MadSci Network: Science History |
While pemmican (which traditionally includes dried chokecherries as well as beef or buffalo) is a nutrient dense food, it is not a complete nutrient source. I used a computer program to conduct a nutrient analysis of your version of pemmican (beef, beef fat and nuts) and it contains no vitamin C, almost no carbohydrates, vitamin A and vitamin E and is seriously lacking in calcium, folate, riboflavin, vitamin D. So, while one might be able to survive on this food item, one would develop nutrient deficiencies relatively quickly. Adding dried cherries improved the vitamin C and vitamin A contents, but did not correct the other nutrient deficiencies. This demonstrates very well the need to include a variety of foods from a vareity of food groups to obtain the combination of nutrients we need. (The nutrient analysis was conducted with Genesis R & D software from ESHA).
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