/--"^W-"*^-., *S ■^^ '' \k,\ ^'-'^ v/ Oass_/^,£i^,2^ Book /?^'^ DIET for the By- LUCY H. GILLETT Prtparei jot THE BUREAU OF EDUCATION hu th* CHILD HEALTH ORGANIZATION of AMERICA Every child has a right to be as healthy as present knowledge can make him. Proper feeding is one of the chief factors in health. Health Educaiion No. 2 [Revised] DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREAU OF EDUCATION 19 22 * -^ V r- -i APRB719? r DIET FOR THE SCHOOL CHILD. GOOD FOOD HABITS. The child is the adult of to-morrow. The kind of food a child has to-day determines to a considerable extent the fitness of the future citizen. Those who direct the feeding of the child have a responsibility which can not be overlooked. Good food habits should start to-day. Tomorrow may be too late. 1. Meals should he at the same hours each day. — However, if the child gets very hungry two hours before the time for the next meal, he may be given a slice of bread and butter or a glass of milk. Do not give a child candy, fruit, nuts, cake, and cookies between meals. 2. Plenty of water should he given. — Children as well as adults should drink plenty of water between meals. "Water will often satisfy the craving which many mistake for hunger, but more than twb glasses of water at any one meal should not be taken. Food should not be washed down with water during meals. 3. Children often have to he taught to like things which are good for them. — Be patient, but firm, in teaching a child to like new food. Begin by giving a small amount of a new food ; give but one new food at a time, and repeat it regularly until the child learns to like it. 4. Children should not he forced to eat when not hungry. — Forced feeding causes Children require at least four glasses of water be- tween meals. Thirst is often mistaken for a crav- ing for food, and a haMt of eating at all times is thus developed. 80348°— 22 ■^' DINNER Mabits of regular eating aid digestion. more harm than light eating for a few days. If the appetite does not return, consult a physician. 5. They should he happy while eaiing. — Let the mealtime be a joyous occasion, without undue excitement just before, during, or after eating. 6. Plenty of time should he (Mowed for meals. — Insist on thorough chewing so that the stomach may not be overtaxed. 7. Dirt is dangerous. — Children should have clean hands and faces while eating; they should sit down to a clean table and eat in an orderly manner. Flies should never be allowed to alight on food. THE CHILD'S FOOD. A child should not be allowed to make his entire meal from one or two articles ; he needs a variety of foods to supply all kinds of grow- ing material. He can not develop normally unless he has this variety. Every day the diet of the child should contain some of each of the following types of foods: 1. Milk^ which is the best and most important food for growing children. No other food can take its place. Children over 5 years of age should have at least three cups a day, and more where possible. Milk should not be given very cold. Warm milk is more easily digested. Oftentimes milk can be taken warm when it causes dis- tress if taken cold. If children rebel against drinking milk alone, it may be given in the form of cocoa, milk soups, custards, etc. Where it is impossible to get fresh milk, dried milk or evaporated milk may be used. If evaporated or dried skimmed milk is given, cliil- dren should have plenty of vegetables, especially green and leafy Everyone who would have a good digestion must eat slowly and mas- ticate his food thor- oughly. vegetables, suitable fruit or fruit juices, and some cream or butter. Tea and cofee should not he given to growing children at all. The first food a family should buy is milk. The last food to be dispensed with is milk. — Dairy Bureau of Massachusetts. 2. Eggs, fish, fowl, or meat, or their equivalents. — ^Where plenty of milk and an egg a day are included in the diet of the child, very little meat need be given before the seventh year. Allow not more than 2 ounces of meat daily for a child from 7 to 10 years ; 3 ounces daily from 10 to 14 years. The broth from stews may be given on vege- tables and bread. Where meat and eggs can not be purchased because of cost and scarcity, the diet should contain a quart of milk, with pea or bean soups, spinach and other green vegetables, oatmeal, and dried fruits. Vegetables and fruits are also excellent sources of iron and other elements necessary for growth, and, combined with milk, will supply food value more than equal to meat. 3. Breads cereals^ and other grain 