The analyses show also that pecans contain 8633 calories to the pound. Compared to cereals, which have an average calorie value of 1654, we find the pecan twice as high in value, largely because of their fat—or oil—content, which content has been shown to have exceptional value as a preventative of constipation.
Compared to fresh fruits and vegetables, with a value of 300 calories to the pound, we find pecans not only twelve times as high in value; but also containing more protein, of the finest type. Nor is the pecan lacking in mineral salts and vita- minés, as will] be seen later.
It is little wonder that the pecan has been called “Nature’s finest, most concentrated food product,” that attention has been called to it as Nature’s answer to the nutritionist’s call for a safe food which is properly balanced, and fitted to the cry- ing need for a low protein diet. For it is to be remembered that in these days when telephone, automobiles and labor-saving devices cut down the amount of replacement required by the human system, to follow the heavy protein diet of our forefathers is a certain method of overtaxing one’s kidneys and leading to disastrous results.
If one will note that the average man requires less than 3,000 calories per day for the production of energy, and less than a quarter pound of pro- tein for tissue building, it is easy to see that two
or three ounces of pecans in the daily diet, supple-11
