| Show WHAT to EAT and ancl WHY 4 0 aa f ton via cull e FOOD preservation and explains how to fo prof protect eaf your family against the fhe DANGERS of TAINTED FOOD by C HOUSTON GOUDISS 6 east street new york A A distinguished nutritional scientist once remarked 1 1 that it is a small favor to keep people alive on a poorly chosen diet for with the wrong food they may not get one fifth of their potential efficiency into their lives they will drag themselves through miserable days never knowing the joys of physical fitness nor en 3 the abundant health that comes from a perfect balance of nutriment the perfect diet may not be safe to eat but even the homemaker who plans an ideal diet may be undermining the health of her family by feeding them apol spoiled or tainted food which carries the deadly germs of disease we frequently hear stories of death or serious illness caused by food contamination and it is significant ant that the improper care of food in the home is most often responsible one physician has gone so far as to state that there is no estimating the number of persons who while not sick in bed feel rather poorly not strong or kind of run down because improperly preserved food gives them insufficient nourishment and their strength is ig exhausted in com batting the action of germs homemaker s responsibility for food sanitation an enormous amount of time and money is expended to put foodstuffs foodstuff s in your kitchen in a fresh palatable and safe form laws govern the manufacture transportation and merchandising of every food product and an elaborate system is maintained for the inspection of meat but all tilis this care can be undone if food is not adequately refrigerated in the home from the moment that meats fruits vegetables and groceries reach your kitchen the responsibility is yours and you will be guilty if your husband and children suffer ill effects from eating tainted food causes of food spoilage spoilage in food is due to the ravages of a vast army of microorganisms which cause it to s sour our decay or putrefy depending upon the nature of the food have you a question ask C houston goudiss k C houston goudiss has put at the disposal of readers of this newspaper 4 all 11 the facilities of 01 his famous experimental peri mental kitchen laboratory in new neto york city he will gladly answer questions concerning foods diet nutrition and their relation to 10 health you are also invited to consult s him in matters of personal hygiene giene les its not necessary to write a letter etter unless you desire lor for postcard inquiries will receive the same careful attention address him at 6 east E asi street new york city there are three classes of microorganisms micro organisms which develop in food bacteria molds mold and yeasts all three are notable for their minute size rapid growth and wide distribution yeasts and bacteria can only be seen with the aid I 1 of a microscope not all microorganisms micro organisms are the enemies of man some are useful in the preparation of foods such as cheese sauerkraut and bread these need not concern the homemaker but the harmful bacteria will flourish wherever conditions are favorable to their growth there are two important factors governing food preservation one is the maintenance of a constant temperature of from 40 to 50 degrees fahrenheit under no circumstances cum stances should food be stored at a temperature higher than 50 degrees or bacteria will multiply so rapidly as to make it unsafe to eat the other is to maintain the proper degree of moisture in the air neither too much which encourages the growth of microorganisms nor too little which whish dehydrates fruits and vegetables appearance of food may be deceptive the great danger of food that is improperly stored is that it may become spoiled without advertising that fact appearance is seldom a reliable guide and unless your refrigerator is efficient food may become unfit tor for consumption before spoilage can be noted by sight taste or smell all types of protein foods harbor bacteria which multiply rapidly at temperatures higher than 50 degrees under favorable conditions of moisture and temperature bacteria double their number every 20 to 30 minutes and a single bacterium can produce a million bacteria in 15 hours safeguard childrens milk milk is the most perishable of all foods because it is an ideal medium for bacterial growth if this master food is to be kept safe for children it must be stored at a temperature not higher than 45 degrees careful studies show that there i is s very little increase in bacteria when milk is held for as long as 48 hours at a temperature of 40 degrees but when the temperature was allowed to rise to 50 degrees almost 30 times as many bacteria developed and at 60 degrees the bacteria multiplied more than times in the same period foods that spoil easily the rapid multiplication of bacteria also occurs in other foods having a high protein content including meat meat broths booths 0 fish V gelatin custards bustards cus tards creamed foods peas pea s and beans it is important that all these foods as well as milk be kept in the coldest part of the refrigerator as a few degrees in temperature make a great deal of difference in preventing spoilage once food has begun to beteri orate it must be discarded or it may endanger health cooking will not make spoiled foods fit for consumption how to prevent mold molds are another form of spoilage that the homemaker must constantly battle mold will grow on almost any substance b anh 3 particularly likely to occur 0 jf foods as lemons oranges toma a toes and berries on neutral foods such as bread and meat on sweets notably jellies and preserves and on salty foods including ham or bacon molds may develop quickly or slowly depending upon the temperature pera ture and degree of moisture they thrive under the influence of warmth and moisture and may remain invisible to the naked eye for as long as 36 hours all molds are white at first but as they mature they change color becoming blue red or assuming various shades of brown to the bacteriologist these colors have different meanings to the homemaker they all tell the same story that through S proper storage food has appetite appeal and palatability mold growths may be destroyed by boiling temperatures they may be retarded by keeping food in the cold dry circulating air provided by an efficient refrigerator A good refrigerator is the best investment a family can make it enables you to take advantage of bargain prices to buy food in quantity and it safeguards health by preventing contaminated food from finding its way to your table an efficient refrigerator also preserves the flavor and texture of meats fruits and vegetables so that you enjoy these foods at their best but its greatest contribution to human welfare is the preservation of food so that it will nourish your body instead of poisoning it questions answered mrs airs S T when thoroughly chewed and given a proper place in the diet cheese is usually well digested experiments performed by the united states department of agriculture demonstrated that an average of 95 per cent of the protein and over 95 per cent of the fat of cheese were digested and absorbed mr B M G yes cooking vegetables leads to a reduction of their energy values as well as mineral salts in general there is a reduction of from one third to one half of the carbohydrate after cooking in water frequent re heating cannot be recommended recommend as thrice boiled vegetables conka conr i 4 1 little available carbohydrate awe the greater part of their minerals and flavor is also lost C C houston goudiss 1938 a 0 |
