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 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
 
 FAKMERS' 
 BULLETIN 
 
 Washington, D. C. 
 
 717 
 
 March 4, 1916 
 
 Contribution from the States Relations Service, A. C True, Director. 
 
 FOOD FOR YOUNG CHILDREN. 
 
 By Caroline L. Hunt, 
 
 Scientific Assistant, Office of Home Economics. 
 
 Food for children between three and six years of age should be 
 chosen with reference to their bodily needs, as described in the 
 
 Fig. 1.— A healthy child having a sensible meal. Every child needs clean, wholesome food, well prepared, 
 and served in quantity and variety sufficient for normal growth. 
 
 following pages, and should be carefully prepared and attractively 
 served as shown in the above picture. 
 
 1 Prepared under the direction of C. F. Langworthy, Chief, Office of Home Economics. 
 
 Note. — This bulletin is in accordance with the principles of child feeding now generally accepted by 
 the best authorities, and also embodies the results of work done in the laboratory of the Office of Home 
 Economics of the States Relations Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is specially adapted to 
 the use of mothers who wish some simple and short discussion of the subject expressed in housekeepers' 
 terms. 
 
 "—Bull. 717—16 1 
 
2 FARMERS BULLETIN 717. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 A little child who is carefully fed in accordance with his bodily- 
 needs (as these are now understood) receives every day at least one 
 food from each of the following groups : 
 
 1. Milk and dishes made chiefly of milk (most important of the 
 
 group as regards children's diet) ; meat, fish, poultry, 
 eggs, and meat substitutes. 
 
 2. Bread and other cereal foods. 
 
 3. Butter and other wholesome fats. 
 
 4. Vegetables and fruits. 
 
 5. Simple sweets. 
 
 Fig. 2.— A sensible breakfast for a child. The breakfast shown consists of the following: Baked apple, 
 (pulp only for the youngest children and for those with whom the skin disagrees) (group 4); cereal 
 mush (group 2); milk (group 1); toast and butter (groups 2 and 3). 
 
 In the pictures of a day's meals (breakfast, dinner, and supper) 
 shown in this bulletin each of these groups is represented by a food 
 which is suitable for a little child, each food being numbered to indi- 
 cate the group to which it belongs. The purpose is to show a day's 
 ration containing enough different kinds of foods to meet all the 
 child's needs. The size of the portions would, of course, depend on 
 the child's age. With usual quantities served the meals should be 
 sufficient. 
 
 Many other meals might have been shown, for there is no food in 
 the pictures, except milk, which could not have been replaced by 
 some other wholesome food. Milk, if it can be procured, should form 
 part of the food of every child, except when for some special reason 
 the doctor objects, and this he seldom does. 
 
POOD FOR YOIXG CHILDREN. 3 
 
 Tho pictures may be helpful in preparing children's meals. The 
 one on page 2 shows a breakfast, the one below a dinner, and thai on 
 page 5 a supper. The three together will supply food for a day in 
 wholesome and suitable form. Those meals are simple and such as 
 a child should like. The quantity served should vary with the age 
 of the child. 
 
 The picture of the dinner given below represents the heaviest meal 
 of the three here shown. For little children it is usually considered 
 wise to servo such a meal in the middle of the day rather than at 
 night. 
 
 Fig. 3. — A sensible dinner for a child. The dinner shown above consists of the following: Lamb chop 
 (group 1); baked potato (group 4); spinach (finely chopped for youngest children) (group 4); bread and 
 butter (groups 2 and 3); rice with milk and sugar (groups 1, 2, and 5). 
 
 The picture on page 5 shows a well-chosen supper for a growing 
 child. The foods are simple and simply cooked, but are the kind 
 liked by most healthy children. As all the pictures show, the service 
 is orderly and neat in every way. This is important because it 
 helps to form neat and orderly habits. 
 
 The following bills of fare, like those in the pictures, are simple, 
 easy to prepare, sufficiently varied, and, if well prepared, should taste 
 good. They are so planned that milk and another food from group 
 1 and a food from each of the other groups will be served at least 
 once a day. 
 
FARMERS 9 BULLETIN 717. 
 SUGGESTED BILLS OF FARE. 
 
 BREAKFAST. 
 
 Orange (juice only for the youngest chil- 
 dren). 
 Farina with milk. 
 Bread and butter. 
 
 Applesauce. 
 Oatmeal with milk. 
 Toast and butter. 
 
 Baked pears (pulp only for the youngest 
 
 children). 
 Milk toast. 
 Cocoa. 
 
 Stewed prunes (pulp only for the young- 
 est children). 
 Corn-meal mush and milk. 
 Toast and butter. 
 
 Grape fruit (juice only for -the youngest 
 
 children) . 
 Milk toast with grated yolk of hard-boiled 
 
 Apple (scraped for very little children). 
 
 Toast. 
 
 Hot milk. 
 
 In each case enough milk should be given to make up the required 
 daily amount, which is about a quart. 
 
 Meat soup. 
 Egg on toast. 
 String beans. 
 Rice pudding. 
 
 Roast beef. 
 Baked potato. 
 
 Asparagus. 
 Bread and jelly. 
 
 Creamed potatoes. 
 Green peas. 
 
 Stewed plums with thin cereal-milk 
 pudding. 
 
 Baked halibut. 
 
 Boiled potatoes. 
 
 Stewed celery. 
 
 Boiled rice with honey or sirup. 
 
 Broiled meat cakes. 
 Lamb stew with carrots and potato. Grits. 
 
 Twice-baked bread. Creamed carrots. 
 
 Tapioca custard. Bread, butter, and sugar sandwiches. 
 
 In each case enough milk should be given to make up the required 
 daily amount, which is about a quart. 
 
