Foods and home making

If you would keep your teeth in good condition, you should not only eat tooth-building foods but you should eat hard foods. Do not, of course, abuse the teeth by cracking nuts. Bread crusts, raw fruits and vegetables including their skins, and whole grains will help to make teeth strong. If the teeth are given work to do in chewing hard foods, plenty of blood is sent to the inside of the teeth and the teeth are nourished and become stronger. Hard and coarse foods as well as tooth-building foods are needed to keep the teeth in good condition. Why do we need sleep ? Sleeping time is growing time. It is also repairing time. The body is refreshed after a good night’s sleep. Plenty of rest at night is needed (i) to grow, (2) to have a good disposition, (3) to think and to work, and (4) to look well. Pupils of high school age should sleep at least nine or ten hours every night. Adults need at least eight hours of sleep. The best way to get the proper amount of sleep is to : 1. Go to bed at a regular time. 2. Have the room quiet. 3. Have a change of air, but no draft on the sleeper. 4. Avoid eating between the evening meal and bed time. 5. Use warm, but light bed covering. 6. Sleep either without a pillow or with a low pillow. 7. Think of pleasant things before going to sleep. 8. Relax so that you go to sleep very soon after getting into bed. Why do we need fresh air and sunshine ? You have perhaps been in a room in which the air was heavy and foul. If you stayed in the room for any length of time, you became listless or Keeping Well 469 drowsy. In such a room, it was hard for you to think and work. To feel our best and think our best, fresh air is needed. In the daytime, we should ventilate our homes so as to get fresh air. If we can be in the sunshine outdoors, both the air E. B. Hart, University of Wisconsin Figure 138. The Effect of Sunlight on Growth These two chicks are of the same age and were fed the same food. The larger chick was exposed to sunlight a half hour each day for almost two months. The smaller chick was not placed in the sunlight. At the begin- ning of the experiment both chicks weighed about the same. At the close, the larger chick weighed more than twice as much as the smaller one. Sunlight makes human beings grow as well as chicks. It is needed for health. and sunshine will help us grow. When you examine Figure 138 you will realize how important sunlight is. 470 Health and Child Care During the night, the temperature should be regulated accord- ing to conditions of the air outside. Drafts are to be avoided, but the air should move somewhat to avoid the accumulation of unpleasant odors. Since sleeping time is growing time, to get the greatest benefit, children need to be comfortable and relaxed. The temperature should be neither hot nor cold — about 68° to 70° F. The relative humidity should be 40 to 50 per cent. Does food make a difference in our looks ? Every normal girl wants to look as well as she can. In an effort to improve their looks, some girls use rouge, cold cream, and other cosmetics. Wholesome food is a much better aid to beauty than any artifi- cial beautifier. It is the best cosmetic known. The hints on page 471 were prepared for girls who want to improve their looks.