THE RIGHT FOODS
requirements of a child. Cereals and flours containing the outside of the grain—such as graham, whole wheat, unpolished rice—are more nourishing than the refined cereals and flours because they contain special life-giving factors called vitamins. They also help to prevent constipation.
If children do not like cereals it is usually because the cereals have not been properly cooked. Cereals when prepared at home should be cooked for at least three hours over boiling water, or in a fireless cooker. This thorough cooking makes the starch more digestible.
Vegetables
Vegetables are a very important factor in the diet. They are essential in guarding against constipation. Potatoes should be given practically every day in some form, such as baked, boiled or mashed. Other valuable vegetables are peas and beans, spinach, string beans, squash, celery, asparagus, carrots and beets, either fresh, dried or canned. Green vegetables are particularly rich in iron and also in vitamins.
Fruit
A child should have some fruit in the diet every day. Where fresh fruit is not possible dried fruits may be used. Dried fruits have a rich iron content. Fresh fruit should be given only in season. All fruits should be wiped off with a damp cloth before being eaten.
Sweets
Sweets should never be given between meals (except in the 10 o’clock lunch suggested in the menu list). They should be given in foodstuffs such as cocoa, puddings, custards, fruits, etc., or at the end of a meal.
Further detailed discussion of a child’s food requirements, including sample menus and tables of calorific values for everyday foods, will be found in the appendix, pages 72 and 73.
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