The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-12-26
Government Bureau Prepares
Set of Charts That Make
Subject Clear.
GIVES COST and FOOD VALUE
fluctuations Are Planned to Show
Exchanging Factors on Which
Wise Food Selection Must Be
Based-Shows Amount
Food Needed.

dSeO-ONOW ANVOuHk
Food Needed.
prepared by the United States Depart
ment OF Agriculture)
Washington. - The principles of
scientific food selection for the aver
age family have been reduced to easily
applied terms in a series of six charts
designed for popular use by teachers
and lecturers. The charts, prepared
by the office If home economics,
United States department of agricul-
ture, are so arranged hat the value
in calories of any meal containing
any of the several foods listed and
the cost can be easily calculated.
In general, the tabulationS are
planned 10 show ~unchanging factors
on which wise food selection must be
based-foOd requirements and food
compOSition-and to provide spaces
for the changing factors-prices.
With che or two exceptions the foods
listed are those for which the depart
men, of labor quotes prices in its
llOIllly IcDOiNS'
These charts can be easily repro
duced in either temporary or perma-
nent form. For the former use they
can be copied on a schoolroOm black
board. If they are desired for more
permanent use it is suggested that
they be made on blackboard cloth.
In this form they can be rolled COM
pactly. The charts were used by a
department of agriculture speaker to
illustrate lectures at the recent ma
tional dairy show In Chicago.
Shows Food Needed.
The first chart shows in ~1OO-calOrie
portions the amount OF food needed
daily by the average family and also
the proportions Of the wholesome
diet; that is, the desirable relative
amounts of the following five classes
Of foods: /, vegetables and fruits; 2,
milk, meat, eggs, and similar foods ;
3, cereal foods 4, sweets; and 5, fats.
Charts like this a be made more
generally useful IL the words aver
age family Gather, mother and three
young children)" and also the num-
Der Of 100-calorie portions are omitted.
The speaker can then fill In these
spaces and apply the chart to the
needs Of any individual or family,
to q man at moderately active mus
cular work, for example, or to aifam-
lily Of two average adults. Most
teachers have the necessary data for
All. rrI~nx, ehn.tI ,ayanpnhnr hnyyavnr
that these charts are designed to
show the amount of food that should
be purchased rather than the amount
to be eaten. The amounts inserted
should therefore make provision for
all the losses that take place In the
course of storing the food and of pre-
pairing 1t for the table. An allowance
of 10 per cent for this is customary.
For the Working Man.
For illustration. 1t is generally
| agreed that a man who does moder-
ately active muscular work needs
about so ~1O0-calorie portions daily.
IL he is to receive this amount Ii will
be necessary to provide at least 81
1OO-calorie portions unless extraor-
binary care Is taken to prevent waste.
With the proportions of a wholesome
| and attractive diet given on the chart
It is a simple matter to estimate tire
| number of 10O-calorie portions needed
| of the various kinds Of food. In the
case of this q the distribution
would be about as follows: From
vegetables and fruits, z; from meat,
milk, eggs, etc., s.; from cereal foods,
10; from sweets, 3; and from fats, B.
If the food for the average family
costs On the average l cent per 100
calorie portion, the total expense for
the day will, Of course, be $1.20, ex-
elusive of tea, coffee. spice, etc. II
It costs. on the average 1.5 cents per
~100-calorie portion, the expense per
day will be S1,S0. Ii an effort is to
be made to keep the expense down to
$50 per day. for example. and II
some foods cost 4 or 5 cents per 100
calorie portion. others must be con
siderably cheaper.
How to Compare Prices.
The other five charts. one for each
group OF foods, show how fo0c mate
rials that have somewhat the same