Show What hit to Eat and Why C. C Houston Goudiss Discusses Significance of Fruits and Vegetables Tells the Truth About Canned Foods j R. R Bv By r. r C. C HOUSTON GOUDISS A GENERATION ago except in summer mid-summer fruits were were a luxury that only appeared with nuts at the end of a festive meal and vegetables except for the root crops had no regular place in the daily diet But when scientists established established fished the importance of mineral salts in human nutrition i these two groans of foods assumed a position of importance because b next to mill and eRgs eggs they arc are the chief conveyors of minerals from the soil to man mail i the discovery of vitamins they achieved new riely distinction I because in their content of these these vital substances they ran rank ranh with milk and ancI eggs as protective foods Foods That Safeguard He Health In addition to providing nutrients nutrients nutrients that are indispensable for buoyant health and n nor normal o r m mal a l growth x 4 1 they possess another er important virtue virtue vir vir- y tue the indigestible x ble cellulose or bulk yielded by the fibrous framework I of the 1 leaves e a v e s. s stems and fruits of P plants lants has a natural natural natural natu natu- ral laxative value y which helps to insure in insure in- in sure normal nation And finally they are extremely extremely extremely ex ex- I useful in helping to maintain maintain main main- tain the base acid-base balance of the body for all vegetables and most fruits yield an ash alkaline-ash following following following fol fol- fol- fol I lowing digestion I I Green Vegetables for Iron Fruits and vegetables supply varying amounts of practically every ev eVe every ery cry mineral element the body re re- re- re quires They do not compare with milk as a source of calcium but substantial substantial sub sub- amounts of this bone-and- bone tooth-building tooth substance are to be found in leaf and stem vegetables carrots oranges figs and straw straw- berries Moreover I investigations have demonstrated that calcium from vegetables is well utilized by adults Green vegetables in general are outstanding as a source of iron And it has been further established established established es es- that their iron is better absorbed and becomes more completely completely completely com com- available for nutrition than iron from some other sources Some fruits are also valued for their iron content the more notable notable notable nota nota- ble including oranges tomatoes which are botanically a fruit though they are classed as a vegetable vegetable vegetable vege vege- table strawberries blackberries raspberries and huckleberries and dried figs dates and prunes I Vegetables for Vitamin A AVe AWe AWe We Ve usually think of milk and other dairy products as our most important sources of vitamin A. A But recently it has been determined determined deter deter- mined that the thin green leaves deter I of vegetables are also outstanding in this respect Weight for weight when fresh escarole is more than five times as rich as butter Young green peas and green string beans are also a good source of this vitamin vita vita- vitamin min as are tomatoes carrots and sweet potatoes I fr 9 Sources of Vitamin C Vitamin C which is essential for maintaining the health of teeth and gums and for preventing the I degeneration of muscle fibers generally is obtained almost entirely entirely en en- from fruits and vegetables The principal sources of this vitamin vita vita- min are the citrus fruits raw and 1 canned tomatoes and canned tomato tomato tomato to to- mato juice strawberries raw carrots onions and yellow tur tur- nips As this vitamin is easily destroyed destroyed destroyed de de- de- de by heat in the presence of oxygen the amount present in any fruit or vegetable is greatly great great- ly reduced by the average home cooking methods On the other hand this and other vitamins as well as minerals are usually we well retained in commercially canned fruits and vegetables 1 What About Canned Foods 7 I frequently receive letters from readers who question the merits of canned foods They ask whether her h- h er it is true that canned foods 41 sie devoid of vitamins whether canned foods are wholesome for children whether or not canned foods may spoil on the grocers grocer's shelves and if it is dangerous to eat cat foods that have stood in the can for a few minutes after being being be be- ing opened To discount the value of modern canned foods i is s to display a lack of knowledge as to how these foods food s are harvested prepared and packed And the failure to i se re them may result in depriving your our famil family of or essential minerals vitamins and There are available in can cans to day 46 varieties of kinds vegetables 33 of fruit and 10 different juices besides soups numerous specialties and several kind kinds fish of Every Everyone one of these presents a healthful and nutritious food fond in form rm that is often a superior to the o same foods cooked at home That is partly because of the methods employed and partly because canned foods are processed at the the peak of their flavor and freshness A Superlative Canned Food An outstanding example is canned salmon which has been called by one of Americas America's leading leading lead lead- ing food experts the cheapest and most nutritious animal anima food that can be h had d for children over six Very little fresh salmon finds i its its' is' is way into our markets and even then it may be far from fresh after a considerable journey packed in ice On the other hand salmon canneries have been estl established in to close proximity to the waters from which salmon are taken so that only a few hours elapse between the time the fish arc arE removed from the water and the moment their rich nourishment nourishment nourishment nourish nourish- ment is sealed in cans Similarly the fruits and vegetables vegetables vegetables vege vege- tables designed for canning are allowed al- al lowed al lowed to mature on tree or vine This means that they develop elop maximum flavor and vitamin con can tent Then they are picked rushed to nearby canneries and hermetically hermetically hermetically cally sealed in cans The sealed cans are then cooked at high heat so as to destroy any bacteria which might be present Because they are protected from the air during the cooking process and because the cooking liquors are sealed in the cans they retain a aI I maximum amount of minerals and I vitamins It is because canned foods are so definitely superior in inthis inthis this respect that physicians en eD- encouraged the canning of strained fruits and vegetables for infants I and young children I f a 1 Fallacies Disproved Canned foods will keep indefinitely indefinitely without spoilage as long as nothing occurs to make the can leak It is not necessary to remove remove re re- move canned food from the container con con- tamer as soon as the tin is opened I though many homemakers often I Ido do so because the food presents a amore amore amore more attract attractive ve appearance in a adish adish I dish or bowl A hissing sound i when opening does not mean that the contents of a can are spoiled but rather that there was a vacuum vacuum vac vac vac- in the can which the air is rushing in to fill Thus canned fruits and vegetables bles are ue not only y as Has good as fresh ones but are arc often superior in food values Every homemaker should see to it that she uses both i liberally in the diet of every mem- mem bet bei of her family as a means of providing liberal amounts of minerals min min- orals erah and 2nd vitamins i C 0 S- S c. C. C Houston Goudiss Goudiss 1933 1933 |