plentiful. It might be worth while, however, to substitute these for
potatoes rather often. The latter will be appreciated all the more if not
served every day in the week, or at least not more than once a day. We
might extend the fashion of baked beans and brown bread to roast pork with
rice, ham with baked bananas, roast beef with hominy, and broiled steak
with macaroni. Why not? You, Madam Housewife, are always sighing for
variety, but does it never occur to you that the greatest secret of
variety lies in new combinations?




CHAPTER V

ARE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES LUXURIES?


In the house of diet fruits and vegetables may be likened to windows and
doors, fire-places and chimneys; we could dispense with them, we could
board up our windows and make a fire on a big stone in the middle of the
room, letting the smoke escape through a hole in the roof, but such a
course would not mean comfort year in and year out. So we may exist
without fruits and vegetables, but it is worth while to stop and consider
what we gain by their use.

We shall have to admit at the outset that if we have to spend money or
labor for them, fruits and vegetables are not the cheapest source of fuel
for the human machine. Some of them are cheaper fuel than butter, eggs, or
meat, but not as cheap as cereals, sugar, molasses, syrups, and some of
our cheapest fats. This is true of potatoes, parsnips, carrots, dried peas