33 
fruitarian or oven with a vegetarian, but with a student accustomed 
all his life to a mixed diet, who followed the fruit and nut diet for the 
first time during the period covered by study No. 362. It appears 
from the table that, notwithstanding the high price of meat, the cost of 
the mixed dietary No. 360 (26 cents per day) is less than that of either 
of the two succeeding studies made with the same subject. The fuel 
value, however, is greatest in stud}' Xo. 362. with a strictly fruitarian 
diet, the protein being but 9 grams less than in stud}' Xo. 360. 
The average value for the daily protein (62 grams) of the American 
vegetarian and fruitarian dietary studies made with, men is practically 
identical with the corresponding average for German experiments. 
There is not. however, such a close agreement in the case of energy. 
for in the German studies the minimum, 2,775 calories, reported by 
Voit exceeds by 10 per cent the average of the American studies. 
Finally, it should be noted that as regards protein all the dietaries here 
recorded are decidedly deficient as compared with the commonly 
accepted American dietary standard for men at similar work. The 
question how much protein is necessary daily for a man in order that 
he shall maintain his nitrogen balance at the most satisfactory protein 
level is an exceedingly important one. 
The fuel value of the dietaries here reported seems to approach 
much nearer the accepted standard than the protein, and in one case 
(study Xo. 363) is slightly in excess of it. The cost of the daily diets 
varies from 18.1 cents in study Xo. 356 to 46.5 cents in study No. 363. 
It would thus seem that for a man at moderate work a strictly fruita- 
rian diet would not be economical. At the same time it seems certain 
that a vegetarian diet fulfilling all the requirements of our tentative 
standards could be arranged which would cost no more than the aver- 
age conventional diet and might in many cases cost less. The fruita- 
rian diet possesses an advantage in that there' is practically no waste. 
In the case of nuts and fruit of the best quality the only refuse is the 
uneatable portion, such as shells of nuts, stems of fruit, etc.. and in 
the case of prepared cereals even this does not obtain, as the waste 
(hulls, etc.) is supposed to have been removed before they have been 
marketed. 
It appears to the writer from his experience that one serious and 
very common fault with the vegetarians is their ignorance of the nutri- 
tive value of the different fruits, nuts, and vegetable foods in general, 
which accounts for the selection of foods furnishing at a fairly high 
price much less nutritive material than could be furnished for the 
same sum or less by other vegetable foods or by more reasonable 
combinations. 
1453— Xo. 132—03 3 
