Omaha daily bee., 1916-11-29
A NeW Book for House
LDiUeS.

Practically everyone nowadays
realizes the intimate connection be-
tween the food we eat and the state
of our health, and the modern house
wife is seeking after practical knowl-
edge which will enable her to keep
her family in the best possible physi-
cal condition. Until very recently
there was no popularity written book
to give her this very important in
formation. Just last month, DR.. Mary
Swartz Rose of Columbia university
brought out a book. Feeding the
Family" dealing with the practical
applications of all the modern knowl
edge of nutrition 1t is book writ
ten in very interesting fashion, with
the minimum of technical terms and
the maximum of scientific informa-
ton. The housewife of the future will
have this exact information quite as
a matter of course; but to the house
wife of today this book is really
epoch-making. In former food talks
in this column | have said very lit
tie concerning exact quantities of
food to be served at any meal. One
reason for this omission was that
there is a difference of opinion con-
corning amounts, and another reason
is that until the publication of Mrs.
Roses book there was no accurate
published material expressed in terms
understood by the average housewife
without scientific training.
DR.. Rose is we'll fitted to write this
book, being assistant professor of
nutrition in Teachers college, Column
bia university. In her laboratory
have been trained many of the ablest
teachers of home economics who are
spreading the knowledge of food
values and food functions. Among the
topics discussed in Feeding the Fam
ily' are the needs and purposes of
food, the digestion of food, diet for
adult men and women, diet for chill
dren of all ages. This last topic is
treated separately for the infant, the
2-year-old, for children 3 to 4 years
old, children to 7 years old, chill
dren 8 to II years old. Food in ado
lescence, youth and old age are also
separately considered After these
special food needs are discussed, food
for the family as a whole is taken up.
The author gives special attention TO
the cost of food in relation to food
value For purposes of convenience,
we reduce foods to standard portions,
each of which gives the same num-
Der of heat units to the body, namely,
100 calories. Thus five small, square
crackers give the same food value as
one very large banana or one and one
third cups OF pulled rice or one-third
cup cooked custard. Mrs. Rose gives
a list of our common foods and the
amount of each which constitutes the
100-calorie of standard portion.
At the present time of alarrningly
high prices, the value of such list
is very apparent. AT the very lowest
level Of subsistence, high food prices
mean actual want of sufficient
quantity of food. To many of. us,
however, high prices mean not doing
without, but substitution. If we know
what we can substitute and still main.
tain health, and if we are clever
enough to disguise these substitutes,
until our families become accustomed
to them we can help out the food
budget Though fuel or caloric value
is not the only body need, it is one
which must be met. Mrs. Rose gives
very interesting lists of foods which
furnish the 100 calorie portions at diff
ferent costs. In the Tess than three
fourths OF cent per 100 calories" list
we find bread. cottonseed eoil, corn
meal, crackers, farina, flour, hominy,
macaroni, salt pork, suet, sugar, etc.
In the next, or "three-fourths to l
cent per 100 calories" list, we find
dried apples, meat pie, potato soup,