25 



to the famil3\ That they were sufficiently nourishing- is shown by 

 their calculated food value as compared with the commonly accepted 

 standard and by the continued good health of the family. 



The results of this study as compared with that of the dietary under 

 usual conditions suggest whnt it is possible to do in the way of decreas- 

 ing the cost of the diet by careful planning. The ordinary diet, while 

 not strictly limited in cost, was provided by a person with a general 

 knowledge of the relations between cost and nutritive value; ^^et the 

 diet of smaller cost was quite as satisfactory and could easily have 

 been made equal to the other in fuel value, as it was in protein, with- 

 out adding anvthing to the cost. 



In the dietary of low cost the expenditure per woman per day was 

 only 16 conts, and the food supplied only 79 grams of protein and 

 2,183 calori s of energy. These quantities are considerabh' lower than 

 in either of the preceding studies. The low cost was secured largely 

 by using less expensive food materials than were usually purchased. 

 In some cases the kinds of food were different from those ordinarily 

 used, as for ins ance cheaper cuts of meat, while in other cases the 

 kinds of food were similar in kind to those to which the family was 

 accustomed, but were of a cheaper grade. 



With regard to the daih^ fare in this study, it may be said that while 

 it was certainh' nourishing and was readily accepted by those inter- 

 ested in the experimental side of the work it did not find favor with 

 the larger portion of the famih", who had no special interest in the 

 investigation and preferred a more elaborate menu. Assuming that 

 these latter young women are fairly representative as regards their 

 likes and dislikes, it would seem that this grade of food can not be 

 recommended as satisfactory for boarding schools. 



Of all the diets the most expensive was the one preferred ]}y those 

 not particularly interested in the experimental side of the study. In 

 this case the food cost 51 cents per woman per day, and the quantity 

 of protein supplied was more than 25 per cent larger than that of the 

 regular dietary, though the quantity of energy was a trifle smaller, 

 owing to the fact that the amount of fat eaten was rather small. The 

 increase in the quantity of protein was due largely to the use of larger 

 quantities of animal foods, such as eggs, dairv products, and various 

 kinds of meat. There is a very common tendency, when the expendi- 

 ture for food is practically unrestricted, to increase the amounts of 

 this class of food materials, which are all more or less rich in protein, 

 and which are at the same time relatively expensive. These and fanc}'^ 

 foods and out-of-season articles alwaj's raise the cost of the diet out of 

 proportion to the actual nutritive value. 



. It will be noticed that in the two studies in which the quantities of 

 nutrients of the proposed diet were estimated these differed some- 

 what from the quantities in the foods actually used. In both cases 



