Milford chronicle., 1940-05-17
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
By CHARLOTTE SPENCER
KHFifioHisf for the State Board
Of Health
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GOOD NUTRITION ON A FOOD
BUDGET

The United States Bureau Of Home
Economics makes some very good
suggestions about good nutrition on
food budget.
Questions about food budgets are
sent into this bureau daily from all
over the country. Everywhere home
makers want information to help
them get the best possible diet for
their money.
The Bureau OF Home Economics
has worked cut four food plans as
guides in purchasing the best poss-
ible diets for the money. One plan
is for a liberal diet, one a moderate
lOw-cost diet, and the third a mini
mum-cOst adequate diet. The fourth
is recommended for emergency use
only, 10 be used when there is so
little money that no amount OF care
full buying can insure a really good
diet.
Each one Of these plans is set up
for families of two, fOur, and seven.
Secret Of the success Of this plan
is that II makes use Of the most nu-
tritious of the inexpensive foods.
Milk and cereal foods are its main
stay. There are just enough Vege-
tables, fruits, eggs and lean meats to
supply the Vitamins, minerals, and
protein not furnished In sufficient
quantities by cereal and milk. Fats
and sweets are used to round out
calOries.
In most sections Of the country
such a diet could be purchased for
family Of four for from to 10 dol
lars a week. A sample weekly mar
ket order would include the follow
ing: 171k quarts Of milk, IL pounds
of potatoes and sweetpotatOes, 4
pounds tomatoes and citrus fruit, 2
pounds of leafy. green, and yellow
vegetables, 2 pounds dried beans and
peas, peanut butter. and nuts, 2
pounds dried fruits. pounds other
vegetables and fruits, lI3 dozen Of
eggs, ~ pounds Of lean meat, poul-
try, and fish, IS pounds -four and
cereals, ga pounds of fats, 3A
pounds of sugar, and as cents worth
of accessories (cOffee, spices, etc.).
For a family that lives in a town
or city and has to buy all the food
it eats, getting all this for the money
means smart buying and shopping.
Il means buying the inexpensive but
no less nutritious cuts Of meat 1t
means taking advantage Of food bar
gains-knOwing the kind of green
vegetables and fruits. for instance.
that are at the height Of their sea
son aud good baEa The ahoDpeF VIII
buy cheap and nutritious cereals and
make sure that part Of them are the
whole-grain kind that furnish min
erals and Vitamins as well as calor-
les.
On the other hand, a family that
lives In the country may be able TO
get a mOderate-cOst or even a liberal
diet for the same amount OF money
For a vegetable garden, a COW, some
chickens will furnish more Of the
protective foods that make the diff
ference between an ordinary ade-
0uate" diet and a very good diet.
To make sure that the family gets
all the nutritive values that come
from the store or the farm means
that the hOmemaker has to follow
through with good cooking. This
is true no matter how expensive the
diet. but IL there is a minimum OF
money to spend it is even more i'm
portant. And with a skillful use OF
seasonings the home
maker can make lOw-cOst meals most
attractive and seemingly more var
led than they really are.
These four diet plans-alOng with
weekly market orders and
available free from the
U. S. Department of Agriculture
d. c. They are includ-
ed in Farmers Bulletin 1857, Diets
to Fit the Family Income.