 SUPPER. 
 
 Baked potatoes, served with cream and 
 
 salt, or with milk gravy. 
 Cookies. 
 
 Bread and milk. 
 Apple sauce. 
 Sponge cake. 
 
 Potato-milk soup. 
 Twice-baked bread. 
 Marmalade sandwiches. 
 
 Graham crackers and milk. 
 Baked custard. 
 
 Milk toast. . 
 Stewed peaches. 
 Cup cake. 
 
 Celery-milk soup. 
 Toast. 
 Floating island. 
 
FOOD FOR YOl S<\ CHILDREN. 5 
 
 In each case enough milk should be given to make up the required 
 daily amount, which is about a quart. 
 
 Though all the foods mentioned in the bills of fare may be in- 
 cluded under five heads, the diet need not be monotonous, for many 
 foods come under each class. The different groups are described in 
 the pages that follow. 
 
 Fig. 4.— A sensible supper for a child. The supper shown above consists of the following: Milk (group 1); 
 Bread (group 2) ; stewed prunes (pulp only for youngest children) (group 4) ; plain cookies (omit in case of 
 youngest children) (group 5). 
 
 FOOD GROUP NO. 1.— MILK AND DISHES MADE CHIEFLY FROM IT; FISH, 
 POULTRY, EGGS, AND MEAT SUBSTITUTES. 
 
 The different foods mentioned in the heading of this group have 
 enough in common to warrant bringing them together. However, 
 milk is such an important food for children that it is desirable to 
 speak of it by itself. 
 
 MILK SERVED IN VARIOUS WAYS. 
 
 Milk is the natural food of babies and the most important food 
 for young children. A quart of milk a day is a good allowance for a 
 child. The greater part of this is usually given as a drink or served 
 on cereals or in the form of bread and milk. Milk may also be served 
 on fruits that are not very acid (baked apples or pears, berries, and 
 others), in soups, gravies, custard, junket, and other puddings, and 
 may be used in place of water in cooking cereals. 
 
6 farmers' bulletin _ 111. 
 
 Milk, being a liquid, is sometimes classed with water, tea, and 
 coffee, simply .as a beverage, by those who do not understand its 
 value as food. This is a great mistake. If all the water were to 
 be driven off from a quart of tea or coffee, almost nothing would be 
 left, and the little that remained would have little or no value as 
 food. If, on the other hand, the water were driven off from a quart 
 of whole milk, there would be left about half a cupful of the very 
 best food substances, including butter fat, a kind of sugar not so 
 sweet as granulated sugar and known as "milk sugar," and also 
 materials which are needed to make muscles, bones, teeth, and other 
 parts of the body. All these valuable food substances are ordinarily 
 either dissolved or floating in the water of milk. 
 
 Besides all this nourishment, milk contains a very small amount 
 of a substance or substances now thought to help the body of the 
 child to make good use of other foods. For this reason milk is 
 often called "growth promoting." Apparently nothing can serve 
 so well as the basis for the diet of the healthy child. 
 
 Good whole milk is desirable, but if a mother is obliged to choose 
 between clean milk and rich milk, she had better take the clean milk. 
 Best of all, of course, is clean whole milk, but if that can not be 
 obtained it is better to use clean fresh skim milk than dirty or ques- 
 tionable whole milk. A quart of skim milk, even separator skim 
 milk, contains about a third of a cupful of solid food, which is nearly 
 all there was in the whole milk, except the butter fat. 
 
 When it is absolutely impossible to get fresh milk, condensed, pow- 
 dered, or evaporated milk may be used, but before doing this parents 
 should try in every way to get fresh milk for their children. 
 
 Compared with most other foods milk contains much lime but 
 very little iron. Spinach and other green vegetables and egg yolks 
 are, on the other hand, very rich in iron. This is one reason why 
 combinations of egg yolks and milk and of vegetables and milk are 
 mentioned so often in this bulletin. 
 
 When milk is given to babies the chill is usually taken from it. 
 It is safe to do this for all young children. When milk is used as a 
 drink it should be sipped, not gulped down. 
 
 Besides being served as a beverage, milk is often combined with 
 many other foods, as follows: 
 
 Bread and Milk. 
 
 This may well be the chief, if not the only, dish in the supper of 
 little children. If the milk is not very rich, the bread should be 
 spread with butter. Use well-baked bread, at least, a day old, or 
 toast, or occasionally crackers. 
 
FOOD FOR YOUNG CHILD] 7 
 
 Cejreals and Milk. 
 
 Thoroughly cooked cereals served once a day for the first course 
 and once a day for dessert, encourage the use of milk. Directions 
 for preparing them will be found on page 15. Any cereal may be 
 cooked in milk besides being served with it. Skim milk which might 
 otherwise he thrown away may he used for the purpose. Rice, 
 cooked in an uncovered double boiler, or in a pan in a very "slow" 
 oven, can be made to absorb about six times its volume of -kim 
 milk. To cook a cupful of rice in this way instead of in water may 
 be considered equivalent, so far as tissue-forming materials are con- 
 cerned, to serving it with half a pound of lean beef. 
 
 Milk Toast. 
 
 The following is a good method for making milk toast. Put on 
 the table hot crisp toast or twice baked bread (see p. 15) and a 
 pitcher of hot milk, slightly salted. One-fourth teaspoonful of salt 
 to a cupful of milk is sufficient. Pour the milk over the toast as 
 needed, using hot bowls or deep saucers for serving. This is the 
 easiest way of serving milk toast, and, if care is taken to have all the 
 dishes hot and to salt the milk, it is usually acceptable. A supply of 
 twice-baked bread can be kept on hand and heated as needed to 
 crisp it. 
 
