hild, and infant in arms. Now, as mere
infants and some older folk have not had any, it follows that many of us
have had a great deal more. Did we need it? Shall we be worse off without
it? Meat is undeniably popular. In spite of the rising price and the
patriotic spirit of conservation, meat consumption goes on in many
quarters at much the usual rate. There is probably no other one food so
generally liked. It has a decided and agreeable flavor, a satisfactory
"chew," and leaves an after-sense of being well fed that many take as the
sign of whether they are well nourished or not. It digests well, even when
eaten rapidly, and perhaps partly for this reason is favored by the
hurried man of affairs. It is easy to prepare and hence is appreciated by
the cook, who knows that even with unskillful treatment it will be
acceptable and require few accessories to make an agreeable meal. Its rich
flavor helps to relieve the flatness of foods like rice, hominy, beans, or
bread. From this point of view there is no such thing as a "meat
substitute."

But, nutritionally speaking, meat is only one of many; undeniably a good
source of protein, but no better than milk or eggs. A lamb chop is a very
nice item on a bill of fare, but the protein it contains can be secured
just as well from one large egg, or two level tablespoonfuls of peanut
butter, or one and one-fourth ounces of cheese; or a part of the time from
a quarter of a cup of dried navy beans or a little less of dried split
peas.

Meat is highly regarded as a source of iron; but, again, it has no
monopoly of this important building-stone in the house of diet. The eggs,
or peas, or half the beans mentioned above would any one of them furnish
more iron than the lamb chop, while a quarter of a cup of cooked spinach
or a small dish of string beans would furnish quite as much. Besides green
vegetables, fruit, and the yolk of egg, cereals are a not inconsiderable
source of iron. A man would have adequate nourishment for a day, including
a sufficient supply of iron, if he were doing only moderate physical
labor, from one pint of milk, one and one-half pounds of whole wheat
bread, and three medium-sized apples. Beef juice is often used as a source
of iron for children and undoubtedly it is one which is palatable and
digestible, but it takes a quarter of a pound of beef to get a few
tablespoonfuls of juice, and a tablespoonful of juice would hardly contain
as much iron as one egg yolk; an