INFANT WELFARE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 12, 5 September 1931, Page 3

INFANT WELFARE

plunket nurse explains importance of food values ADDRESS TO MOTHERS' LEAGUE At the monthly meeting of the Rotorua Branch of the League of Mothers' Association held yesterday afternoon in the Methodis school room, Mrs. H. V. Bertram presided over a large gathering of members, who had attended to hear an address by the district Plunket nurse, Miss Jackson. Miss Jackson chose for her subjeqt "The Pre-natal and Post-natal Value of Correct Food." In the course of her address the speaker mentioned .hat infantile mortality rate in New lealand was the lowest in the world, >ne of the effects arising from the nstitution of the Plunket Society in 19°7. "To give your children the finest Jhance in life the choice of food.is'mportant," Miss Jackson said. "Thp 7ery simplest foods are necessary and, moreover, they must, as far as pos5uble, be fresh foods, as these con^ tained all those minerals so vitallymportant to the -well being of both adult- and child. Vegetables, particu'arly greens, and codliver oil are oerhaps the most common and the, most nutritious." Miss Jackson then stated that th& Government spends as much as £40,--000 a year in connection with the care of ehildren's teeth. "But what "s the use of running a dental clinic on one side of the street and ai sweet shop on the other," she asked.. "We all know that these sweets* honey-comb the structure of the te'eth" promoting decay. The people of the ei'ghteenth century -are said to havepossessed the finest physique in the history of the British race. This fact was dne to the high cost of sugar, for ; then only the richer people could afford the luxury." \ Miss Jackson then stressed the value of water in the diet. Passing * from that she ' seleeted from her sample foods set out on the table a*loaf of wholemeal bread which sheproceeded to compare with breadmade of white fiour, which latter she described as being "foodless food." After a convincing little argument in favour of the wholemeal bread the speaker showed briefly the nutritive value of milk, one glass of which she declared was equal in food value^to seven loaves of white bread. Then followed a short outline of the process of.refining- wheat and eorri-flour, showing that the fiour was greatly impoverished in the procbss. In conclusion Miss Jackson emphasised the need for using as many cereal foods as possible. After Miss Jackson had been* thanked for her. interesting address, a number of reeipes were handed in by members for her approval. A light afternoon tea was then served after which Miss Minna Kronf eldt delighted the gathering with her truly beautiful rendering of "From the Land of the Sky-blue Water," succeeded by "Mary Magdalene." Two other songs were also^ given by Miss Kronfeldt during the afternoon. They were, "A Spirit Flower," and "A Brown Bird Singing." The meeting closed with the roll call and the singing of a hymn. The hostesses for the. afternoon were Mesdames J. E. Halkett, R. Quinlan, D. Jervis, Morland and Lindsay.