ready learned that mineral matter serves two main
functions in the body: that is, _building_ and _regulating_, and it is a
good plan to classify the well-known foods under these two headings.
With a little guidance the pupils can do most of this for themselves.
They know that milk serves all building purposes in a child's body, and
must, therefore, contain mineral matter. Eggs build animal bodies, and
must contain this substance also. Meat is the animal body that has been
built, therefore meat has this substance; but we shall find in the meat
lessons that there is no mineral matter in fat and that the cook cannot
dissolve it out of bone, therefore muscle or lean meat must be eaten to
obtain it. Seeds, too, contain building material for new plants;
therefore, the building mineral matter must be stored in their cells.
Hard water is known by the lime it contains, therefore this, if drunk,
assists in the formation of bone.

The class must be told that the mineral in the juices of plants is
mainly for regulating purposes; that is, to keep our bodies in order, or
as we say, healthy. When they get out of order, we usually go to a
doctor to be regulated or made well. The medicine which he prescribes
often contains some mineral in solution, perhaps iron. The mineral
matter which is in the juices of plants, being a more natural form than
the mineral matter in the medicine, is more easily made use of in the
bodily processes. This is one reason why people should eat plenty of
vegetables and fruit.

Many springs also furnish water with large quantities of mineral matter
in solution, which is used mainly for medicinal purposes. The pupils may
know some places where we find such springs, and these should be
mentioned, such as Preston Springs, Banff, and Mount Clemens, which have
become health resorts through the presence of these waters. When the
springs are in a distant country and their waters are known to contain a
certain mineral which our bodies need, the water is bottled and shipped
to us, and may be obtained from a druggist. Hunyadi Janos, Apenta,
Vichy, and Apollinaris are well-known medicinal waters shipped from
European springs.

SUMMARY OF SOURCES OF MINERAL FOODS

1. Building mineral matter.--Milk, eggs, lean meat, seeds, hard water

2. Regulating mineral matter.--Fruit, vegetables, mineral waters, salt.

NOTE.--This classification will be most useful
to the pupils in preparing well-balanced meals