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Show WHAT to EAT and WHY Advice to Homemakers on HowtoFeed Families During Coldest Days of Winter; Essential Nutritive Values Described in Terms of Everyday Foods By C. HOUSTON GOUDISS TOWARD the end of winter we sometimes experience some of the coldest weather of the entire season. Temperatures Tem-peratures remain below freezing for days at a time. The air is often raw and penetrating, and blustery winds make it seem as if man is being persecuted by nature. Moreover, this trying weather comes after months of short and often sunless days . . . days which many people have spent in overheated houses,s and without sufficient exercise. exer-cise. So it is no wonder that the body is on trial . . . fighting fight-ing to maintain health ... to avoid the colds and other respiratory re-spiratory diseases that are so prevalent. This is, perhaps, one season when food has a mightier potcer than at any other time to influence physical well-being. Food Your FIrsf Defense In general, women seem to be more aware of the power of food L2L than men. This is fortunate, because they are charged with the solemn responsibility re-sponsibility of determining de-termining what foods their families shall eat. Since the right food sometimes some-times makes the difference between sickness and health their husbands and children are the unhappy losers if they fail to recognize rec-ognize the need for even one essential es-sential food substance. Occasionally the homemaker's task is made more difficult by men-folks who pooh-pooh the idea that meals should be planned scientifically, sci-entifically, and who point out that generation after generation survived sur-vived without a specific knowledge of nutrition. People who hold this view fail to take into consideration that many of our ancestors consumed a satisfactory diet without knowing know-ing it. Safeguarding Health They should realize also that one can suffer from dietary deficiencies deficien-cies and live . . . though he may not live well! A man can exist upon much less than the amount of iron required for normal health . . . but he probably cannot can-not escape secondary anemia. He may be able to get along on a meager supply of vitamins . . . but the chances are that his vitality vital-ity will be greatly diminished. And he will face the constant threat of disease that follows in the wake of lowered resistance. Nothing is more foolish than to suppose that what a man eats is entirely his own business! It is a matter of grave concern to his wife and children. For it has been suggested that fully one-half of the illnesses of the American people peo-ple may be traceable directly, or indirectly, to dietary deficiencies. Let no man, therefore, twit his wife for trying to feed him correctly! cor-rectly! Time for Good Eating But don't imagine for a moment that correct eating and good eating eat-ing cannot be synonymous. It is true that there is no time of year when correct eating is more important. im-portant. But it is also a fact that there is no time of year when good eating is more distinctly indicated! in-dicated! These are the days when breakfasts break-fasts must be especially hearty ... to satisfy keen appetites, to provide generous amounts of fuel or energy values. That means cereals ce-reals always, and some form of breadstuff, pancakes or waffles. Cereals are primarily energy foods, but they may also carry substantial amounts of precious mineral salts and vitamin B. Whole grain varieties are also a good source of bulk or cellulose ... so necessary for regular health habits ... so often overlooked over-looked in diets that are carelessly planned. Eggs belong on the breakfast menu, too, because they are a top-notch top-notch protective food. And there must be fresh or stewed fruit for vitamins, minerals and roughage. rough-age. Balancing the Big Meal Whether the main meal of the day is served at noon or at night, it should be well-balanced, to help safeguard health, and appetizing, to make it so enjoyable that it will be digested efficiently. It should be built first of all around a protein food: meat; fresh, canned, or quick-frozen fish; cheese, chicken, an egg dish, or a casserole of hearty baked beans. There should be an energy food such as sweet or white potatoes, po-tatoes, rice, macaroni, or noodles, though frequently this can be combined com-bined with the protein food, as in cheese macaroni or beef stew. For variety and palate pleasure, occasionally oc-casionally serve baked bananas. They rank as an energy food, and also contribute important minerals miner-als and vitamins. Vegetables Raw and Cooked There should be vegetables one or two of them. Green leafy vegetables, vege-tables, either fresh or canned, t should be served several times a week . . . for their iron and vitamins vita-mins A, B, G, and sometimes C. These may be alternated with the yellow vegetables which are particularly par-ticularly notable for their vitamin A. Don't overlook onions they are inexpensive, and a fine source of bulk. Served raw, they provide a substantial amount of vitamin C, the vitamin for which we especially espe-cially prize oranges, grapefruit and tomatoes. Include a salad at dinner, lunch or supper; it is well for most normal nor-mal individuals to eat some raw food daily. In cold weather, dress it generously with salad dressing for extra fuel value. Dessert may be pie, pudding or gelatin. The choice depends partly part-ly upon the other foods served at dinner, partly upon the dessert to be served at the third meal of the day. But here is a good general gen-eral rule to follow. Serve a fruit dessert at one meal and a pudding pud-ding containing milk at the other. Of course, the fruit need not be served plain unless you wish. Fruit pies are splendid for cold weather meals, fruit and gelatin combine nicely, and fruit may be incorporated in cakes, as in apple sauce cake. Rounding Out Day' Nutrition i Whether the third meal of the day is lunch or supper in your household, it should round out the day's nutrition. If you need to get more milk into the diet, let your lunch or supper include a cream soup. If you haven't served eggs previously during the day, choose a souffle or a dish containing contain-ing creamed eggs. A starchy, food, a salad, a dessert and a beverage bev-erage will complete a meal that both satisfies the appetite and meets nutritional requirements. It is not difficult to obtain the day's quota of minerals, vitamins, cellulose, protein, carbohydrates and fats. These substances are to be found in delicious, wholesome whole-some foods. All you need to remember re-member is not to serve too much of one food and too little of another. an-other. Let the balanced diet be your ideal and cold weather will prove a tonic instead of a possible menace men-ace to health! WNU C. Houston Goudiss 1939 52. |