 Another way to make milk toast is to thicken milk and pour it 
 over toast. For 1 cup of milk allow 1^ level teaspoons of flour and 
 \ teaspoon of salt. Make a smooth paste out of the flour, salt, and a 
 little of the milk. Heat the rest of the milk; add the flour and milk 
 mixture and boil for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, or cook 20 
 minutes in a double boiler, stirring constantly at first and frequently 
 later on. If skim milk is used, a level teaspoonful of butter or bacon 
 fat should be added after the gravy is prepared. 
 
 An easier and quicker method of making the sauce or "milk 
 gravy" is to cook the flour thoroughly in a tablespoonful of fat 
 before adding the milk. This, however j is not thought to be so whole- 
 some as the kind of gravy in which the flour is cooked in the milk. 
 
 Milk gravy may be combined with dried beef or salt codfish which 
 has been cut into small pieces and soaked in warm water, or with 
 small pieces of tender meat, chicken, fish, or vegetables. Such gravy 
 may be served with toast, with baked or boiled potatoes, or with 
 boiled rice or other cereals. Dishes of this land are more suitable 
 for dinner than for supper. 
 
 Milk toast with the yolk of a hard-boiled egg grated over it makes 
 an attractive dish. The whites _ of the hard-cooked eggs are not 
 suitable for a young child nor for any child unless they are finely 
 chopped or unless the child can be made to chew them well. 
 
8 FARMERS BULLETIN 717. 
 
 Cocoa. 
 
 For variety, milk flavored with cocoa may be served. Prepared 
 cocoa is the most convenient, but cracked cocoa shells or nibs, which 
 require long boiling, may be used. A warm drink, made chiefly out 
 of cocoa and water, is not to be confused with the more nourishing 
 drink made by flavoring milk with cocoa, but it has its uses. Like 
 clear soups, which contain little food in themselves, it may lead the 
 child to eat freely of bread and other needed foods. 
 
 Milk Soups. 
 
 Another good way to serve milk to children is in soups. Milk- 
 vegetable soups are made from cooked vegetables, chopped or strained, 
 which in this form may be given to even the youngest children, and 
 milk (whole or skim) slightly thickened. The vegetable may be 
 asparagus, peas, beans of various kinds, celery, potatoes, turnips, 
 carrots, spinach, kale, chard, beet roots or greens, parsnips, lettuce, 
 cress, cauliflower, or almost any other. 
 
 GENERAL RECIPE EOR MILK- VEGETABLE SOUPS. 
 
 f of a cupful of a thoroughly cooked vege- 
 table, finely chopped, mashed, or put 
 through a sieve. 
 
 2 cupfuls of milk. 
 
 1 tablespoonful of flour. 
 
 1 tablespoonful of butter. 
 
 Salt. 
 
 Thicken the milk with the flour as for milk gravy; add the other 
 ingredients. If the soup is too thick, as it may be if the vegetable is 
 starchy, thin it with milk or water. Milk tomato soup is not recom- 
 mended for the youngest children. When it is served a little soda 
 should be added to prevent the milk from curdling. 
 
 MILK STEW. 
 
 1 quart of milk. 
 
 1 cupful raw potatoes cut into small 
 pieces. 
 
 2 tablespoonfuls of butter or bacon fat. 
 1 cupful of codfish cut into small pieces 
 or just enough to flavor the stew. 
 
 Soak the fish in lukewarm water until it is soft and the salt removed. 
 Cook the potatoes in water until tender, drain them, add the milk 
 and codfish, and bring to the boiling point; add the butter, and salt 
 to taste. 
 
 In place of the codfish any other salt or fresh fish, oysters, or a 
 little chipped beef may be used. Or the fish may be omitted and the 
 soup made savory and palatable by adding a few drops of onion juice, 
 or a vegetable cut into small pieces and cooked thoroughly. 
 
 Cereal-Milk Puddings. 
 
 Puddings made with milk and bread, rice, or some other cereal 
 food, have long been recognized as desirable in the child's diet. 
 
POOD FOR YOUNG OHILDKEN. 9 
 
 Such milk puddings as old-fashioned rice or Indian pudding may 
 bo the means of serving much milk in a wholesome way. From the 
 following recipe for rice pudding other recipes can be easily made, 
 tho proportions in all cases being about the same: 
 
 KICK PUDDING. 
 
 1 quart of milk. 
 J cupful of rice. 
 J cupful of sugar. 
 
 \ teaspoonful of salt. 
 
 \ teaspoonful of ground nutmeg, or cinna- 
 mon, or the grated rind of \ of a lemon. 
 
 Wash the rice thoroughly, mix the ingredients, and bake three 
 hours or more in a very slow oven, stirring occasionally at first. 
 
 GENERAL RECIPE FOR CEREAL-MILK PUDDINGS. 
 
 For a quart of milk allow one-third of a cupful of any coarse cereal 
 (rice, corn meal, cracked wheat, oatmeal, or barley) and one-third 
 of a cupful of brown, white, or maple sugar, sirup, honey, or molasses; 
 one-half teaspoonful of salt; one-eighth teaspoonful of spice. The 
 flavoring may be omitted when honey or molasses is used. 
 
 The above recipe makes quite a large pudding. It is often con- 
 venient to make a smaller one, and enough for a child's dinner can 
 be made in the double boiler, allowing 2 level or 1 rounding table- 
 spoonful each of cereal and of sugar (or other sweet) to a cupful of 
 salted and flavored milk. Cook an hour or more without covering. 
 
 These puddings, if made thin, may be poured over stewed prunes 
 or other cooked fruits, and are a good and economical substitute for 
 the cream or soft custard usually used for that purpose. 
 
