It is possible to
get the proper amounts of fuel and protein from white bread
and meat, but such a diet is poorly balanced as to ash con-
stituents and especially lacks calcium. It would need to be
balanced by adding some fruit or vegetable and even then
would not contain as much calcium as is best for growing
people. A diet of bread and milk, on the other hand, is so
nearly perfectly balanced (supplying fuel, protein, and ash
constituents in suitable amounts) that it can be taken ex-
MENUS AND DIETARIES 305
clusively for a long time. Whole wheat bread and milk
would be even better, because the whole wheat would supply
more iron, in which white bread and milk are not rich. The
addition of fruits and vegetables to the bread and milk diet
would also be an advantage — partly for the same reason.
Other foods especially valuable for growth are eggs and
cereals from whole grains. Children should acquire the
l;iabit of eating fruits and green vegetables of all kinds, for
when they are older and likely to take less milk and cereals,
the fruits and vegetables supply important ash constituents
and also help to prevent constipation.
The foods good for children are also good for adults, but
the latter can keep their bodies in good repak with less
protein and ash in proportion to body weight than are re-
quh'ed during growth, and many kinds of protein serve for
repair. If there are not enough milk and eggs to go around,
adults can take meat, nuts, peas, beans and bread for protein,
and trust to these and fruit and vegetables for ash. When
the body has been wasted by sickness, however, a return to
the foods of growth, especially a diet of milk and eggs, is
best for building it up again.
The number of meals in a day. — Knowing how much and
what kinds of food are best for each member of the family,
we must next find out how to divide the total food for the
day into meals. Few of us could take our required fuel in
one meal, and if we could, we should probably be hungry
before the time for the next meal. Some persons get along
very well with two meals a day, but usually their fuel re-
quirement is not high. Most people are more comfortable
and more likely to eat a suitable amount in a deliberate
fashion if they have three meals a day. When large amounts
of fuel have to be taken, four or five meals may be better than
three ; babies who have to eat in proportion to their size.
306 FOODS AND HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT
often 2} times as much as their mothers, take 2} times as
many meaJs, i.e, 7 or 8 in a day.
The amount of food for each meal. — While the niunber
of meals depends largely on the amoimt to be eaten in the
whole day, and the appetite of the subject, the amount at each
meal is most influenced by the nature of the daily occupation.
The baby with nothing to do but eat and sleep has meals
uniform in kind and amount. The business man who works
very hard through the middle of the day, and has not time
to take an elaborate meal, nor time to rest after it so that it
may digest easily, takes a light luncheon and makes up for it
at breakfast and dinner. The outdoor worker who has a long
hard day and expends much energy, takes an hour at noon for
a substantial dinner, in addition to a hearty breakfast and
supper and sometimes a mid-forenoon or mid-afternoon limch.
Page 151
Presented as published in 1914. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
It is possible to get the proper amounts of fuel and protein from white bread and meat, but such a diet is poorly balanced as to ash constituents and especially lacks calcium. It would need to be balanced by adding some fruit or vegetable and even then would not contain as much calcium as is best for growing people. A diet of bread and milk, on the other hand, is so nearly perfectly balanced (supplying fuel, protein, and ash constituents in suitable amounts) that it can be taken ex-
clusively for a long time. Whole wheat bread and milk would be even better, because the whole wheat would supply more iron, in which white bread and milk are not rich. The addition of fruits and vegetables to the bread and milk diet would also be an advantage — partly for the same reason.
Other foods especially valuable for growth are eggs and cereals from whole grains. Children should acquire the habit of eating fruits and green vegetables of all kinds, for when they are older and likely to take less milk and cereals, the fruits and vegetables supply important ash constituents and also help to prevent constipation.
The foods good for children are also good for adults, but the latter can keep their bodies in good repair with less protein and ash in proportion to body weight than are required during growth, and many kinds of protein serve for repair. If there are not enough milk and eggs to go around, adults can take meat, nuts, peas, beans and bread for protein, and trust to these and fruit and vegetables for ash. When the body has been wasted by sickness, however, a return to the foods of growth, especially a diet of milk and eggs, is best for building it up again.
The number of meals in a day. — Knowing how much and what kinds of food are best for each member of the family, we must next find out how to divide the total food for the day into meals. Few of us could take our required fuel in one meal, and if we could, we should probably be hungry before the time for the next meal. Some persons get along very well with two meals a day, but usually their fuel requirement is not high. Most people are more comfortable and more likely to eat a suitable amount in a deliberate fashion if they have three meals a day. When large amounts of fuel have to be taken, four or five meals may be better than three ; babies who have to eat in proportion to their size.
often 2} times as much as their mothers, take 2} times as many meals, i.e, 7 or 8 in a day.
The amount of food for each meal. — While the niunber of meals depends largely on the amoimt to be eaten in the whole day, and the appetite of the subject, the amount at each meal is most influenced by the nature of the daily occupation. The baby with nothing to do but eat and sleep has meals uniform in kind and amount. The business man who works very hard through the middle of the day, and has not time to take an elaborate meal, nor time to rest after it so that it may digest easily, takes a light luncheon and makes up for it at breakfast and dinner. The outdoor worker who has a long hard day and expends much energy, takes an hour at noon for a substantial dinner, in addition to a hearty breakfast and supper and sometimes a mid-forenoon or mid-afternoon lunch.