Certain dishes are excluded from the children's bill-of- fare for various reasons. Coffee and tea should not be allowed, because they are nerve stimulants. Even cocoa as a regular drink is of questionable value, for it, too, con- tains a stimulating principle. Hot water with milk, or cereal coffee, will furnish hot drinks when called for, but 1 Rennin solution is made by dissolving a junket tablet in two tablespoons of water. 278 FOOD STUDY all children should be encouraged to drink plenty of milk. A quart of milk a day for each child should be provided. This does not mean that such an amount must necessarily be drunk, because, when preferred, some of it may be served in soup, in white sauce, or in simple puddings. Secondly, foods containing much fat are excluded. This means pastry, fried foods, rich cake, and rich sauces, because they are difficult of digestion. For the same rea- son, pork, the fat of meat, and rich fish like salmon and mackerel, are forbidden. Spices, condiments, and strong acids such as vinegar, are also better omitted, as are raw foods containing much cellulose, as celery, cabbage, and radishes. Almost any vegetable can be given, if it is prepared properly for the child. Little children are likely to swallow with insufficient chewing, so carrots, parsnips, turnips, onions, peas, beans, and corn may be difficult of digestion for them. But these same vegetables rubbed through a sieve and served as puree or a cream soup are excellent. The difficulty of chewing also makes veal too difficult of digestion. Bananas and cheese are so readily swallowed in lumps that the form in which these are fur- nished should be considered. The mixing of macaroni or rice with a little cheese affords a satisfactory way in which to serve the latter. Bananas as well as apples can be given, even to very little children, if they are scraped or baked. Children are especially susceptible to infection, so raw fruits must be clean. Berries bought in market are almost impossible to clean properly, and so are safer cooked. Figs and dates can be washed in hot water and sterilized in the oven. Sugar may be given in moderate amounts, but it is much better not to stimulate the child's taste for it. Don't teach the baby to eat sugar. When given at all, as candy FOOD FOR CHILDREN 279 or otherwise, it should be at the end of a meal. The objections to its use on cereals is that the child should be led to eat only because he is hungry, and not because he likes the taste of a special dish. Sugar is much more apt to be irritating when taken on an empty stomach. More- over, when eaten last, it is less apt to interfere with the appetite for other foods. Many authorities say that children are better off with- out meat until they are eight or nine years old. There is no question that many children are given meat in too large amounts. As Miss Hunt points out, a child of even six to nine years of age would have sufficient protein in his daily diet from one egg, three glasses of milk, and what he will secure from the bread, cereals, and vegetables which the normal child can be depended upon to eat.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Certain dishes are excluded from the children's bill-offare for various reasons. Coffee and tea should not be allowed, because they are nerve stimulants. Even cocoa as a regular drink is of questionable value, for it, too, contains a stimulating principle. Hot water with milk, or cereal coffee, will furnish hot drinks when called for, but 1 Rennin solution is made by dissolving a junket tablet in two tablespoons of water. all children should be encouraged to drink plenty of milk. A quart of milk a day for each child should be provided. This does not mean that such an amount must necessarily be drunk, because, when preferred, some of it may be served in soup, in white sauce, or in simple puddings. Secondly, foods containing much fat are excluded. This means pastry, fried foods, rich cake, and rich sauces, because they are difficult of digestion. For the same reason, pork, the fat of meat, and rich fish like salmon and mackerel, are forbidden. Spices, condiments, and strong acids such as vinegar, are also better omitted, as are raw foods containing much cellulose, as celery, cabbage, and radishes. Almost any vegetable can be given, if it is prepared properly for the child. Little children are likely to swallow with insufficient chewing, so carrots, parsnips, turnips, onions, peas, beans, and corn may be difficult of digestion for them. But these same vegetables rubbed through a sieve and served as puree or a cream soup are excellent. The difficulty of chewing also makes veal too difficult of digestion. Bananas and cheese are so readily swallowed in lumps that the form in which these are furnished should be considered. The mixing of macaroni or rice with a little cheese affords a satisfactory way in which to serve the latter. Bananas as well as apples can be given, even to very little children, if they are scraped or baked. Children are especially susceptible to infection, so raw fruits must be clean. Berries bought in market are almost impossible to clean properly, and so are safer cooked. Figs and dates can be washed in hot water and sterilized in the oven. Sugar may be given in moderate amounts, but it is much better not to stimulate the child's taste for it. Don't teach the baby to eat sugar. When given at all, as candy FOOD FOR CHILDREN 279 or otherwise, it should be at the end of a meal. The objections to its use on cereals is that the child should be led to eat only because he is hungry, and not because he likes the taste of a special dish. Sugar is much more apt to be irritating when taken on an empty stomach. Moreover, when eaten last, it is less apt to interfere with the appetite for other foods. Many authorities say that children are better off without meat until they are eight or nine years old. There is no question that many children are given meat in too large amounts. As Miss Hunt points out, a child of even six to nine years of age would have sufficient protein in his daily diet from one egg, three glasses of milk, and what he will secure from the bread, cereals, and vegetables which the normal child can be depended upon to eat.

Food study