 CUSTARD AND OTHER MILK PUDDINGS. 
 
 There are many other milk dishes which are used in the same way as 
 this milk and cereal pudding. Recipes for some of them follow: 
 
 Junket, or "rennet custard," is milk that has been coagulated or 
 curdled, a process not unlike one of the first steps in digestion. The 
 curdling is brought about by the addition of "junket tablets" to the 
 milk. Milk containing rennet will, if not disturbed, "set" in one 
 piece resembling a custard. Junket differs little from milk in food 
 value except for the presence of the sugar used for flavoring, but it 
 gives variety to the diet. If served very cold it is refreshing in 
 warm weather. 
 
 \ teaspoonful of salt. 
 
 A few grains of nutmeg or cinnamon. 
 
 2 cupfuls of milk. 
 
 \ cupful of sugar, honey, or sirup. 
 
 1 junket tablet. 
 
 Warm the milk to about the temperature of the body, crush the 
 tablet, and add it with the other ingredients to the milk. Pour into 
 one large or several small dishes and place in a warm (not hot) place 
 to harden. Cool before serving. 
 26604°— Bull. 717—16 2 
 
10 farmers' bulletin 717. 
 
 30ILED CUSTARD. 
 
 $ teaspoonful of salt. 
 Flavoring:. 
 
 3 egg yolks. 
 
 2 cupfuls of milk. 
 
 J cupful of sugar, honey, or sirup. 
 
 Heat the milk in a double boiler. Thoroughly mix the eggs and 
 sugar and pour the milk over them. Return the mixture to the 
 double boiler and heat it until it thickens, stirring constantly. Cool 
 and flavor. If the custard curdles, remove it from the fire and beat 
 with a Dover egg beater. This custard may be served in place of 
 cream on many kinds of dessert. 
 
 FLOATING ISLAND. 
 
 In this dish the whites of eggs left over from boiled custard can be 
 used to serve with it. Beat the whites until stiff; sweeten them a 
 little; and cook them in a covered dish over water which is hot but 
 not boiling; or cook them on top of the hot milk which is to be used 
 in making custard. Lift them out with a wire egg beater or split 
 spoon, and place on top of the custard. Decorate with small bits 
 of jelly. 
 
 TAPIOCA CUSTARD. 
 
 Tapioca custards may be made as follows: Add to the list of in- 
 gredients for boiled custard one-fourth cupful of pearl tapioca. 
 Soak the tapioca in water for an hour or two, drain it, and cook in the 
 milk until it is transparent. Proceed as for boiled custard. 
 
 BAKED CUSTARD. 
 
 In making allow 1 egg and 2 level teaspoonfuls of sugar and a few 
 grains of salt and of nutmeg for each cupful of milk. Beat the eggs 
 slightly and add the other ingredients. Bake in cups set in a pan of 
 water in a moderate oven. 
 
 SIMPLE ICE CREAMS. 
 
 In the way they are used, ice cream and frozen custard may be 
 grouped with the puddings. Plain ice cream made out of thin cream, 
 sweetened and flavored, or out of cream and custard mixed, may be 
 given to children occasionally. 
 
 A good ice cream may be made as follows : Allow one-fourth cupful 
 of sugar to each cupful of thin cream (half milk and half cream); 
 flavor and freeze. 
 
 A frozen custard, commonly called by housekeepers "ice cream" 
 or " French ice cream," which contains eggs as well as milk and cream, 
 may be made as follows: For each half cupful of milk allow one- 
 fourth cupful of sugar, one or two egg yolks or one whole egg, and a 
 half cupful of cream. Make a custard out of all the ingredients but 
 the cream. When it is cool, flavor it, add the cream, and freeze. 
 
FOOD FOR YOUNG CHILDREN. 11 
 
 CARAMEL FLAVORING FOR USE IN CUSTARDS, ICE CBEAM8, AND OTHEB DESSERTS. 
 
 An economical flavoring for any of the above desserts may be made 
 by browning or caramelizing ordinary sugar. To each cupful of 
 sugar add one-fourth of a cupful of water. Heat until well browne<l . 
 stirring constantly even after the dish has been taken from the fire, 
 and until the danger of burning in the hot dish is passed. Beforo 
 the mixture hardens, add hot water and cook until it is about the 
 consistency of thick sirup. Bottle and save for use as needed. 
 
 MEAT, FISH, POULTRY, EGGS, AND MEAT SUBSTITUTES. 
 
 The other foods included in group 1 with milk (considered by far 
 the most important of them all for children) are meat, fish, poultr}*, 
 eggs, and meat substitutes. 
 
 In some families children do not get enough meat and eggs; in 
 others they get too much. A good general rule commonly followed 
 is to give a child 2 years old or over, an egg every other day and 
 about the same amount (2 ounces) of meat, fish, or poultry on the 
 days that come between. If for any reason meat is omitted from 
 the child's diet special care must be taken to see that other suitable 
 foods take its place — preferably an extra amount of milk or eggs. 
 
 Broiling and roasting are the best methods of preparing tender 
 meat. Tough meat should be stewed or prepared in a fireless cooker, 
 or first chopped and then broiled. 
 
 It is important to teach children to chew meat and other foods 
 properly. 
 
 Fried meats, particularly those which are pan fried or cooked in a 
 small amount of fat, should not be given to young children. One 
 reason for this is that they are likely to be overcooked and tough, 
 at least on the outside, and so are likely not to be properly chewed 
 and to be swallowed in large pieces. Another reason is that the 
 fat used in frying and also that which tries out of the meat is likely 
 to be scorched and changed in composition. When this is the case, 
 it is almost certain to be harmful. 
 
