Show WHA WHAT T TO EAT AND WHY e 2 t OUlton rt O ton ou f I l Noted HoM Authority Food F od Describes the Need for IRON and COPPER Shows How You Can Help to Avoid Anemia by Including These Building Blood Minerals in the Diet Dy By C C. C HOUSTON GOUDISS 8 S East Street N New w York City F ALL the nutrition problems that challenge the homemaker homemaker homemaker home- home O OF maker none is more important than supplying her family's family's family's fam fam- ilys ily's need for iron This mineral is sometimes described as the supreme clement element in nutrition because it is an essential c constituent ent of the blood blood- n How lIow Blood In Ii Constructed If you should examine a n drop of blood under the microscope microscope microscope micro micro- scope you would observe that it is composed of red cells and white cells In normal blood there are arc about 25 million times a million red blood corpuscles corpuscles corpuscles corpus corpus- cles owing their color to the iron iron- bearing protein R E h ss st hemoglobin They carry oxygen to aUthe all aU the body tissues and remove the car carbon bon dioxide formed during the combustion of body fuel A reduction Inthe in inthe inthe the amount of hemoglobin hem in the blood may cause sho short short- t. t ness Hess of breath quickened respiration and an accelerated accelerated ac ac- heart action Lack of appetite weakness and a slowing of all aU vital functions may also result result result re re- sult from the diminished supply of oxygen to the Uie tI tissues sues Lack oi of Iron May Leaf Lead to Anemia In many young people the blood does not function normally though frequently parents are unaware that anything is wrong You may scold them for being lazy for lacking interest in their work or never heeding the things you tell teU them when the real trouble Is due to iron starvation which if long continued may lead to anemia The person who has a tendency toward anemia usually tires easily easily ily and lacks pep complains of cold hands and feet worries over trifles and may have a complex complex- complexion ion that is anything but rosy The great danger of ot an iron iron- diet is that it deprives be he body of its chief defense against disease For when the quality of ot the blood is poor one becomes an easy prey to Infection Moreover l if It a serious illness occurs occurs occurs oc oc- oc- oc curs lowered resistance makes It difficult to light fight it oft off It- It Two Forms Forma oi of Anemia Anemia may be due to loss of blood deficient blood formation or to Increased blood destruction in the body The different forms torms of the disease are sometimes classified classified clas clas- allied as primary and secondary anemia Primary anemia is usually known as pernicious anemia His It H Itis ItIs is a grave condition in which the marrow of the bones has lost its power to make red blood cells Secondary or nutritional anemia may result from loss of blood in inan inan inan an accident or it may follow a along along along long infectious illness For any infection lowers the Iron reserve In the body Hut the most common common common com com- mon cause is a diet lacking in sufficient Iron over a long period of t time How Much Iron It U. is believed that about 10 per percent percent cent of the total hemoglobin in adults is destroyed daily dally And for this his reason rich iron-rich foods must be included in the diet every day Investigators have found it difficult difficult dIM dIM- cult to determine the exact iron requirement but according to the latest estimates from 12 to 15 milligrams a day will not only provide adequately for bodily requirements re- re but will allow a rea rca reasonable reserve w Women Need Moro More Than Men Women require more Iron than men In proportion to the body bodyweight bodyweight bodyweight weight to make good the tho losses that hat occur during daring the menses Expectant Expectant Expectant Ex Ex- Ex- Ex mothers need a generous amount of iron not only to provide pro vide for their own needs and for forthe forthe the he normal development of the fetus etus but to create a reserve supply sup sup- ply ily In the baby's body which will last ast through the period of lacta lacta- ion tion The percentage of iron in the the baby's aby's bod body is about three times that of the adult Nature has wisely designed this reser reserve e to tomake tomake tomake make up for the low iron content of ot milk which constitutes the chief food during the first six months of life ife Nutrition authorities believe however that better health results results results re re- when an rich iron-rich food tood such as yolk egg-yolk is introduced very early into the diet This helps to prevent the slight anemia which was formerly regarded as unimportant unimportant unimportant but which is now recognized recognized as making the baby more susceptible to infection and retarding re larding growth s. Childrens Children's R- R Requirement Rement ement High It Is desirable to keep the Iron intake at a high level throughout I childhood for it has been discovered ered Bred that better health results when a surplus Is allowed above the dally daily requirement But there Is Is a very IP special elal need Deed for Iron In r girls from tram the beginning of adolescence adolescence ado ado- i I through the eighteenth I It t year fear 1 c n o. o pt i f fIron Iron Rich Iron Foods t tTo To maintain td health and prevent prevent prevent pre pre- vent the possibility of nutritional anemia the homemaker must learn to meet the dally daily iron requirement requirement re re- of her ber family and not 4 leave this vital matter to chance a rich Iron foods include egg err yolk folk liver molasses dried beans l' l lI whole rain cereals w I and peas grain lean meat and green leaf leafy vege tables While milk has only a small amount of iron experiments experiments show that Its Iron Is readily absorbed ab y and Is utilized to good ad ad- 0 vantage y Eggs are such an on excellent source of iron that one egg yields about tenth one-tenth of the standard requirement Lean meat furnishes a considerable amount but liver is isso Isso isso so much richer that it should be y eaten frequently Dried beans are r t inexpensive and when baked with molasses become a good source k of iron It is a pity that parsley Is so i often olten used only as a garnish because because because be be- cause it has a higher iron content content content con con- tent than most green leafy vege vege- tables Though potatoes contain only a moderate amount of iron they are usually consumed in sufficient sufficient suf suf- quantities to make them a significant source Copper Alao Also Necessary ar Investigation has demonstrated t that adequate Iron alone is il not enough to prevent nutritional anemia anemia ane ane- mia for tor the body cannot convert 1 Iron Into blood pigment unless t copper Is also I present Therefore in order to obtain the full benefits bene bone J fits of Iron the diet must contain sufficient copper Foods that supply supply sup sup- ply copper in abundance are liver 1 Y ky nuts dried beans and peas Small Small- F- F 1 er b but t significant amo amounts are provided provided provided pro- pro vided by whole grain cereals S t dried fruits and poultry e j jI I shall Iball gladly send lend to ever every 1 homemaker a list of foods rich In rr f both iron and copper and also W sample lample menus showing how to plan a balanced building blood r diet f I urge you to write tot fot this material material ma ma- and keep the building blood t JO x foods in mind when planning J o menus Never forget for tor an instant in in- stant that good blood is the best i form of life insurance 1 e 0 C C. C. C Houston 1938 13 12 |