Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1919-01-23
Eggs in the Diet
Food Value, Relative Freedom from
Waste. and Ease Of Preparation
often May Offset High Prices.
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Because OF the peculiar 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 consideration of their
price alone would not so indicate. This
Is stated in a recently published pro.
fessional paper of the Office of Home
Economics of the United States De-
partment of Agriculture, Department
Bulletin All. 1t is pointed out, how.
ever that while this ia true of eggs
served as one of the principal dishes
of meal, 1t often is not true of eggs
used in cakes, puddings, and other
desserts along with meats. It is in
the latter use OF eggs that the house
wife who wishes to economize car try :
especially to curtail consumption. A
fact which makes this latter practice
easier is that with the present avail
ability of baking powders, corn starch,
gelatin, etc., the use of eggs to impart
or to thicken liquids is not now as
essential as it was in the past.
Soo 6sSUSUtS w Eggs.
The principal food element furnish.
ed by eggs is protein, the nitrogenous
tissue building element whose pres.
ence in considerable proportions also
gives meats, fish, milk, cheese. etc.,
their special food value. Eggs, there
fore, can be substituted in the diet for
the latter foods without materially al.
fat,ino tho pf
sumed. In addition to protein. eggs
also furnish fat and number of val
liable mineral elements, including sui
phur, phosphorus, iron, calcium, and
magnesium, in an easily assimilable
> form. and are believed also to be rich
in certain essential vitalizing ele.
ments called vitamins.
Like milk and unlike meats eggs do
not contain substance convertible in
the body into uric acid. Their shells
constitute the only waste materials.
Ninety-seven percent of the portion
eaten high proportion compared
to other foods-is digested. No ex-
tending cooking is necessary for eggs,
and there is therefore saving of
time, labor, and fuel in their prepara-
tion when they ere compared with
many other foods. For all these reas-
ons 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
out weigh the other considerable
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 possible. Similarly, the pro.
ducer of eggs should keep nests clean
and sanitary and should collect eggs
frequently. 1t is also well to insure
the production of eggs with good keep
ing qualities by producing only infer
tile 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 dozen large and a 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
furnished. Perhaps the fairest way
to buy or sell eggs is by weight. Be-
cause 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 weigh
ing or measuring the eggs out o. their
shells. Cracked eggs are undesirable
because the breaking of the shell
makes possible the entrance of bac-
terra and filth.
coId-Storaue 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
housewives must use cold storage
eggs during some periods of the year
II they are to supply their tables at
all with this food. The fact that eggs
have been held in cold storage does
not necessarily 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.
Homel Preserved Eggs.
Housewives will often find it advant-
ageous to preserve their own eggs in
the home, purchasing them when the
supply is abundant, and packing them
In O solution OF water-glass or lime
water, or covering them with Daraffin
or varnish. Such eggs can be kept in
good condition for a number of
months. For current use fresh eggs
usually can be kept satisfactorily for
two or three weeks without such treat
ment. in refrigerator or dry, cool
cellar II infertile, such eggs may be
kept still longer. .r