 Some recipes for cooking meat for children follow: 
 
 Broiled Chopped Meat. 
 
 Many cuts of meat too tough to be broiled whole may be prepared 
 very satisfactorily by being chopped, salted, and broiled. Allow 
 about one-half teaspoonful of salt to a pound of meat. For very 
 little children the meat should be scraped instead of being chopped, 
 for in this way the connective tissue is taken out. An egg or a little 
 milk may also be added. The most important point is careful han- 
 dling, for if the me&t is pressed together it becomes tough and hard. 
 If a wire broiler is used, the cakes should not be squeezed between 
 the two sides. To avoid this, lay them on top of the broiler and 
 turn them with a knife and fork. 
 
12 FARMERS BULLETIN 111. 
 
 Meat Stews. 
 
 Stews made out of meat and vegetables offer a very great variety 
 of dishes, good in themselves and good also because they encourage 
 the eating of bread. The meat used should, of course, be in good 
 condition but need not be from a tender cut. The lower-priced cuts 
 may be used with good results, provided they are made tender by 
 long, slow cooking. Any vegetable may be added, including the 
 tougher parts of lettuce, and the leaves of celery. Rice, barley, 
 macaroni, or even crusts of stale bread may be used in the stew to 
 give variety. A stew containing a little meat, with one or more 
 vegetables and a cereal, comes near to supplying all the needed 
 foods, other than milk. 
 
 MEAT STEW. 
 
 2 pounds of one of the cheaper cuts of \ onion, chopped. 
 
 beef. \ cup of flour. 
 
 4 cups of potatoes cut into small pieces. Salt. 
 § cup each of turnips and carrots cut 
 
 into J-inch cubes. 
 
 Cut the meat into small pieces, cover with boiling water, boil for 
 five minutes, and then cook at a lower temperature until the meat is 
 tender. This will require about three hours on the stove or five 
 hours in the tireless cooker. Add the carrots, turnips, and onions, 
 and salt during the last hour of cooking, and the potatoes 20 minutes 
 before serving. Thicken with the flour diluted with cold water. If 
 the dish is made in the tireless cooker, the mixture must be reheated 
 when the vegetables are put in. 
 
 There is much to be said in favor of keeping a soup pot on the stove 
 all the time, provided great care is taken not to allow the contents to 
 grow stale. Into this pot can go clean portions of uncooked food and 
 also clean foods left from the table, such as meat, milk, mashed pota- 
 toes, or other vegetables, crusts, cold cereal mushes, and even fruits. 
 Soups made from such materials may not have great nutritive value, 
 but, like those made out of materials bought for the purpose, they 
 encourage the use of a large amount of bread, particularly if carefully 
 
 seasoned. 
 
 Poultry. 
 
 Chicken or turkey can be used for variety in a child's diet and are 
 palatable stewed and served with rice. If roast chicken is used, select 
 portions which are tender. It is well not to give a young child either 
 highly seasoned stuffing (dressing) or rich gravy. 
 
 Fish. 
 
 The use of cured fish, fresh fish, and oysters in stews has been 
 spoken of above. Boiled or stewed fish is also good for variety. 
 
FOOD FOB Yor\<; CHILDREN". 13 
 
 Eggs. 
 
 Eggs are especially useful food Cor young children. The chief poinl 
 to remember in preparing them for children is that they must not be 
 overcooked or they are likely to cause indigestion, as experience has 
 shown. Everyone knows how the heat of cooking hardens the < 
 and it is easy to understand why the digestive juices might have 
 difficulty in penetrating such hard substance as the white of a hard- 
 boiled egg. Overcooked yolks are also thought to be hard to digi~i . 
 However, when eggs are cooked in the shell, the heat reaches the 
 white before it does the yolk, and so there is more danger of the 
 white being overcooked than of the yolk. The best ways of serving 
 eggs for children are poached, soft-boiled, or coddled, though they 
 may be scrambled for a change if one is careful not to scorch the fat 
 used or to overcook the egg. 
 
 Coddled Eggs. 
 
 Many means have been suggested for cooking eggs in such a way that 
 the yolks will be cooked and the whites will not be overcooked. One 
 of the most satisfactory is by coddling and is done as follows : Allow 
 a cupful of water to each egg, bring the water to the boiling point, 
 remove it from the fire, put in the eggs, cover the dish closely, and 
 leave the eggs in the water for about seven minutes. There is some 
 uncertainty about this method, for eggs differ in weight and also in 
 temperature at the time the cooking begins. On the whole, however, 
 this method can be more depended on than others. Good results can 
 be obtained by pouring hot water over eggs, if the same dish with the 
 same amount of water is always used, but each cook must make her 
 own rules. 
 
 Meat Substitutes. 
 
 Milk and eggs, as stated above, are common meat substitutes. 
 Among vegetable foods, dried beans, peas, lentils, and cowpeas, 
 which are often classed together and called legumes, are the best 
 substitutes for meat in the diet of older people, chiefly because they 
 have large amounts of nitrogen needed for muscle building. In this 
 respect they have some advantage, though not a great one, over 
 cereals. Beans and the other legumes are not to be recommended 
 for young children except when milk, meat, eggs, fish, and poultry 
 are not to be obtained. When used they should be cooked until 
 they are reduced to a mush. Since the skins are likely to be tough, 
 it is well to put the cooked legumes through a sieve. 
 
 A general recipe for soups made from beans, peas, lentils, cowpeas, 
 and other legumes follows : 
 
 SOUP PROM DRIED BEANS OR OTHER LEGUMES. 
 
 1 cup dried legumes. 
 
 1 quart of water or soup stock. 
 
 2 tablespoonfuls of butter or savory fat. 
 