'products. — These should furnish at least one-third of the food required by the child. The most nour- ishing ones should be included in the diet; cereals and flours with some of the outside of the grain are more nourishing than the refined flours. Hence, entire wheat flour and brown rice are better than white flour and white rice. They also help to prevent constipation. The following list gives the cereals and flours in the order of the amount of nourishment which they contain, and their rating, based upon the proportion of the chief elements in the food which are neces- sary for growth: Oatmeal 2, 500 Force 2, 300 Shredded wheat 2,200 Graham flour 2, 200 Barley 1, 450 Rye flour 1,450 Cornmeal 1, 350 Macaroni 1,350 Cream of wheat 1,350 Farina 1, 350 White wheat flour 1, 250 Hominy 1, 150 Rice (white) 1,150 Corn flakes 1,100 How many bottles of milk are delivered at your doorf Dr. Graham Luak says: "No family of five should huy meat until they have bought three quarts of milk." To reduce this to a cost basis, divide the rating given above by the cost per pound and compare the food value with the money spent. Cereals and breads may be varied and the food value increased by the addition of dried fruits. Dates when washed and chopped in small pieces make a valuable addition- to cooked cereal. Stewed prunes, figs, or other dried fruit may be used in the same way. They are especially good with hominy and other white cereals. Mixed cereals offer a great variety of flavors. Two or three kinds may be cooked together. Cereals should be thoroughly cooked. If children do not like them, it is usually because they have not been properly cooked and served. They need long, slow cooking over boiling water or in a fireless cooker. The cereal may be cooked the night before and reheated in the morning in a double boiler, or by setting the dish in a pan of hot water. Directions for caoMng cereals : Stir the cereal into the right amount of boiling salted water, and cook over direct heat until the cereal ' thickens, stirring constantly. Then set into boiling water or the fireless cooker and cook as long as directed without further stirring. Proportions are as follows: 1 cup of cornmeal, 6 cups water, 1 to 2 teaspoonfuls salt ; cook 3 hours. 1 cup of wheat preparations, such as wheatena, cream of wheat, farina, etc., 4 to 6 cups water, 1 to 2 teaspoonfuls salt ; cook 1 hour. 1 cup of hominy or hominy grits, 4 cups water, 1 teaspoonful salt; cook 3 hours. 1 cup of rolled oats, 2 to' 2^ cups water, one-half teaspoonful salt ; cook 2 to 3 hours. Cereals may also be cooked in whole or skimmed milk instead of water. Cooh your child's breakfast cereal toith the dinner the night "before. In the morning it only needs to be heated. A well-oookei^ oereal should form an essential part of a oMld'S Itreakfast. Uncooked or " dry " cereals may be given occasionally, if cost can be disregarded. With milk and fruit they make an agreeable sup- per dish. It should be remembered, however, that by volume it takes two or three times as much of these dry cereals to supply the same amount of food as of cooked cereal. Cereals should be served with milk and not more than one tea- spoonful of sugar to a saucerful of cereal. For those who take them well without sugar it may be omitted altogether. Flours and cereals may be made into bread, puddings, soups, cookies, etc. 4. Vegetables form a very essential part of the diet. They are especially necessary when the amount of milk is small. They are very important in helping to guard against constipation. Often- times hunger is due to the absence of vegetables in the meals, and children who crave more food find their appetites satisfied where vegetables are given regularly. Potatoes, baked, boiled, or mashed, should be given practically every day. Other valuable vegetables are dried and fresh peas and beans, spinach, onions, tomatoes, string beans, carrots, squash, turnips, cauliflower, asparagus, stewed celery, and for older children parsnips and oyster plant. In summer all kinds of greens, such as beet tops, turnip tops, dandelions, chard, and cooked lettuce should be used freely. Dried and canned vegetables, if of good quality, may also be given in winter. Almost all vege- tables except cabbage, cucumbers, and corn may be used freely after the fifth year. In soups and stews more vegetables and less meat should be used than is common practice. Meat should be used chiefly for flavoring. Much valuable food material dissolves in the water in which vegetables are cooked. So far as possible use this water in the mak- ing of meat gravies and soups. Vegetables should be cooked only long enough to become tender. 