250. Food Habits.—Long-established dietary habits and customs are not easily changed, and when the body becomes accustomed to certain foods, substitution of others, although equally valuable, may fail to give satisfactory results. For example, immigrants from southern Europe demand foods with which they are familiar, as macaroni, olive oil, and certain kinds of cheese, foods which are generally imported and more expensive than the staples produced in this country,[[80]] and when they are compelled to live on other foods, even though they have as many nutrients, they complain of being underfed. Previously acquired food habits appear to affect materially the process of digestion and assimilation. Sudden and pronounced change in the feeding of farm animals is attended with unsatisfactory results, and whenever changes are made in the food of either humans or animals they should be gradual rather than radical.
251. Underfed Families.—As the purchasing of food is often done by inexperienced persons, palatability rather than nutritive value is made the basis of choice. Dietary studies show that because of lack of knowledge of the nutritive value of foods, whole families are often underfed. Particularly is this true where the means for purchasing foods are limited. In dietary studies among poor families in New York City,[[81]] the United States Department of Agriculture notes: "It is quite evident that what is needed among these families more than anything else is instruction in the way to make the little they have go the farthest." Some classes of the rich too are equally liable to be underfed, as they are more prone to food notions and are able to indulge them. Among the children of the rich are found some as poorly nourished as among the poor.
252. Cheap and Expensive Foods.—Among the more expensive items of a ration are meats, butter, and canned fruits. The difference in composition and nutritive value between various cuts of meat is small, being largely physical, and affecting taste and flavor rather than nutritive value. Expensive cuts of meat, high-priced breakfast cereals, tropical fruits and foods which impart special flavors, add little in the way of nutritive value to the ration, but greatly enhance the cost of living. Ordinarily the cheapest foods are corn meal, wheat flour and bread, milk, beans, cheese, sugar, and potatoes.[[7]] The amount of animal and vegetable foods to combine with these to form a balanced ration may be governed largely by personal preference or cost, as there is little difference in nutritive value. The selection of foods on the basis of cost and nutritive value is discussed in Chapter XVI.
253. Food Notions.—Many erroneous ideas exist as to the nutritive value of foods, and often wholesome and valuable foods are discriminated against because of prejudice. Skim milk is usually regarded as containing little if any nourishing material, when in reality it has a high protein content, and can be added to other foods to increase their nutritive value. The less expensive cuts of meat contain more total nutrients than many of the more expensive ones. Beef extracts have been erroneously said to contain more nutrients than beef,[[51]] and mushrooms to be equal in value of beefsteak; chemical analyses fail to confirm either statement. The banana also has been overestimated as to food value, and while it contains more nutrients than many fruits, it is not the equal of cereals, as has been claimed.[[82]] Cocoa, although a valuable beverage, adds but little in the way of nutrients to a ration unless it is made with milk. The value of a food should be based upon its composition as determined by chemical analysis, its digestibility as founded upon digestion experiments, and its palatability and mechanical structure. Food notions have, in many instances, been the cause of banishing from the dietary wholesome and nutritious foods, of greatly increasing the cost of living, as well as of promulgating incorrect ideas in regard to foods, so that individuals and in some cases entire families have suffered from improper or insufficient food.
254. Dietary of Two Families Compared.—A dietary study often reveals ways in which it is possible to improve the ration in kinds and amounts of food, and sometimes at less expense. The following dietaries of two families for the same period show that one family expends over twice as much in the purchase of foods as the other family, and yet the one whose food costs the less actually secures the larger amount of nutritive material and is better fed than the family where more money is expended for food.[[13]]
Food Consumed, One Week
| Family No. 1 | |
|---|---|
| 20 loaves of bread | $1.00 |
| 10 to 12 lb. loin steak, or meat of similar cost | 2.00 |
| 20 to 25 lb. rib roast, or similar meat | 4.40 |
| 4 lb. high-priced cereal breakfast food, 20 ct. | 0.80 |
| Cake and pastry purchased | 3.00 |
| 8 lb. butter, 30 ct. | 2.40 |
| Tea, coffee, spices, etc | 0.75 |
| Mushrooms | 0.75 |
| Celery | 1.00 |
| Oranges | 2.00 |
| Potatoes | 0.25 |
| Miscellaneous canned goods | 2.00 |
| Milk | 0.50 |
| Miscellaneous foods | 2.00 |
| 3 doz. eggs | 0.60 |
| —— | |
| $23.45 | |
| Family No. 2 | |
| 15 lb. flour, bread home-made (skim milk used) | $0.45 |
| Yeast, shortening and skim milk | 0.10 |
| 10 lb. steak (round. Hamburger and some loin) | 1.50 |
| 10 lb. other meats, boiling pieces, rump roast, etc. | 1.00 |
| 5 lb. cheese, 16 cents | 0.80 |
| 5 lb. oatmeal (bulk) | 0.15 |
| 5 lb. beans | 0.25 |
| Home-made cake and pastry | 1.00 |
| 6 lb. butter, 30 ct. | 1.80 |
| 3 lb. home-made shortening | 0.25 |
| Tea, coffee, and spices | 0.40 |
| Apples | 0.50 |
| Prunes | 0.25 |
| Potatoes | 0.25 |
| Milk | 1.00 |
| Miscellaneous foods | 1.00 |
| 3 doz. eggs | 0.60 |
| —— | |
| $11.30 | |
