"In planning a well balanced diet the following points must be
considered:--

(1) The use of any considerable amount of fat meat or starchy food
should be offset by the use of some material rich in protein. Thus, if
roast pork is to be eaten for dinner, veal, fish, or lean beef might
well be eaten for breakfast or supper, or both. Bean soup furnishes a
considerable amount of protein, while bouillon, consommé, and tomato
soup are practically useless as a source of nutriment. Skim milk also
furnishes protein, with but very little accompanying fats and
carbohydrates to increase the fuel value.

(2) The use of lean meats or fish for all three meals would require
the use of such foods as rice, tapioca, or cornstarch pudding,
considerable quantities of sugar and butter, and more vegetables, in
order to furnish sufficient fuel value.

(3) Since flour, sugar, and butter or lard enter very largely into
pastries and desserts, the larger the quantities of these dishes that
are consumed the larger does the fuel value tend to become as compared
with the protein."

The principal classes of food materials may be roughly grouped as
follows as regards the proportion of protein to fuel value, beginning
with those which have the largest proportion of protein and ending
with those which contain little or no protein:--

Foods containing a large amount of protein as
compared with the fuel value.