Charlevoix county herald., 1917-02-23
Eggs in the Diet
Food bValue, Relative Freedom
from Waste, and Ease of
Preparation Often May
Offset High Prices.

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 leas. is often desirable, even when a
consideration OF their price alone would
not so indicate. This is stated in a
recently published professional paper
Of the Office of Home Economics of the
United States Department of Agri.
culture, Department Bulletin All. Ills
pointed out, however, thai while this
is true OF eggs served as one of the
principal dishes of meal, it often is
not true of eggs used in cakes, pud-
dings, and other desserts along with
meats. 1t is in the latter use OF eggs
that the housewife who wishes TO econ
omize can try especially to curtall con-
sumption. A fact which makes this
latter practice easier is that with the
present availability Of baking powders,
corn starch, gelatin, ETC., the use of
eggs to impart hghtness or to thicken
liquids is not now as essential as it was
in the past.
FOOD ELEMENTS IN EGGS
The principal food element furnished
by eggs in protein, the ntrogenous
tissueouiidihg 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 without materially altering
the proportion of protein consumed. In
addition TO protein, eggs also furnish
fat and a number of valuable mineral
elements, including sulphur, phosphor-
us, iron, calcium, and magnesium, in an
easily assimilabe form, and are believ-
ed also to be rich in certain essential
vitalIzing elements called vitamins.
Like milk and unlike meats eggs do
not contain substances convertible in
the bocy into uric acid Their shells
constitute the only waste materials
Ninety.seven per cent of the portion
eaten--a high proportion compared to
other foods--is digested No extended
cooking is necessary for eggs, and there
is therefore a saving of time, labor,
and fuel in their preparation when they
are compared with many other foods
For all these reasons eggs deserve an
important place in the diet for use at
times in place of other foods rich in
protein, provided egg prices are not so
high as to outweigh the otner consider
| ations.
,WHOLESOMENESS OF EGGS.
Though wholesome when fresh and
clean, eggs may be decidedly unwhole-
some when old or dirty. The house
wife should be careful when buying,
therefore, to choose eggs which are as
clean and fresh as possible. Similarly,
the producer OF eggs should keep nests
clean and sanitary and should collect
eggs frequently. 1t is also well to in
sure the production OF eggs with good
keeping qualities by producing only
infertile eggs after the Matching season.
HOW TO SELECT EGGS.
In addition to cleanliness and fresh
ness, the housewife when purchasing
eggs should consider size and freedom
from cracks. Eggs vary so in size that
a dozen large and dozen small eggs
! purchased at the same price per dozen
may differ as much as 25 per cent in
the value of the food elements furnish
ed. 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 N recipes can be
obtained by weighing or measuring the
eggs out of their shells. Cracked eggs
are undesirable because the breaking
OF the shell makes possible the entrance
of bacteria and filth.
COLD-STORAGE EGGS.
Because fewer eggs are produced in
the most populous regions Of the coun-
try than are consumed there, and be-
cause the seasons have a marked effect
on the number of eggs laid, city house
wives must use cold storage eggs dur
ing some periods Of the year If they are
10 supply their tables at all with this
food. The fact that eggs have been
held in cold storage does not necessari-
ly mean that they are Of low quality.
Carefully handled cold-storage eggs
often are Of better quality than fresh
local eggs that have been improperly
cared for.
HoME-PREsERvED EGGS.
, Housewives will often find il ad-
vantageous to preserve their own eggs
in the home, purchasing them when
the supply is abundant, and packing
!. them In a solution Of waterglass or lime
water, or covering them with paraffin