the food money, and some who made liberal
expenditures for food were far from achieving
good diets. Adequate income alone is not
enough. At all levels there should be edu¬
cation in the importance of food to health
and in a rational basis for sound choice of
food. Nevertheless an important factor in
the improvement of nutrition on a national
scale is the maintenance of income levels that
make possible the purchase of adequate
diets.
Bad Food Habits. We all know individ¬
uals and families with pronounced food
habits based not on racial or traditional ex¬
perience but on likes and dislikes largely
developed from familiarity and emotional
associations with food. Liking a food is
partly a matter of knowing it; one tends
to like familiar foods. Many persons avoid
new foods and new methods of preparation,
and the more narrow a person’s choice the
less likely he is' to attain a good diet.
The wise mother introduces her child early
to a variety of foods prepared in different
ways. Individuals should make special effort
to widen their acquaintance with new foods,
'frying new foods is as important in building
good food habits as meeting new friends is
in broadening one’s social experience. The
circle should not be too narrow in either case.
Psychological factors influence food habits.
Too much emphasis on a good food or an as¬
sociation of a food with an unhappy situation
may develop a resistance to that food. Giv¬
ing distasteful medicine in orange juice or
milk has built up in some individuals a dislike
for these important foods. Psychologists
have shown that by unpleasant associations
they could consciously condition children
against desirable foods. Many families, un¬
consciously and with the best intentions,
produce the same result. Persons who have
been so conditioned should set themselves to
break any food habits that may interfere with
obtaining adequate diets.
When the right food may be had within
existing habit patterns it is easy to achieve a
good diet. More frequently these habits
make wise choice difficult, and the individual
or family suffers in health. Certain defects
in health are said to run in families, but bad
food habits passed on from one generation to
another frequently explain these defects.
Those who live in regions of the country
where incomes generally are .low are said to
be inefficient and predisposed to certain dis¬
eases. This supposed predisposition has been
shown to be due, in large part, to bad food
habits resulting from economic conditions
rather than to any inherited susceptibility
to these diseases.
Lack of Knowledge of Nutrition. Many
persons form bad food habits because they
lack a knowledge of the importance of food
and what constitutes a good diet. Such
knowledge can be acquired only through
education. There is now available a large
body of scientific facts concerning nutrition.
These facts have been interpreted in every¬
day terms to serve as guides for good basic
food habits and to lead to an appreciation
of the importance of such habits. Most ra¬
cial food habits and traditional diet patterns
now can be explained by the findings of the
comparatively new science of nutrition. The
underlying principles of nutrition furnish a
rational basis for food selection to take the
place of instinct and appetite.
FUNCTIONS OF FOOD
Page 2
Presented as published in 1935. 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
the food money, and some who made liberal expenditures for food were far from achieving good diets. Adequate income alone is not enough. At all levels there should be edu¬ cation in the importance of food to health and in a rational basis for sound choice of food. Nevertheless an important factor in the improvement of nutrition on a national scale is the maintenance of income levels that make possible the purchase of adequate diets.
Bad Food Habits. We all know individ¬ uals and families with pronounced food habits based not on racial or traditional ex¬ perience but on likes and dislikes largely developed from familiarity and emotional associations with food. Liking a food is partly a matter of knowing it; one tends to like familiar foods. Many persons avoid new foods and new methods of preparation, and the more narrow a person’s choice the less likely he is' to attain a good diet.
The wise mother introduces her child early to a variety of foods prepared in different ways. Individuals should make special effort to widen their acquaintance with new foods, Trying new foods is as important in building good food habits as meeting new friends is in broadening one’s social experience. The circle should not be too narrow in either case.
Psychological factors influence food habits. Too much emphasis on a good food or an as¬ sociation of a food with an unhappy situation may develop a resistance to that food. Giv¬ ing distasteful medicine in orange juice or milk has built up in some individuals a dislike for these important foods. Psychologists have shown that by unpleasant associations they could consciously condition children against desirable foods. Many families, un¬ consciously and with the best intentions, produce the same result. Persons who have been so conditioned should set themselves to break any food habits that may interfere with obtaining adequate diets.
When the right food may be had within existing habit patterns it is easy to achieve a good diet. More frequently these habits make wise choice difficult, and the individual or family suffers in health. Certain defects in health are said to run in families, but bad food habits passed on from one generation to another frequently explain these defects.
Those who live in regions of the country where incomes generally are .low are said to be inefficient and predisposed to certain dis¬ eases. This supposed predisposition has been shown to be due, in large part, to bad food habits resulting from economic conditions rather than to any inherited susceptibility to these diseases.
Lack of Knowledge of Nutrition. Many persons form bad food habits because they lack a knowledge of the importance of food and what constitutes a good diet. Such knowledge can be acquired only through education. There is now available a large body of scientific facts concerning nutrition. These facts have been interpreted in every¬ day terms to serve as guides for good basic food habits and to lead to an appreciation of the importance of such habits. Most ra¬ cial food habits and traditional diet patterns now can be explained by the findings of the comparatively new science of nutrition. The underlying principles of nutrition furnish a rational basis for food selection to take the place of instinct and appetite.
FUNCTIONS OF FOOD