The vegetable garden in the tropics - Journey to Forever

cereals, tubers, bananas, legumes. Those foodstuffs that are eaten
daily in large quantities are called staple foods.
2 Fats, which provide energy and make carotene more digestible for
the human body. One gram gives 9 kilocalories or 38 kilojoules.
Sources: coconut, oilpalm, peanut and maize oil, avocado, animal
products.
3 Proteins, the material of which our bodies are made. Proteins are
necessary for growth and development of the body and are very important
for children and for women during pregnancy and when they
are breastfeeding. Sources: cereals, seed vegetables, animal products.
4 Minerals, substances like iron and calcium which are taken up by
plants from the soil. The most important minerals are:
calcium, the mineral of which bones and teeth are composed.
Sources: leaf vegetables, seed vegetables, milk.
iron, the mineral necessary for healthy blood.
Sources: leaf vegetables, seed vegetables, cereals, meat, eggs.
5 Vitamins, nutrients needed only in small quantities to preserve good
health. Below are listed the most important vitamins.
vitamin A, or retinol, protects the mucus membranes (nose, mouth)
and the skin and plays an important role in vision. The body produces
this vitamin out of beta-carotene. Sources of vitamin A: milk, eggs.
Sources of carotene: leaf vegetables (especially those with dark green
leaves), fruit vegetables (chillies), fruits (papaya), carrots.
vitamin B1, or thiamin, is necessary for the functioning of the nervous
system. Lack of vitamin B1 causes “beri-beri”. Sources: fruitvegetables,
germ and bran of cereals, eggs, milk.
vitamin B2, or riboflavin, prevents lesions of the skin, eyes and lips.
Sources: leaf vegetables, seed vegetables, meat, eggs, milk.
vitamin C, or ascorbic acid. Deficiency of this vitamin causes scurvy
and bleeding of the gums and skin. Sources: leaf vegetables, fruit
vegetables, fruits, tubers (if eaten fresh).
niacin prevents pellagra, other skin and intestinal diseases, and malfunctioning
of the nervous system. Sources: leaf vegetables, seed
vegetables (peanut), meat, fish. Fresh maize contains a very small
amount of this vitamin, but the flour can be enriched by treatment in
an alkaline medium.
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The vegetable garden in the tropics