Evening star., 1942-02-11
ways to Conserve Sugar
Energy Value Is Easily Replaced
By Substituting Other Foods
By Bureau OF Home Economics,
United States Department of Agriculture

Now that the Nations sweet tooth
Is undergoing . little discipline,
many a homemaker is working out
ways to make her sugar supply go
further. In the following para
graphs, DR.. Louise Stanley, chief
Of the United States Department of
Agriculture's Bureau Of Home Eco
nomics, makes some suggestions
along this line.
Restricting retail sugar pur-
chases may be a bit inconvenient
at first" says DR.. Stanley. but 1t
can hardly be regarded as a kitchen
catastrophe.
TN the first place, we can get
along on q lot less sugar than we
have been eating-and still have
nutritious meals that taste good.
For, as far as actual food value
is concerned. sugar is not an in
dispensable item in the diet for
most of us. Sugar supplies food
energy in an exceedingly palatable
form. But as far as energy from
food goes, any reduction in sugar
can easily be taken care Of by
increasing energy giving foods in
the diet. There are many other In
expensive energy-giving foods that
supply, in addition. valuable vita
minis and minerals. Whole-grain
cereals are one such food group.
Starch vegetables and dried fruits
are others.
ALTHOUGH sugar Is q quicker
source of energy than most foods
that is, it can be digested and used
by the body rapidly-most OF us
who do not work at hard physical
labor for long periods OF time have
no special need of quick energy"
Therefore, DR.. Stanley concludes,
cutting down on sugar means little
more to most Of us than cutting
down on a flavor that is particularly
pleasing. And with little thought,
she believes, the homemaker can
cut the sugar in her meals the
necessary amount in comparatively
painless ways.
Whether the weekly sugar avail
able to each person arrived at by
ONCE of Price Administration Is
three -fourths of pound or slightly
more or less, that is quite a bit OF
sweetness. Three-fourths of a
roundabout two and one-half
cups-a week amounts to a little
over 10 level teaspoons day.
Plans for diets that are nutritious.
satisfying and palatable, worked out
by the Bureau OF Home Economics
for years of normal sugar supplies.
have included 50 to go pounds Of
sweets q year. This figure, in addi-
ton to sugar, counts sirups and
commercially prepared preserves.
And it doesn't mean that the same
amount Is recommended for every
one In the family. Quantities sug-
gested in the diet plans range from
less than 5 pounds year for In
fants to 80 pounds for very active
men.
Although these diet plans use less
refined sugar than has customarily
been bought by the Nations fam
lilies in the past few years, the
amount can be further reduced.
Here are some suggestions:
Keep a weather eye open Tor
out and out sugar wastes. One OF
the most obvious sugar wastes, OF
course, is undissolved sugar in the
bottom of a cup of coffee or tea.
Other sugar wastes are oversweet-
ened foods, cake failures-or fall
ures of any product that contains
sugar.
Next, cut down on sugar in least
noticeable ways. Experiment to see
if the amount Of sugar you've been
putting on your breakfast cereal
or in your coffee is just a matter
of habit-whether you could be just
as happy with half spoonful or
so less. If the breakfast cereal is
topped with dried fruit, you need
less sugar than for plain cereal.
In fact, when 1t comes to eating
less sugar, we might take a tip
from the diets that are recon-
mended for children. Little sugar
is given to q child early in life-so
he can learn to like the natural
taste of foods undisguised. And
his sweets are kept simple-served
to him either for dessert or just
shortly after a meal. Sweets are
such concentrated foods that they
tend to take the edge OF the ap-
petite-make children or adults less
hungry for other foods they need.
Try eating fewer rich desserts
fewer pastries and very sweet cakes
Fresh fruits are. among the most
nutritious and desirable Of desserts
and they carry their own sugar
Canned fruits also come in the class
of not-too-rich desserts. Dried fruits
are one of the best sources Of ma
! tural sugar. A pudding made with
raiSinS or dates, for instance, needs