5. Fruit. — There should be some fruit in the diet every day. Where fresh fruit is not possible, dried fruiti may be substituted. Fresh fruit should be very ripe, but not decomposed. Bananas are not ripe until the skins have brown spots. If served before this stage, they should be baked or boiled. Canned fruit and jellies may be used, but jams and preserves are too sweet for frequent use. 6. Sweets. — There is great danger of children getting too much sugar and spoiling the appetite and the digestion. Children should not have, all told, more than the following amounts : 5 to 7 years 1 tablespoonful daily. 7 to 12 years 2 tablespoonfuls daily. Sugar is less likely to be harmful when taken in cocoa, rice, or simple puddings, custards, or in dried fruits, fresh fruits, and vege- tables. Sirups and honey may be given in place of sugar. ^Vhatever sweets are given should be at the end of a meal ; never between meals or at the beginning of a meal. They spoil the appetite for other necessary food. 7. Fat is essential for growing children. Milk fat (cream and butter) is the most important kind. Children should, if possible, have unskimmed milk. If the cream is removed from their milk, they should have butter. Other fats or oils, such as nut butter, oleo- margarine, corn, olive oil or cottonseed oil, may be given in addition to the butter fat, but not in place of it. Fats other than butter should not be given as the only fat except when the diet contains unskimmed milk and plenty of vegetables. Fat is more easily digested uncooked. All fried foods should be avoided. PLANNING THE MEALS. The meals of a school child should be planned to give enough variety and to provide all the growing material needed. The follow- ing suggestions will help to provide well-balanced meals for school children : I. Beeaktast should contain milk, bread and butter, and in addi- tion, cereal, fruit, or egg when possible. Milk. — ^Part may be eaten on a cereal, the rest drunk plain or in cocoa. Bread should be a day old or toasted (whole wheat, oatmeal, com meal, rye, barley, or white or any other wholesome bread). Butter, oleomargarine, nut margarine, or some other fat may be used. Butter should be used if the cream has been removed from the milk. Cereals.— The best are oatmeal, wheatena, pettijohn, barley, corn meal, samp, hominy grits, rice, farina, cream of wheat. X^-u.iUe/tZ^ — c§a^»^&a6 (2fy/t£e^ /65 A hot lunch at school is most de- sirable for chil- dren who can not go home at noon. By means of it children may ie taught food values and also they become accustomed to eating the hinda of food they should have. Fruit may be orange, stewed or fresh apple, ripe pear or peach, thoroughly ripe or cooked banana, stewed dried fruit, such as dates, figs, prunes, apples, or peaches. The fresh fruits in season are to be preferred where it is possible to obtain them; they are usually expensive, however, and one often gets much better return for the money in dried fruit. Eggs may be given soft boiled, poached, scrambled (plain or in milk) and omelet. Fried eggs should not be given. II. Dinner, or the heaviest meal, should preferably be in the middle of the day. This is not feasible when the child must hurry home from school, eat rapidly and rush back; nor when the child must carry his lunch to school; nor when the mother can prepare but one dinner a day and the father must have his at night. For a light midday meal, give a vegetable or a milk soup, bread and butter, a simple dessert, or the meals hereafter indicated for supper. An ideal dinner should consist of soup, meat or eggs, vegetables, bread and butter and dessert and milk to drink. Clear meat soups or broths have very little nourishment. Soups for children should be made from dried peas or beans, or with fresh vegetables, such as potato, spinach, carrots, peas and onions; such soups with the addition of rice or barley and milk make a very nourishing dish. Milk and vegetable soups may take the place of meat or eggs in the dinner. Meat or fish should be given but once a day, and the quantity should not be large. Lean beef, mutton, lamb, chicken, and such fish as cod, haddock, and halibut are the most desirable kinds. Vegetables should form a large part of the diet, especially in sum- mer. A list of those available has already been given. Bread and butter should always be given. Do you give your child candy or do you give Mm whole- some food when he is really hungry 6e- tween meals f Dessert, — ^With plenty of bread and butter and