Foods and home making

In studying the lists of foods rich in iron, calcium, and phos- phorus, we find that little iron is contained in this meal. There is a small quantity of iron in whole-wheat bread, beans, and cabbage. In one of the other meals of the day used with this one, beef or spinach or liver or egg or some other iron-rich food should be included. Since milk, as we learned on page 268, is our best source of calcium, we are sure of some calcium in the meal. Dried bean? also contain some calcium. Milk contains not only calcium but phosphorus. From the table given on pages 600-609 it is possible to de- termine whether the amount of calcium, phosphorus, and iron of a day’s meals is sufficient for the daily needs of the body. More about this is given when the food value of an entire day’s food is considered. What vitamins are contained in this meal? Every one of the foods contained in this meal supplies vitamins with the possible exception of cottonseed oil. Butter and milk are especially good sources of vitamin A. Vitamin B is supplied by all but one food. Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin C. Milk is rich not only in vitamin A, but in vitamin G. Milk and butter also contain some vitamin D.1 Hence the vitamins are well represented in this meal. Every meal should contain vitamin-rich foods. Use foods rich in vitamin C every day, because the body does not hold this vitamin in store. 1 Exposure to sunshine, taking cod-liver oil, and using irradiated foods, especially irradiated milk, are other ways of obtaining vitamin D. Luncheon or Supper Menus — Calories 333 Are all other foodstuffs represented in this meal? Let us call the roll of foodstuffs : Carbohydrates — Beans, Banana, and Bread answer Yes. Fats — Butter says Yes; Milk answers Yes somewhat faintly. Proteins — Beans, Bread, and Milk say Yes. Mineral Matter — The answer Yes comes in a chorus — Beans, Bread, Butter, Cabbage, and Milk all speak together. Water — Milk answers a brisk Yes; Cabbage bravely follows, while faint replies come from all the other foods. There appears to be a good representation of all the foodstuffs in the meal. Does the meal contain roughage ? It is important that a meal have foods containing cellulose or roughage. Beans, cabbage, and Graham bread contain cellulose. Are the foods of the meal in season? The foregoing menu is one that could be served at almost any time of the year. For example, although cabbage is a fresh vegetable, it can usually be obtained during the entire year. However, cabbage that is freshly picked contains more of vitamin C than that which has been in storage for some time. Nevertheless, since cabbage is so rich in minerals, we consider it a valuable food even though it is cooked or has been in storage for some time. Variety of menus depends to a considerable extent, then, upon the season of the year. Because an unseasonable food is invariably high in price and difficult to obtain, we do not consider as practical a menu that contains foods out of season. Is the meal digestible ? Baked beans sometimes cause distress if they are not well chewed. With thorough mastica- tion, the normal person should digest them with comfort. Uncooked cabbage also needs to be eaten slowly and masticated thoroughly. Bread, butter, and milk are easily and quickly digested. 334 Luncheon or Supper