FOODS, COMPOSITION AND NUTRITIVE VALUES OF. 



347 



Suppose a pound of beef of average fatness COMPARATIVE COSTS OF PROTEIN IN ANIMAL AND VEGB- 

 to cost 25 cents and to contain 25 per cent, of TABLE FOODS. 



inedible matters, bone, etc., 45 per cent, of " 

 water, and 30 per cent, of nutritive substance, FOODS 



upon wbicb latter tbe bone and water being 

 assumed to be without nutritive value the - 

 whole cost comes. The 30 per cent, or ^<> Beef: sirloin, medium fatness... ^ ToT 



pounds of nutritive Substance thus COSts 25 " Same, at lower price 20 86 



cents, or at the rate of 83^ cents per pound. Round, rather lean. '...'. 70 



If, now, we leave out of account the minute v^tt!Z*Z?.*?. is 55 



quantities of carbohydrates and the mineral " -Flank,* very fat '. .. 15 



matters the whole cost will fall upon the pro- Mu ?iil eg mediuai ^ e88 ;;;; g 'g 



tern and rats. Assuming these to cost in the Pork,* very fat 16 so 



ratio of 5 : 3 and the amounts in the meat to M ^?iSr'^rt "i 1 Jf 



be, protein 14 percent, and fats 15 per cent., Cheese: Whole milk ......1. 18 88 



an easy computation will show the protein to Skimmed milk. 8 19 



COSt 107-7 cents, and the fats 64'6 cents per Salmon : Early in season 100 572 



pound. Proof: 14J-i 00 pound of protein at 107'7 " When plenty 80 172 



cents = 15-3 cents ; T ^ pounds of fats at 64'6 S *? d When abundant: : \ 



cents = 9-7 cents; 15 3 cents + 9'7 cents = 25 Bluefish 10 93 



cents, the cost of the pound of meat which con- 5 a f.u^ k 7 



tained the given amounts of protein and fats. Mackerel.".'." V/.'.;.'.' '.'.'.'. '.!".'.'.'.". '.'.'.'.'. 10 so 



The above ratios, protein : fats : carbohydrates " When abundant '.'..'.'.'. 5 40 



= 5:3:1, represent at best only gen eral aver- Co f ^hen ' plenty.' .' .' .' .' .' .' .' .' .' .'.' '.'.'" e 50 



ages, and may in given cases be more or less Alewife '.'.'." ........ ...... 8 19 



incorrect. A method free from these objec- Canned sa]mon 



tions consists in simply computing the amounts gait macTe ? D . '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.' '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'/.'. 12-5 IS 



of nutrients that may be bought for the same Sait^cod 7 



price in different food-materials. At the same 



time the method above detailed is doubtless Oysters,t 25 cents per quart I2j 156 



accurate enough for a general comparison of 35 cents per quart .... 17-5 



the relative cheapness and dearness of ordinary 'l^.?.^.^.$: 55 



foods, and is used in calculating the costs of . 



protein below. ESSS^^:""^". I II 



Or the different nutrients, protein is physio- Oatmeal 5 15 



logically the most important as it is pecuniarily Soes,'* '50' cents per' bushel.:::::: 0-8 i! 



the most expensive. In fish, furthermore, as " 100 cents per bushel 1-7 28 



in the leaner kinds of meat, it is the predorni- - 



nant nutritive ingredient. For these reasons ^^ very httle protein ' * She11 CODtents - 

 the cost of protein in fish and other foods may calculations, the protein in the oysters costs 

 be used as a means of comparing their relative from two to three dollars, and in salmon rises 

 cheapness or dearness, as is done in the follow- to nearly six dollars, per pound. In beef, mut- 

 ing table. The figures represent the ordinary ton, and pork, it varies from 108 to 48 cents ; 

 prices per pound and the corresponding costs in shad, bluefish, haddock, and halibut, the 

 of protein, in specimens of food-materials ob- range is about the same ; while in cod and 

 tained in New York and Middletown (Conn.) mackerel, fresh and salted, it ranges from 67 

 markets. Though the number of specimens to as low as 33 cents per pound. Salt cod 

 is too small for reliable averages, the figures, and salt mackerel are nearly always, fresh cod 

 taken together, doubtless give a tolerably fair and mackerel often, and even the choicer fish, 

 idea of the relative costliness of the nutrients as bluefish and shad, when abundant, cheaper 

 in the different classes of foods. sources of protein than any but the inferior 



Thus the nutrients of vegetable foods are, kinds of meat. 



in general, much less costly than in animal In short, we pay for many of our foods 

 foods. The animal foods have, however, the according to their agreeableness to our palates, 

 advantage of containing a larger proportion of rather than their value for nourishing our bod- 

 protein and fats, and the protein, at least, in ies. At the same time it is interesting to note 

 more digestible forms. And further, the so- that the prices of the materials that make up 

 called "nitrogenous extractives" of kreatin, the bulk of the food of the people seem to run 

 carnin, etc., of meats, which contribute so much more or less parallel with their actual nutri- 

 to their agreeable flavor, exert a nutritive effect tive values. Here, as elsewhere, the resultant 

 which, though not yet explained, is neverthe- of the general experience of mankind has led 

 less important. It is these which give to " ex- slowly and blindly, but none the less surely, 

 tract of meat " its peculiar flavor and stimu- to the same general result to which accurate 

 lating effect. research more understandingly and quickly 



Among the animal foods, those which rank guides us. 

 as delicacies are the costliest. By the above Fish as Food. As the investigation to which 



