New Britain herald., 1917-05-04
EASING MEALS ON
 NEEDS OF NATURE
Uncle Sam's Advice If "War
 Menus" Are to Prevail

reoucing the nutrttive value or th' food. served by giving more though than usually is given to the selection preparation, and combination of foods < In fact, where carelessness has beer the rule {and carelessness Is not re ] lated to the size of the income), tht specialists of the United States De partment of Agriculture say carefu planning may make possible both a re-
 duction of cost and an increase in nu. tritiyeness and palatability. If any changes are to brought about in the
 menu to which a family has been ac.
 customed, however, by eliminating
 certain articles or substituting less ex-
 penstve ones, care should be taken
 that the resulting diet is rational
 that. is, that it does not contain or
 the one hand, too great proportoin of foods of any one type, such as Mneats and meat substitutes. or starch
 sugars, and fats, or vegetables and
 fruits, and that, on the other hand. < 1t Is not deficient in any of these types 5 of food.
 Tn general, habit and custom, shaped by normal appetites. have led to the. general adoption of adequate and varied diets in most families
 where the means are sufficient for any
 fange of choice Thus when meat
 a food rich in nitrogen--is eaten,
 potato, rice, bread. or some other starchy food and fruits and vegetables and perhaps foods of the other types. usually are served with it. If a per- sons food habits are good, he will eat reasonable quantity of all the foods provided and obtain 8 varied meal and not one-sided one, as might otherwise be the case.
 The lists of foods given at the end of this article are intended to show different types of food and different examples of each type, If the foods combined in the diet are chosen ac- ,cording to these types-that is. ac- cording to the purpose each group serves in the body-and are eaten in proper proportion. the meals will fur Qish all kinds of nourishing clements which the body needs. The five types or groups are:
 1.--Foods depended upon for nin- eral matter. vegetable acids. and body-regulating substances. such as fruits and succulent vegetables.
 2.-Foods depended upon for pro- tein. such as milk, eggs, meat and dried legumes.
 3-Foods depended upon for starch, such as cereal breakfast foods. Hours. meals, and foods made from them.
 4.-Foods depended upon for sugar, such 7 as sugar. molasses. sirups. honey jams, thick preserves, dried fruits sweet cakes and desserts.
 5.-Foods depended upon for fat. ~1.t col lad oil oyH H ither table fats. lard suet. and other Booking fats and oils. salt pork, and tacon.
 Some of All Groups Needed.
 In order that the meals may supply all the needed nutritive elements. one must make sure that all groups are we'll represented; not necessarily at every meal, but when the family diet is considered day by day and week in and week out. Quantities should vary, particularly of the energy yielding foods, for persons engaged in different pursuits necessitattng diff ferent amounts of exercise. The heavier the work the more food is needed. Tn planning meals in accord ance with the method here suggested. choose only a few dishes and make sure that the different groups are in the daily fare. < Foods in groups l and are less expensive. as a rule, than those in group 2, and for this and other sea- sons should be used freely as the basis of the diet with sufficient amounts of foods from groups 3, 4, and 5 to round out the meals. Re- member that the materials used in cooking or served with food (flour. eggs, milk, fat, sugar. etc.) add their food value to the diet. Remember also that 1t is not necessary to sup- ply all the types of food at every meal, providing enough of each is supplied in the course of the day. For ex- ample, if the foods which are de- pended upon for nitrogen lmeat, eggs, 1ni;k. etc.) are found in abundance at breakfast and dinner. 1t is not neces- sary to include them at supper or lunch or if a person prefers a light breakfast. he may leave out the nitro- gen-rich food and perhaps some of the other foods in the morning and make up for it at the noone and eve ming meals.
 In the following lists dishes suit able for the different meals are grouped according to the kind of nu- lritive materials which predominate fGroup 1.) Such a breakfast is made more hearty by including milk or an sey from the protein group (group 2.) Representing group 1, depended , jn each, and the groups are given in Nhe order in which they gre usually introduced in family meals. The tishcs mentioned are examples only. Housekeepers will readily think of dkhes of similar kind which they may prefer. The important thing is to
 know which foods belong to the diff ferent groups and then to see that all the groups are represented in the family meals. s Breakfast.
 K Breakfast Is a much more elabor-