w ,;J_ '7 (,. 2... Vol . 3 State College of Washin~ton No . 8

H O M E E C O N O M I C S NEWS SERVI C E

EXTENSION SERVICE TJ . S. D.A. COLLEGE N&u,..,,., *********************************************************************** **·** ~ Release Not Before u Sat urday Jan. 30, 1937

SALT PORK FOR SAVORY SEASONING

Salt po rk, used for "la.rding11 other meats, in the pot of baked beans or in t he

kettle of gr eens or snap beans , can serve also as a savory seasoning in dozens of

other ways, accordi ng to Miss Rae Russell, extension nutritionist , Stat e College of

Washington.

Many people like t o use salt pork f or seasoning chowders, vegetables , or

quick breads such as spoon bread, biscuits, griddle cakes and muffins .

The re is nothing better than salt pork for "toning up" starchy foods . For

example, it may be used f or ha.shed brown potatoes, for Spanish rice , or with ma.ra.roni .

Cut in small pieces and fried until crisp, the cracklings a.re a goo d addition to

scalloped dishes such as sweetpota.toes and apples, cabbage and apples, tomatoes and

kidney beans, l entils, potatoes or hominy. Many people like sliced fried salt po rk

with milk gravy. Served with hominy and tomatoes or cabbage, this makes a. good full

meal .

When leaner cuts such a.s shoulders have been dry- salted, they can be prepared

very much like ham or corned beef. They a.re excellent simmered in water and ser ved

hot or cold or in sandwiches . Diced or ground after cooking, the meat can be put into

stews, hashes or stuffed vegetables. Some other suggestions: A vegetable chowder

seasoned with salt pork, salt pork scra.pple, salt pork s tew. A very deli cious ha.sh

can be ma.de by combining equal parts of' chopped cooked lean salt pork and unsalted

whole wheat previously cooked . Flavor this mixture with minced onion frie d in salt­

pork drippings and chopped green pepper or oa.rrot. Rice or hominy grits will serve

as a substitute for the whole wheat. Lean salt pork must be ooa.ked for several hours

to freshen it before cooking and the water should be changed several tlmes during

cooking. --30-- - 2 - Release No t Before Saturday Jan. 30, 1937 THE FUEL VALUE OF FOOD by Leila. Wall Hunt, He ad Foods and Nutrition State College of Wash ington

Foods ar e defined as those s~bstances which furnish energy to the body, build

tissue, or regulate body processes . Ma n must get his energy from his food . Although

the energy of fo od is not used directly as heat, we measure it by a heat unit called

the calorie . Host of our foods are mixtures of proteins, fats , and carbohydrates in

varying proportions . These a.re what we call our energy producing foods . Almost al­

ways we find associated with them water, minerals , vitamins and cellulose . '.Ihese

latter substances a.re very valuable in the diet, but they do not yield energy. Fe.ts

furnish two and one - fourth times as much energy as the carbohydrates and the proteins.

Some foods co ntain one kind of fuel only. For example , sugar contains but one kind,

eggs contain two and milk contains three .

As far as the energy requirement is concerr.ed, n~tritj_on is an exact science;

a definite amount of work calls for a definite amount of energy in the form of food.

The only reason that we are not forced to stop working e.s soon as food is withheld

is that we are able to carry stores of fat (and a little carbohydrate) as re8erve fuel, and also to draw, if necessary, on our own body protein. We know that it is

possible for people to fa.st t l·irty and forty days , tut this brings a.bout a great de­

pletion of body reserves . When the reserves are exhausted there comes a time when

death will result. On the other hand, if more fue: is supplied than can be used, the surplus is stored as fat .

~e can assume that the energy of the food supply is adjusted to the individual's needs if he maintains a uniform normal weight over a long period of time . But many people do not do this , even in so-called health, and certainly not in illness . Many

_; ·9ars ago before we realized that the energy from food must be in proportion to the body ' s expenditure , it was the custom to feed people who were ill on beef tea, and ot her broths with little fuel value. On this diet the energy necessary could not come from the food , b ut had to oomo from t he body itself. Now jt is clearly understood

(MORE) - 3 - Add Fuel Value of Food that a man lying quietly in bod thr oughout a twenty-four hour day, uses at lea.st twelve calories for ever y pound of body weight. This means from 1600 to 1800 calories for the average man pe r day. Care should be ta.ken to see that the energy suppl y comes from the food, rather than the body be permitted to consume itself. The old idea of a starvat ion diet for those who a.re sick is obsolete. As we have said, food is fuel for the human ma.chine , but many times we are not very wise ·in our food consumption, e ither ea.ting t oo much or too little . Host people t r ust the matter to appetite, An unperverted appetite may be a. fairly safe guide to follow, but many times the appetite is precocious and decei ·•ring . Interest in the problem of obesity ha.s become accentuated in the last few yea.rs because overweight is depreciated from an aesthetic standpoint, as well a.s f rom the health standpoint. In obesity the internal organs are working under a handicap. '.:-he muscles and the heart often suffer . The circulation of the blood is impeded and this in turn makes the work of the weakening he a.rt more difficult and the strain on the blood vessels grea.tero Liver, kidneys, and pancreas a.re all at a disadvantage, and how long they can continue to function proper ly depends on their native endurance . There is no guarantee that the interr.al organs which were built to ca.re for a 150- pound body oan take equally good ca.re of a 300-·pound body. Certain diseases have long been known to be associated with overweight. Body fat cannot be built out of nothing . Barring abnormal conditions, excess fat usually comes from the consumption of food of high energy value . The overw ight person needs to learn how to get a balance between the caloric intake of food and his energy expenditure . Exercise is sometimes reconur.ended for reducing weight, but if because of exercise you eat more food, then the exercise is a.11 for naught . Out present mode of living reduces exercise to a. level incompatible with the consumption of food containing a large number of calories . Our task is to learn first, how many calories we need, and then to see how, by intelligent choice of foods which yield them, we ffiay make them the carriers of every other dietary essential.

--30--