60 STUDIES IN PHYSIOLOGY 



The food problem, then, for the healthy human being is 

 this how to obtain the largest amount of good, nutritious 

 food for the least money. To this problem an intelligent 

 individual, if he can be led to see the importance of the sub- 

 ject, will devote considerable thought. This problem can- 

 not be solved, as we have seen, by consulting market prices, 

 for often the highest-priced foods contain small percentages 

 of the nutrients. Neither can we be sure of a good supply 

 of foods by following our tastes. To many people cakes 

 and sweetmeats are more appetizing than sandwiches and 

 cereals. Yet it is the latter that supply the all-essential 

 proteids. 



The composition of various foods can be found only by 

 chemical analysis, and their nutritive value can be deter- 

 mined only by experiment. Fortunately these analyses 

 and experiments are being carried on by the United States 

 government. The results are published in the Bulletins 

 of the Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., many 

 of which will be sent free to any address. The most sug- 

 gestive of these publications are " Foods : Nutritive Value 

 and Cost " ; " Meats : Composition and Cooking " ; " Milk 

 as a Food"; "Fish as a Food"; "Sugar as a Food"; 

 " Foods, and the Principles of Nutrition." 



