Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1917-02-21
Eggs in the Diet

Because of the peculiar food value
of eggs, their relative freedom from
waste, and the ease with which they
may be prepared, their use as meat
substitutes at least is often desirable,
even when a consideration of their
price alone would not so indicate.
This is stated in recently pub
lished professional paper of the Of
flee of Home Economics of the Unit
ed States Department of Agriculture,
Department Bulletin All. 1t is point
ed out, however, that while this is
true of eggs served as one of the
principal dishes of a meal, it often
is not true of eggs used in cakes,
buildings, and other desserts along
with meats. 1t is in the latter use
of eggs that the housewife who
wishes to economize can try especi-
ally to curtail consumption. A fact
which makes this latter practice cas-
Ter is that with the present availbil-
ity of baking powders, corn starch,
gelatin, etc, the use of eggs to i'm
part lightness or to thicken liquids
is not now as essential as it was in
the past.
Food Elements in Eggs
The principal food element fur
nished by eggs is protein, the nitro
genous tissue-building element whose
presence in considerable proportions
also gives meats, fish, milk, cheese,
etc, their special food value. Eggs,
therefore, can be substituted in the
diet for the latter foods with materi-
ally altering the proportion of pro-
TEN consumed. In addition to pro-
tein, eggs also furnish fat and
number of valuable mineral elements,
including sulphur, phosphorus, iron,
calcium, and magnesium, in an easily
assimilable form, and are believed
also to be rich in certain essential
vitalizing elements called vitamins.
Like milk and unlike meats eggs
no not contain substances convertible
in the body into uric acid. Their
shells constitute the only waste ma
terials. Ninety-seven per cent of the
protein-a high proportion compared
to other foods-is digested. No ex-
tended cooking is necessary for eggs,
and there is therefore a saving of
time, labor, and fuel in their pre-
paration when they are compared
with other foods. For all these rea-
sons eggs deserve an important place
in the diet for use at times in place
of other foods rich in protein, provid-
ed egg prices are not so high as to
outweigh the other considerations.
WhOlesOmeness of Eggs
Though wholesome when fresh and
clean, eggs may be decidedly un-
wholesome when old or dirty. The
housewife should be careful when
buying, therefore, to choose eggs
which are as clean and fresh as pos
sible. Similarly, the producer of
eggs should keep nests clean and
sanitary and should collect eggs fire.
quently. 1t is also well to insure
keeping qualities Of producing only
infertile eggs after the Matching sea-
son.
How to Select Eggs
In addition to cleanliness and
freshness, the housewife when pur-
chasing eggs should consider size and
freedom from cracks. Eggs vary so
in size that a dozen large and a
dozen small eggs purchased at the
same price per dozen may differ as
much as % per cent in the value of
the food elements furnished. Perhaps
the fairest way to buy or sell eggs is
by weight. Because of the wide
variations in the size of eggs, it is
also coming to be recognized that
more accurate results in recipes can
be obtained by weighing or measur-
ing the eggs out of their shells.
Cracked eggs are undesirable because
the breaking of the shell makes pos
sible the entrance of bacteria and
filth.
Cold-StOrage Eggs
Because fewer eggs are produced
in the most populous regions of the
country than are consumed there,
and because the seasons have mark
ed effect on the number of eggs laid,
city housewives must use cold stor-
age eggs during some periods of the
year if they are to supply their Ia