The price of food is not regulated largely by its value for nutriment.
Its agreeableness to the palate or to the buyer's fancy is a large
factor in determining the current demand and market price. There is no
more nutriment in an ounce of protein or fat from the tender-loin of
beef than from the round or shoulder. The protein of animal food has,
however, some advantage over that of vegetable foods in that it is more
thoroughly, and perhaps more easily, digested, for which reason it would
be economical to pay somewhat more for the same quantity of nutritive
material in the animal food. Furthermore, animal foods such as meats,
fish and the like, gratify the palate as most vegetable foods do not.
For persons in good health, foods in which the nutrients are the most
expensive are like costly articles of adornment. People who can well
afford them may be justified in buying them, but they are not
economical. The most economical food is that which is at the same time
most healthful and cheapest.

The variations in the cost of the actual nutriment in different food
materials may be illustrated by comparison of the amounts of nutrients
obtained for a given sum in the materials as bought at ordinary market
prices. This is done in Table VI., which shows the amounts of available
nutrients contained in the quantities of different food materials that
may be purchased for one shilling at prices common in England.

When proper attention is given to the needs of the body for food and the
relation between cost and nutritive value of food materials, it will be
found that with care in the purchase and skill in the preparation of
food, considerable control may be had over the expensiveness of a
palatable, nutritious and healthful diet.

AUTHORITIES.--COMPOSITION OF FOODS:--Konig, _Chemie der menschlichen
Nahrungs- und Genussmittel_; Atwater and Bryant, "Composition of
American Food Materials," Bul. 28, Office of Experiment Stations, U.S.
Department of Agriculture. NUTRITION AND DIETETICS:--Armsby,
_Principles of Animal Nutrition_; Lusk, _The Science of Nutrition_;
Burney Yeo, _Food in Health and Disease_; Munk and Uffelmann, _Die
Ernahrung des gesunden und kranken Menschen_; Von Leyden,
_Ernahrungstherapie und Diatetik_; Dujardin-Beaumetz, Hygiene
alimentaire; Hutchison, _Food and Dietetics_; R. H. Chittenden,
_Physiological Economy in Nutrition_ (1904), _Nutrition of Man_
(1907); Atwater, "Chemistry and Economy o