Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-05-04
INTERCHANGEABLE FOODS.
Let Cost Determine What Source o.
Starch to Use-Potatoes asa
Source q Starch.

oouFCe " otdTCH,
Rice. wheat, and corn. the common
starch foods eaten in the mixed diet
usual in most families, are relied uu
r,ainly "a sources OF energy to tie
body, and have about the same value
pound Tor pound. Therefore il rice,
wheat flour, cracked wheat, corn meal
or honliny cost the same per pound
they are equally cheap fuel foods.
Such foods, therefore. can be freely
interchangcd il foods like meat, milk,
eggs, or beans and fruits or yegeta.
bles are eaten also.
Most wheat breakfast foods and
wheat pasies, like macaroni or spa.
she,ti, also have about the same ener.
sy value as wheat flour. corn and rice.
They differ very much in appearance
and also in bulk, according to the
method OF manufacture, and the cost
can not be judged merely by the Size
Df the package TO be obtained for i
or ~ cents. Now that the Law re-.
Qlires net weight 10 be marked on III !
outside OF every package, II is cas-,
to reckon how much the food mate.
rial actually costs pound. Thus il
the net weight Of a lucent package
q breakfast food is y ounces. pound.
or lG Ounces, would cost 20 cents.
As general rule---and very justly
the si,lrler preparations, when it
has taken less time and labor to put
up, cos less than the more elabor,ss
ones. These sold IN bulk usually cast
less than hose sold in cartons. Each
houe ekcele. must decide whether tie
variety Vha convenience Of the Grrc
expensive kinds compensatcs tor The
extra cost. In any case before she
cal ,l0oap Nisely she must have recA.
one1 how much the package gods
Cos. per Eound.
Leavh, aside cost Of preparation
and comparing lice with ready.made
wheat bread, il appears that rice al Z
cents a pound is about 10 cheap a
source OF body fuel as bread at ) cents
a pound. If bread costs 5 cents a
pound, rice costing up to 10 cents
pound is a cheaper source OF energy.
Bread costing 3 cents pound would
furnish energy as cheaply az rice at
IL cents a pound. Corn bread usually
costs much less per pound than wheat
bread, and SO furnishes energy at a
still lower cost in the above compaii.
sen than wheat bread.
a pound of potatoes yields hardly
one-llth az much body energy as
pound Of rice, cornmeal, or whea,
This il partly because they are much
more watery and partly because
large proportion is discarded with tie
skins. Part OF this loss is inevitable
because the skin itself is not usually
considered good to eat; but the more
carelessly potatoes are pared, tho
more Of the valuable edible substance
soes With the skin A bushel Of pota.
toes weighs ~ pounds, peck IL
pounds. When potatoes are selling of
sl20 bushel or 80 cents q peck, they
therefore cost : cents pound. II
their value is one.fifth that OF rice,
lhey furnish fuel at about the same
cost as rice al 10 cents a pound and nj
about twice the cost of corn meal or
hominv at ) cents pound When
potatoes cost $40 bushel. or 10
cents a peck they are about twice as
expensive ~ sources OF fuel as rice
al 10 cents, and four times as cxpen
sive as corn meal 'r homlny at 6 cents
pound. These comparisons show
That, merely for providing fuel, pola.
toes are oiteD more expensive than
rice, and practically always more OK.
pensire than corn meal or hominy. As
was pointed out above potatoes often
are relied on not merely as a source
OF fuel, but also as n source OF some Of
the mineral matters needed by the
body. They are usually among the
most economical of the vegetables
which serve this second purpose, be.
cause they supply generous amount
Of energy as we'll az the building ma.
terials