THE SCIENCE OF NUTRITION 119Ash is mineral, earthy, and chokes the system. We
need have no fear of not obtaining it in sufficient
quantities to build the bones; on the contrary, we
cannot be too careful to get as little as possible.
The calorie is the simple unit of heat. In a pound of
Brazil nuts, for instance, when bought at the market,
49.6 per cent of the whole is waste (shells), but the
remaining 50.4 per cent contains 1485 calories. That
means that about one-half of what is bought is waste,
but the remainder contains the number of calories
named. That we may get the greatest amount of
strength from our food we must pay attention to the
number of calories it contains, for from them we
obtain the energy required to perform our daily work.
Chocolate is the most nutritious food we have; also
cocoa, in its powdered state, is the most dangerous of
all foods, containing three times as much ash as most
of the others, and ten times as much as many. It is a
powerful food and also a powerful poison, for it
chokes the system more quickly than any other
substance.
Of course, it will require some study at first to
secure the best nourishment, but it pays in health and
longevity and secures the free use of the body, making
study and application to higher things possible. After a
while one will become so familiar with the subject that
he will need to give it no particular attention.
It must be remembered that not all of the
chemical substances contained in each article of food
are available for use in the system, because there are
certain portions which the body refuses to assimilate.