Nutritive Value Booklet Makes A Handy Kitchen Reference

By Rosalie Marion Bliss
October 18, 2002

An update of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's soft-cover booklet filled with handy tables of nutritive values for common household foods is hot off the press.

Back by popular demand, the 8 ½-by-11 inch guide is entitled USDA Home and Garden Bulletin 72, Nutritive Value of Foods, or HG 72 for short. HG 72 is produced by the Nutrient Data Laboratory of the Agricultural Research Service, the chief scientific agency of the USDA.

Over the years, HG 72 has been one of the U.S. Government Printing Office's most popular publications. About 300 foods have been added to the previous edition, for a total of 1,274 food items. More low-fat, brand-name, fast-food items, and ethnic foods have been included. Dietary fiber values have been added, replacing phosphorus values. And several tables have been added or revised.

The booklet's primary table provides multiple columns of nutritive data on household measures of a wide variety of foods commonly consumed in the United States. Nutritive values, for example, are provided for calories, protein, cholesterol, carbohydrate, total dietary fiber, calcium, iron, potassium, sodium, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin A, ascorbic acid and total fat as well as saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids and more.

The booklet is for sale from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. To order, ask for Stock Number 001-000-04703-5. Requests can be made by phoning toll-free (866) 512-1800, or from the Washington, DC area, phoning (202) 512-1800. You may fax your request to (202) 512-2250. Or, log onto the Internet to order at:

http://bookstore.gpo.gov

To order by mail, send requests to Mail Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-0001. Quantity discounts are available.

For those who prefer viewing or printing an electronic "PDF" version of the booklet, all or part of the PDF version may be printed free of charge.