 2 tablespoonfuls of flour. 
 Salt and other flavoring. 
 
14 FARMERS BULLETIN 717. 
 
 Soak the dried legumes in water over night. Drain, add the water 
 or stock, cook slowly on top of the stove for three hours or in a fire- 
 less cooker for four or five hours or until tender. Renew the water 
 as it boils away. Strain and thicken with the fat and flour rubbed 
 together. These soups may be flavored in many ways. Some- 
 times a tomato, onion, a few celery tops, a sprig of parsley, or a 
 mixture of vegetables is boiled with the beans or peas, or just before 
 serving a few drops of onion juice, a little celery salt, or one-half 
 level teaspoonful of curry powder is added. Sometimes the water 
 used is that in which ham or other meat has been boiled, but in such 
 cases care must be taken not to have the liquid too fatty. 
 
 FOOD GROUP NO. 2.— BREAD AND OTHER CEREAL FOODS. 
 
 Cereal foods of some sort are used by children practically all over 
 the world. Bread is the commonest cereal food in this country, 
 though cereal mushes are also very generally used. Well-baked 
 bread and thoroughly cooked breakfast cereals are both good for 
 children and with milk should make up a large part of the diet. 
 These two foods, bread and breakfast cereals, provide almost the 
 same kinds of nourishment. Bread may therefore take the place, 
 to a certain extent, of cereal mushes and cereal mushes may take the 
 place of bread, but neither can take the place of milk, meat, eggs, 
 fruits, and vegetables. 
 
 An ordinary slice of bread (a f-inch slice cut from an ordinary 
 loaf) is equal in food value to about half a cupful of boiled or steamed 
 cereal and to about a cupful of puffed or flaked cereal. The mother 
 who must feed her child very economically should calculate the cost 
 of each and decide which is cheapest. 
 
 The relation of food to the condition of the bowels is an important 
 matter. Grains, particularly those containing the outer or branny 
 layers or coats, are laxative; so, too, are such mildly acid fruits as 
 apples, oranges, and grapefruit. So far, therefore, as the important 
 matter of preventing constipation is concerned, coarse grains and 
 mildly acid fruits serve the same purpose. When fruits are to be 
 obtained in abundance, the kind of cereal served is not of great 
 importance. When they are not, the coarser cereals should be used. 
 In the case of both cereals and fruits, it is possible to overdo. Some- 
 times the coarser parts, such as bran and skin, do not agree with the 
 child and, under these circumstances, they should be removed from 
 the food before it is served. Some mothers find it necessary to 
 strain oatmeal porridge, for example, and to remove the skins of 
 apples. 
 
 BREAD. 
 
 The yeast-raised bread given to young children should be at least 
 a day old or should be toasted or twice baked. Most hot breads are 
 
FOOD BOB voi.n'i; CHILDREN. L5 
 
 likely to bo swallowed in large pieces and are therefore not desirable. 
 Plot breads which are almost all crust, like thin tea biscuits or crisp 
 rolls, are least likely to cause trouble. 
 
 MILK TOAST. 
 
 This very common bread dish has been discussed under milk. (See 
 p. 7.) 
 
 TWICE-BAKED BREAD. 
 
 Bread cut or torn into small pieces and heated in a very slow oven 
 until thoroughly dried and very delicately browned is good food for 
 children. The warming oven of a coal stove is about hot enough for 
 this purpose. In the case of gas ovens it is often difficult to get the 
 gas low enough without having the door open a little way. The 
 advantage of tearing instead of cutting the bread is that it makes 
 it lighter in texture and easier to eat. The crust can be torn off 
 from all but the ends of a loaf of bread in one piece. This crust 
 should be torn into pieces about 2 inches wide. The inside of an 
 ordinary loaf of bread will make 16 pieces of convenient size. Tear 
 first across the loaf and then tear each half into eight pieces. It is 
 usually necessary to make a small cut first in order to start the 
 tearing. It is well to keep the crusts separate, as otherwise they 
 are likely to get too brown. Such bread will need to be reheated 
 before being served unless it is kept in a warm place, like a warm- 
 ing oven. 
 
 The above is also a good way to use stale bread. Some people 
 crush it and use it with milk as a breakfast food. 
 
 BREAKFAST CEREALS. 
 
 Cereal mushes and other breakfast cereals are very common foods. 
 Almost all of the well-known grains are used for this purpose, and 
 there are many such products, owing to differences in manufacture. 
 
 Except when used for dessert, cereal mushes and ready-to-eat 
 cereals should be served with milk and with very little, if any, sugar. 
 If the cereals are heavily sweetened, children are likely to eat so 
 much that they neglect other and much-needed foods. If carefully 
 salted, mushes are more likely to satisfy the taste without sugar 
 than otherwise. Well-cooked cereals with milk or stewed fruit or a 
 little molasses, sirup, honey, or sugar make good desserts for dinner, 
 lunch, or supper. If preferred, dried fruits, like dates and raisins, 
 may be cooked with the cereal to sweeten it and to give flavor. 
 
 COOKING CEREAL BREAKFAST FOODS. 
 
