First diet from FNDDS

To start my study on the economic value of nutrients, I've created the first minimum cost diet based on data from the USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies.

Unfortunately, their cost data is years out of date. If you wish, you can multiply the costs by some appropriate inflation factor, say, 2. Even then, I suspect that typical prices have changed with respect to each other. Still, this should be an inexpensive diet.

Only 2,000 kilocalories in this computer-generated diet. It meets all the nutritional requirements for a male, 30 to 50 years old. No warranty on palatability.

• 153.6 grams, $1.5/kg, Milk, dry, whole, with added vitamin D.
• 0.8 grams, $6.8/kg, Cereals ready-to-eat, KELLOGG, KELLOGG'S ALL-BRAN COMPLETE Wheat Flakes.
• 26 grams, $3.2/kg, Tomatoes, sun-dried.
• 190.3 grams, $0.2/kg, Mixed vegetable and fruit juice drink, with added nutrients.
• 49.7 grams, $0.3/kg, Rolls, dinner, rye.
• 445.6 grams, $0.2/kg, Tortillas, ready-to-bake or -fry, corn.
• 1.1 grams, $3/kg, Chicken liver, braised.
• 189.8 grams, $0.4/kg, Pinto, calico, or red Mexican beans, dry, cooked, fat not added in cooking.
• 21 grams, $3.4/kg, Peanut butter, vitamin and mineral fortified.

Editorial comments. If you drop the All-Bran and liver, you haven't lost much nutritionally. The sundried tomatoes and tortillas look way too cheap, like a factor of 20.

I'll post more diets, as I get them. Bon apétit!