are present in every living cell and are essential to itÕs life. The human body varies in fat content bur a 70 Kg man is estimated to be composed of 7 Kg (10%) of fat, 6.4 Kg(9%) of protein, 5.6 Kg (8%)of carbohydrate, @ Kg (3%) of minerals and 50 Kg (70%) of water.

Saturated and unsaturated fats: Pottenger states that the primary source of manÕs fats is mineral and the secondary source is animal. There are many kinds of fats, but triglycerides are made up of fatty acids and phospholipids. Fatty acids are either saturated or unsaturated. Essential fatty acids in foods can be harmful if allowed to become rancid. This is a major concern for the food industry. As a result of the processing and stabilising of vegetable oils many of our best sources of unsaturated fats have been rendered nutritively useless.

When foods are cooked at high temperatures, many of these unsaturated fats are oxidised creating a different chemical of questionable metabolic value. At high temperatures the breakdown of glycerine produces acroline, a known poison. Milk fats are also altered during heat processing as in pasteurised cream and butter

The High Protective Diet

Pottenger reckoned that there was a deficiency in in modern fat intake. He worked out a high protein, high fat, low carbohydrate diet for general rehabilitation.  The diet described included liver, brain, cod liver oil, soy bean lecithin and edible linseed oil. He also included gelatin, a hydrophilic colloid to aid the digestive process. Uncooked foods contain sufficient hydrophilic colloids to keep the gastric mucosa in good condition.

The High Protective Diet is one part protein, one part fat and one part carbohydrate. There are four principles to this diet.
1. The food is altered as little as possible by the use of minimal temperatures in cooking.
2. The vitamins are obtained from foods naturally rich in them.
3. Minerals are supplied by the use of relatively crude foodstuffs and by a mineral salt preparation.
4. Gelatin, a hydrophilic colloid, is used as a regular part of the diet because it aids digestion