number, kind, and price of the food materials used to make up three
daily meals. They also illustrate how the cost of the daily menu may
vary greatly with the kind and variety of materials purchased, though
the nutritive value remains the same. These sample menus should not,
however, be regarded as in any sense "models" to be followed in actual
practice. The daily menus for any family will necessarily vary with
the market supply, the season, and the relative expensiveness of
different food materials, as well as with the tastes and purse of the
consumers. The point to which we wish here to draw especial attention
is that the prudent buyer of foods for family consumption can not
afford to wholly neglect their nutritive value in making such
purchases.

With reference to the following daily menus, several points must be
definitely borne in mind. (1) The amounts given represent about what
would be called for in a family equivalent to four full-grown men at
ordinary manual labor, such as machinists, carpenters, mill-workers,
farmers, truckmen, etc., according to the usually accepted standards.
Sedentary people would require somewhat less than the amounts here
given. (2) Children as a rule may be considered as having "moderate
muscular exercise," and it may easily be understood that the
14-year-old boy eats as much as his father who is engaged in business
or professional occupation, both requiring, according to the tentative
standard, 0.8 of the food needed by a man with moderate muscular work.
(3) It is not assumed that any housewife will find it convenient to
follow exactly the proportions suggested in the menus. The purpose is
to show her about what amounts and proportions of food materials would
give the required nutrients.

A family equivalent to four men having little muscular
exercise--_i.e._, men with sedentary occupation--would require but
about 0.8 the quantities indicated in the following menus. It would be
very doubtful, however, if they would eat proportionally less of every
food material. It would, in fact, be more probable that the amounts of
meat, fish, eggs, potatoes, and bread eaten would be reduced in a much
greater proportion than fruit, pastry, coffee, etc.

PECUNIARY ECONOMY OF MILK AND OTHER FOODS.

_Amounts of actual nutrients obtained in different food materials for
10 cts._

_Food Material._ _Lbs. Oz._

Whole Milk, 10 cts. per qt. 2 0
"