 It is bard to give general rules for cooking cereals, for there are so 
 many kinds, but it is safe to say that there is no danger of overcook- 
 ing and much danger of undercooking them. Some grains need 
 longer cooking than others — corn meal, for example, needs at least 
 
16 farmers' bulletin 717. 
 
 three hours and rice hardly more than half an hour. In general, 
 whole grains, like whole wheat, or grains more or less finely broken, 
 like cracked wheat, require longer cooking (three hours at least) 
 than more finely-ground grains, such as farina (which should be 
 cooked one hour at least). Breakfast foods made from grains with 
 the outer coverings left on require more cooking than those with 
 the outer covering removed — whole barley, for example, more than 
 pearl barley. Many cereal foods, particularly the rolled and flaked 
 types, have been partially cooked at the factory. These require 
 less cooking in the home than those which have had no such treat- 
 ment; but if they are to be served to children such cereals should 
 be cooked at home for at least an hour. There are also cereal break- 
 fast foods which have been still more thoroughly cooked at the fac- 
 tory, either by parching in addition to flaking or by some other spe- 
 cial method. These are improved by putting them into the oven 
 long enough at least to crisp them. 
 
 Oatmeal, corn meal, and many other granular cereals can be put 
 directly into cold water and cooked satisfactorily in a double boiler 
 without stirring, the method being particularly good in the case of 
 corn meal, which is likely to be lumpy if stirred into hot water. A 
 convenient method for cooking cereals is to mix with the usual 
 quantity of water, bring to the boiling point, boil for three or four 
 minutes, and then put into a fireless cooker and leave 10 or 12 hours. 
 Porridge or mush made in this way must be reheated before serving. 
 
 The quantity of water required differs with the cereal. A cupful 
 of rolled oats requires at least 2 cupfuls of water; oatmeal or corn 
 meal, 4 cupfuls; and rice, 3 cupfuls. 
 
 A level teaspoonful of salt to a cupful of cereal will usually be 
 right, but it is well to experiment a little with an unfamiliar cereal, 
 since failure to salt mushes properly very often leads children to dis- 
 like them. 
 
 FOOD GROUP NO. 3.— BUTTER, CREAM, TABLE OIL, AND OTHER FATTY 
 
 FOODS. 
 
 Fat is an important part of the food of children. This is not sur- 
 prising, for it is found in considerable amounts in human milk, the 
 natural food for babies. Butter, which consists chiefly of separated 
 milk fat, and cream, which is rich in milk fat and also in the other 
 nourishing substances of milk, are both wholesome. Salad oils of 
 various kinds (olive, cottonseed, peanut, and others) may be given 
 to children in small amounts. Those who are not used to table oil 
 must often be trained to like.it. This can usually be done by intro- 
 ducing it very gradually into the diet. A good way to serve it is on 
 spinach and other greens or on tender salad vegetables. 
 
FOOD FOE VOi'N'c OHILDB 17 
 
 Thoro is more than an ounce of fat (at least 2\ level tablespoonfius) 
 in a quart of wholo milk. If the healthy child is given a quart of 
 milk, has butter on its broad, and meat or an egg once a day, ho gel 3 
 enough fat and that which he receives is in wholesome form. It is 
 well, therefore, not to give such fatty foods as pastry, fried meats 
 and vegetables, and doughnuts or rich cakes, for in these the fats 
 are not in so good a form for children, as experience lias shown. If 
 the child is constipated, the occasional use of cream or salad oil is 
 desirable, for fat in abundance is laxative. 
 
 Bacon or salt pork, cut very thin and carefully cooked, may be 
 given occasionally, but thick pieces with much lean are not desirable. 
 In preparing bacon or salt pork it is very important not to burn the 
 fat. To avoid this they should be cooked in one of the following 
 ways: Put the slices on a broiler or wire frame over a pan; place 
 the pan into a hot oven and cook long enough to remove most of the 
 fat. Or keep a pan on purpose for cooking bacon on top of a stove 
 and let the fat which fries out of it collect in the pan, taking care 
 that none is burned. In time so much fat will collect that bacon 
 oan be dropped into this hot fat and will be less likely to burn than 
 if placed on a hot pan. 
 
 FOOD GROUP NO. 4.— VEGETABLES AND FRUITS. 
 
 Two very valuable kinds of food are here grouped together, namely, 
 vegetables and fruits. This is done because they are similar in 
 that both kinds supply iron, lime, and other mineral matter to the 
 body, and also mild acids (not always in such amounts that one can 
 taste them), such as those which are found in oranges, apples, and 
 tomatoes. 
 
 Vegetables are an important but often a neglected part of a child's 
 diet. They should be served at least once a day, as they help to keep 
 the bowels in good condition. Several of the ways of accustoming 
 the child to the taste of unfamiliar vegetables have already been 
 suggested here. They may be used as flavoring for soups and stews, 
 may be added to milk or meat stews, or served with meat gravy. If 
 gravy is used, it should not be too fat nor made with scorched fat. 
 
 Young children may be given the young and tender parts of celery 
 and lettuce, a satisfactory way of serving being in the form of sand- 
 wiches. For this purpose they should be slightly salted and the 
 celery should be chopped or cut into small pieces. 
 
 All vegetables, whether served raw or cooked, should be washed 
 with great care. Large vegetables like potatoes and carrots should 
 be scrubbed with a brush. Greens should be washed leaf by leaf 
 under running water, or in a large amount of water. In the latter 
 any sand which dings to them is likely to sink. To prevent it from 
 
18 FARMERS* BULLETIN 717. 
 
 again getting on the vegetables lift them from the water instead of 
 pouring the water off. 
 
 Most vegetables when served as a separate dish should be either 
 steamed, boiled, baked, or stewed. If the supply of fresh vegetables 
 is not generous, the juice in which they are cooked should be used 
 with them as far as possible, or put into soups or stews. 
 
 Experience has shown that vegetables, particularly green vege- 
 tables, are at their best when cooked until tender, but not until 
 completely wilted. Spinach requires cooking from 20 to 30 minutes. 
 