vegetables, des- sert is not essential. When given it should always be plain and simple. The most wholesome desserts are cereal puddings made with milk and fruit, such as rice, oatmeal, baked Indian or bread pudding, or plain cookies, or cake and cocoa, or fruit custards, junkets, ice cream or ices, stewed dry or fresh fruit, or sliced orange. Suggested dinner combinations are given in later pages. III. Supper. — The supper, when the hearty meal is given at mid- day, should be a simpler meal. Grive dishes made of milk, eggs, finely chopped vegetables, cereals, and fruit, rather than meat, whole vegetables, and sweet desserts. Some suggestions for supper are as follows : Bread and milk, baked potato, stewed fruit. Cereal and milk, bread and butter, baked banana. Poached egg on toast, baked potato, bread and butter, apple sauce, and ginger bread. IV. Basket or School Luncheon. — ^The child needs at least three good meals a day. If he has to carry a luncheon to school, it should be a substantial one, which will give him nourishment enough to keep him from getting exhausted during the afternoon. The hot midda'y meal is to be preferred; but it is better to carry a well- balanced luncheon than to hurry home, bolt half the dinner for fear When a hot lunch is not furnished at school, sand- wiches with jam or pea- nut hutter, irwit, custard or simple pudding, and a cup of milk make a suit' able iasket lunch, easitg prepared. of being late, and get exhausted before the end of the day. It is desirable to have hot soup, plain milk, or cocoa at school ; it is then easy to supplement this. If, however, he must carry the whole luncheon, it must be a nutritious as well as an appetizing one. Suggestions for a basket luncheon: The most feasible are sand- wiches, dessert, fruit, and a bottle of milk. For sandwiches use the most nourishing kinds of bread, such as whole wheat, oatmeal, brown, raisin, or nut bread. Appetizing fill- ings may be egg, chopped meat, cheese (American), fresh cottage cheese plain or combined with dried fruit, sliced tomatoes, chopped vegetables such as beets or lettuce, jelly, or peanut butter and chopped raisins or dates. A baked custard adds variety. If fruit is not included in the filling of the sandwiches, a small glass jar of some stewed fruit or apple sauce may be added, or some fresh ripe fruit or a few dates. For dessert, ginger, date, or plain cookies, with cheese, sponge cake, gingerbread, or sweet chocolate. It is easy to get a small jar with a tight screw top for sauce, puddings, and custards and to get a bottle for carrying milk. The child uho iolts Ms micMay meal and then rusJies back to school can nether work nor digest properly. 10 SUMMARY. The conservation of the health of the child is more important than the conservation of food. Every child should have at least 1 pint of milk a day either to drink or in his food. It is the very best food there is. He should drink plenty of water between meals. ChUdren should not drink tea or coffee at all. There should be plenty of bread and cereals, particularly oatmeal and whole- wheat breads, which should be used freely. They are better for growing children than white bread. Children can not be healthy and strong unless they have plenty of vegetables every day. Fresh vegetables are to be preferred, but when these are unobtainable, dried or canned vegetables should be given. Fruits are necessary and should be given every day if possible. Fish may be substituted for meat, and eggs may be given four or five times a week. Milh., vegetables, and cereals are more necessary than meat and should he provided first. Highly seasoned foods are usually prefer7-ed ly children, hut simpler foods are much more wholesome. 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CHILD HEALTH PROGRAM FOR PARENT-TEACHER AS- SOCIATIONS AND WOMEN'S CLUBS. Single copy, 5 cents. Additional copies, 3 cents each. No. 6. FURTHER STEPS IN, TEACHING HEALTH. Single copy, 5 cents. Additional copies, 3 cents each. No. 7. THE LUNCH HOUR AT SCHOOL. Single copy, 5 cents. Additional copies, 4 cents each. No. 8. HEALTH TRAINING FOR TEACHERS. Shagle copy, 5 cents. Additional copies, 2 cents each. No. 9. YOUR OPPORTUNITY IN THE SCHOOLS. Single copy, 3 cents. Additional copies, 3 cents each. No. 10. SUGGESTIONS FOR A PROGRAM F()R HEALTH TEACHING IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. Single copy, 10 cents. Additional copies, 6 cents. Material may be purchased from the Supevhatendeut of Documents, Government Printing Office, W^ashington, D. C. Remittance must accompany order. Stamps are not accepted.