68 FOODS AND NUTRITION 



are all subject to modification when we consider them in 

 relation to individual tastes and needs. Thus certain 

 forms of food may be distasteful to certain persons. In 

 that case a less nutritious food may be more valuable 

 because of its readier digestibility. 



Cost of foods. — The money value of foods is a question 

 that should have much more attention than is commonly 

 given to it, and much time has been given to this side of 

 food values by the Department of Agriculture at Wash- 

 ington. The table on the following page gives some of 

 these results in a form which explains itself. 



The principles which should guide in the selection of 

 cheap foods may be stated as follows : " The cheapest 

 food is that which supplies the most nutriment for the 

 least money. The most economical food is that which 

 is cheapest and at the same time best adapted to the 

 wants of the eater." ' 



These two statements indicate very clearly two of the 

 guiding principles for the economical purchase of food, 

 namely, nutritive value and palatableness. It is evident 

 that only by the study of such tabulated statements as are 

 given in Charts I. to III. can we determine the relative 

 nutritive values of foods, and it is in supplying of such 

 tables that the government is giving valuable aid to the 

 purchaser. 



Adulteration. — Another principle which the purchaser 

 must consider is the quality or relative purity of foods. 

 Especial care is necessary in the selection of brands of 

 canned foods since many of the market brands contain 

 adulterants or preservatives which are positively danger- 

 pus to the health of the user. Recent legislative measures 

 1 Farmers' Bulletin, 23, p. 20. 



