Of carbohydrates the pecan has a relatively low percentage, but, as has been seen, the natural use of the pecan in connection with fruits, vegetables and also with cereal foods, as outlined in the chap- ters which follow, gives a well-balanced diet. As is widely known the foods containing carbo- hydrates are plentiful and relatively inexpensive, therefore the relative deficiency of pecans in guantity of carbohydrates is no disadvantage.
If considered from the standpoint of quality of puorale d of earbohydrates, the pecan assumes an importance ia" lee which is too often overlooked. Nearly one-third Quantity of its total carbohydrate content consists of sucrose and invert sugars and among ali forms of carbohydrate none are more highly desirable for high dietetic value than these two which are so abundantly found in the pecan. It is to be remem- bered also that these are the quickest source of energy production and this research by Friedman discloses not only the advantages of the pecan from the standpoint of quality of its carbo- hydrates, but also indicates that the deficiency of the pecan in carbohydrates is in its lack of starch, an element which can be readily and cheaply secured from potatoes, rice and all the cereals.
The relatively small percentage of cellulose in pecans and the absence of water are in no sense disadvantageous when one is considering their use in a balanced diet such as is outlined in the fol- lowing chapters of this book. In fact, it is obvious
that the pecan could not be the most highly con-19