 Vegetables should be served either quite simply or with a little 
 milk, cream, or butter, to improve or vary the flavor. As said before, 
 oil may be served on greens instead of butter. These simple methods 
 are better than complicated ones like frying or scalloping. For the 
 smallest children such vegetables as greens should be finely chopped, 
 and if the tougher portions of other vegetables, the skins of green 
 peas, for example, are found to disagree with a child, these portions 
 should be removed by putting the cooked vegetable through a sieve. 
 No such vegetables as raw radishes or cucumbers, which might 
 easily be swallowed in large pieces, should be given to small children. 
 
 Fruits, which with vegetables make up group 4, are also very im- 
 portant in the child's diet. They supply mild acids, and they are 
 important for their flavor, for their laxative effects, and no doubt for 
 other reasons also. This laxative effect is well recognized in the 
 very general use of orange juice, prunes, and apples. Then, too, the 
 fruits, like the vegetables, have mineral elements which the body 
 requires. 
 
 Fruits should be served in some form at least once a day. In gen- 
 eral, the same rule should be followed as for vegetables in deciding 
 in what form they should be served. Fruit juices and the pulp of 
 cooked fruit, baked apples and pears, and stewed prunes, for ex- 
 ample, are safest. Whether the skins should be given depends 
 partly on the age and health of the child and partly on the way the 
 fruit is prepared. If the skins are very tender, they are not likely 
 to cause trouble, except with very young children. When apples 
 and pears are baked the skins can be made tender by frequent basting. 
 
 FOOD GROUP NO. 5.— SIMPLE SWEETS. 
 
 Simple sweets are such things as lump sugar, maple sugar, sirups, 
 honey, and plain candy, and those foods in which sugar is combined 
 in simple forms with fruit juices (in lemonade, water ice, jelly, etc.), 
 with flour or starch, as in plain cakes (cup cake, sponge cake, cookies), 
 and with fruit, as in jams, marmalades, and similar things. Sweets 
 which contain much fat, like rich cakes and pastry, and foods which 
 are made rich with nuts or dried or candied fruits, or those which 
 are highly flavored or spiced, can not be classed as simple sweets, 
 
FOOD FOLl YOUNG CHILDREN. 19 
 
 Sugar is a desirable part of the diet, and the only objection which 
 can be raised to its use in reasonable amounts in a mixed diet, is that 
 it is sometimes allowed to take the place of foods which come under 
 the first four groups mentioned in this bulletin, and so spoils the 
 child's appetite for those other important things. Under these con- 
 ditions it is harmful, because its improper use has led to bad food 
 habits. Sweets should not be given between meals or during the 
 first course of a meal. Careful mothers who forbid their children 
 eating candy at odd times sometimes give one or two pieces of whole- 
 some candy as a "treat" with dessert at dinner. 
 
 A REVIEW. 
 
 In the foregoing pages some general principles which should gov- 
 ern the young child's diet have been stated and facts given about 
 foods the child should have and about cooking them. 
 
 At the close of the day the mother might ask herself questions 
 like the following to make sure that she has taken into account the 
 things to which her attention has been directed : 
 
 Did each child take about a quart of milk in one form or another ? 
 
 Have I taken pains to see that the milk that comes to my house 
 has been handled in a clean way ? 
 
 If I was obliged to serve skim milk for the sake of cleanness or 
 economy, did I supply a little extra fat in some other way? 
 
 Were the fats which I gave the child of the wholesome kind 
 found in milk, cream, butter, and salad oils, or of the un- 
 wholesome kind found hi doughnuts and other fried foods ? 
 
 Did I make good use of all skim milk by using it in the prepa- 
 ration of cereal mushes, puddings, or otherwise ? 
 
 Were all cereal foods thoroughly cooked ? 
 
 Was the bread soggy ? If so, was it because the loaves were too 
 large, or because they were not cooked long enough ? 
 
 Did I take pains to get a variety of foods from the cereal group 
 by serving a cereal mush once during the day ? 
 
 Did I keep in mind that while cereals are good foods in them- 
 selves, they do not take the place of meat, milk, eggs, fruit, 
 and vegetables ? 
 
 Did I keep in mind that children who do not have plenty of 
 fruit and vegetables need whole-wheat bread and whole grains 
 served in other ways ? 
 
 Did each child have an egg or an equivalent amount of meat, 
 fish, or poultry ? 
 
 Did any child have more than this of flesh foods or eggs ? If so, 
 might the money not have been better spent for fruits or 
 vegetables ? 
 
20 FARMERS BULLETIN 117. 
 
 If I was unable to get milk, meat, fish, poultry, or eggs, did I 
 serve dried beans, or other legumes thoroughly cooked and 
 carefully seasoned ? 
 Were vegetables and fruits both on the child's bill of fare once 
 during the day ? If not, was it because we have not taken pains 
 to raise them in our home garden ? 
 Did either the fruit or the vegetable disagree with the child ? If 
 so, ought I to have cooked it more thoroughly, chopped it 
 more finely, or have removed the skins or seeds ? 
 Was the child given sweets between meals, or anything that 
 
 tempted him to eat when he was not hungry ? 
 Was he allowed to eat sweets when he should have been drinking 
 
 milk or eating cereals, meat, eggs, fruit, or vegetables ? 
 Were the sweets given to the child simple, i. e., unmixed with 
 much fat or with hard substances difficult to chew, and not 
 highly flavored % 
 Was the child made to eat slowly and chew his food properly ? 
 A young child may be considered well fed if he has plenty of milk, 
 bread, and other cereal food; an egg once a day or its equivalent in 
 flesh foods; a small portion each of carefully prepared fruits and 
 vegetables, with a small amount of sweet food after his appetite for 
 other foods is satisfied. If there is too much or too little of any of 
 these, his diet is one sided. 
 
 WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1916 
 
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 
 
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