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Show DIET FOR THE CONSTIPATED CHILD The constipated child should have fruit three times a day, and if a variety va-riety is offered, it will always be acceptable. ac-ceptable. Fresh fruit is better than cooked. All dried fruit must be washed, soaked, and cooked with special spe-cial care; partially cooked dried fruit is difficult to digest. Blackberries are astringent and should never be given to a constipated child. Figs are a laxative and are valuable when fresh fruit is not obtainable. Orange-juice should be given the constipated child once a day in season. The constipated child should have green vegetables at least once a day and practically no potatoes. Broiled or roasted meat, carefully shredded, and meat-juices are allowable, but soups and gravies thickened with wheat flour are barred. The most important aid in the relief of constipation is pure water. Children Child-ren past two should be trained to drink water plentifully between meals and to drink it slowly, not to gulp it down. The first glass should come immediately on arising. It is very easy to inculcate the habit of stopping stop-ping games twice during the morning and again in the afternoon for a glass of water . This gives the child a quart and half a pint between meals, which is sufficient to flush the system. Start with a small mug. A full size glass may be too much ror a young child. Children past six may have a sixth glass of water just before retiring, retir-ing, but this last drink is not good for a very young child as it may cause bed-wetting. The selection of cereals for the constipated con-stipated child is very imporant. The coarse-grained cereals which require careful cooking are best. Oatmeal porridge for breakfast, to be served hot, should be made as follows: To one pint of boiling water allow three tablespoonfuls of rolled or crushed oats; season with one quarter tea-spoonful tea-spoonful of salt and steam not less than two hours in a double boiler. This may be cooked at supper-time the night before, and, if covered tightly, tight-ly, with plenty of hot water in the lower vessel of the boiler, it can be resteamed in the morning with excellent excel-lent results. If however, it Is not tightly covered, or there is not sufficient suffi-cient water in the lower vessel, a crust will form over the top of the porridge, or it will lump and be unpalatable. unpala-table. (Quoted from Pictorial Review Re-view for February, 1917.) |