10 DEPARTMENT BULLETIN 975, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTUEE. 



(charts 41 and 42) show some mmeral matters and protein, but 

 have relatively longer lines for energy because of the sugar used 

 in preparing them. How much the efficacy of the vitamines survives 

 drying and preserving is a question that has not yet been completely 

 answered. 



The group of sugary foods has another very important use — that 

 of giving flavor to the diet, but this can not be expressed by lines 

 on the diagrams. 



The points to remember about foods of this group are : 



(1) Sugar and sugary foods are valuable for fuel and for flavor. 



(2) A few sweet foods, such as maple sirup, jelly, and preserved fruits, also 



contain small amounts of protein and mineral substances. 



(3) Sweets in proper amounts are an important part of the diet, provided 



they are served at such times as not to take away the appetite for 

 other foods. 



Group V. FATS AND FAT FOODS. 



(Charts 43-48, pp. 32-35.) 



In Group V are classed butter and other table fats ; lard, suet, and 

 other cooking fats; oil; bacon, salt pork, and pork sausage; choco- 

 late ; cream ; fat nuts, which include all the common nuts but chest- 

 nuts; and in general, all foods in which fat supplies at least five- 

 sixths of the total fuel, leaving only one-sixth to be supplied by pro- 

 tein, starch, or sugar. They difl'er greatly among themselves in 

 respect to the minerals and vitamines they supply. 



The length of the first line in the charts of this group, when 

 compared with the first lines of the other charts, shows that, pound 

 for pound, fats contribute more to the energy value of the diet than 

 any other kind of food. The purified fats, such as lard (chart 43), 

 show no lines except for energy. On the other hand, salt pork and 

 chocolate (charts 46 and 47) show considerable protein; cream 

 (chart 45) and chocolate, calcium; and all three, but particularly 

 chocolate, show phosphorus. Chocolate also is a rich source of iron. 



In comparing these foods with one another, it should be remem- 

 bered that butter and cream are important for the vitamines that 

 they furnish, especially vitamine A, and that these factors of the 

 diet are almost if not entirely wanting in lard, table oils, and other 

 artificially purified fats. 



The points to remember about foods in this group are : 



(1) Fats and fat foods as a class have higher fuel value than those of any other 



group. 



(2) Fats add flavor and richness to the diet, but, since they are such con- 



centrated fuel foods, are often used in excess of the amount needed. 



(3) Milk fat is a particularly rich source of vitamine A. Butter and cream 



are therefore far more important than most other fats in the diet of 

 growing children. 



(4) Some of these fat foods, for example, chocolate and nuts, contain generous 



proportions of protein and mineral substances. 



