As a prominent writer on nutrition has well said, “The health and strength of all are intimately dependent upon their diet. Yet most people understand very little about what their food contains, how it nourishes them, whether they are economical or wasteful in buying and preparing it for use, and whether or not the food they eat is rightly fitted to the demands of their bodies. The result of this ignorance is great waste in the purchase and use of food, loss of money, and injury to health” (Atwater). We all recognize the general force and truth of this statement, but there is a surprising lack of appreciation of the full significance of what is involved thereby. If it is true that the demands of the body for proteid food--which of all foods is the most expensive--are fully met by an amount equal to one-half that ordinarily consumed, and that health and strength are more satisfactorily maintained thereby, it is easy to see how the acquisition of dietary habits leading to consumption of food in harmony with physiological needs will result in a fruitful twofold economy; viz., economy in expenditure, and of still greater moment, economy in the activities of the body by which food and its waste products are cared for. CHAPTER VIII PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS WITH SOME ADDITIONAL DATA TOPICS: Proper application of the results of scientific research helpful to mankind. Dietary habits should be brought into conformity with the true needs of the body. The peculiar position of proteid foods emphasized. The evil effects of overeating. What the new dietary standards really involve. The actual amounts of foodstuffs required. Relation of nutritive value to cost of foods. The advantages of simplicity in diet. A sample dietary for a man of 70 kilograms body-weight. A new method of indicating food values. Moderation in the daily dietary leads toward vegetable foods. The experiments of Dr. Neumann. The value of fruits as food. The merits of animal and vegetable proteids considered in relation to the bacterial processes in the intestine. A notable case of simplicity in diet. Intelligent modification of diet to the temporary needs of the body. Diet in summer and winter contrasted. Value of greater protection to the kidneys. Conclusion.