OUR BABIES.

Shannon News, 2 September 1924, Page 4

OUR BABIES.

(By Hygeia.) Meat. in general the quantity of meat taken daily in colonial families is greatly in excess of tho bodily requirements, and is much mor© than is desirable for health, particularly in the case of children. It is highly desirable, moreover, to impress on the whole community that the populai idea as to meat being specially conducive to the development of fitness of muscle and to increased strength and vigour is erroneous.

As proteins are derived from variou ß sources and differ greatly in then nutritive values, it is impossible to t give any hard-and-fast figures as to fiow much meat should be taken ■ the best daily allowance will vary greatly according to the protein intake in the form of fish, milk, cheese, eggs legumes, and other foodstuffs, with high protein content. Of course, “red meat ’ need not enter into tiie diet ai all, and many authorities hold that, children are better without meat during the first few years of life.

in the case of children partaking oi the ordinary food of- tiie ordinary home, an ounce or two of meat per diem would certainly suffice between two and four years of age; and up to, say, six or seven years three or four ounces would be ample. Very little further increase need be made until

the onset of rapid growth during puberty, when between a quarter and a half pound of meat, fish or fowl per diem would not be excessive, unless high protein were given in other . foodstuffs. On the other hand, it must j be borne in mind that meat is re-, garded as liable to have an unduly stimulating effort upon the sexual and nervous systems of children, especi-j ally during puberty, and that it is ( better for such children to be given' their protein largely in other forms, such as cheese, eggs, milk, legumes, etc, , 1

For general purposes a good practical rule is to recommend meat to be taken at not more than one of the three daily meals. Preserved Foodstuffs.

Ja: a, tinned milk,, tinned meat, tinned fish, etc., tend to be lacking in essential vitamines, and are inferior im.nutritive value to fresh foods. The undue and increasing use of “tinned foods” is damaging to health, and should therefore be discouraged. Pickles, peserved sauces, and.' highly seasoned foods should not be given to children. Mastication. The necessity for vigorous mastication as a vital function cannot be too strongly emphasised, and the diet should consist largely of foods which give due exercise to the parts provided by Nature for this purpose—namely, the jaws, teeth, tongue, and salivary glands. Such exercise is not only necessary for. the development of these structures, but reacts favourably' on the whole digestive tract, as well as on the whole organism. This being so, the eating of food such as stale bread, crusts, toast, over-dried bread, raw d’pples, lettuce, etc., cannot be too strongly recommended, and soft sloppy diet too strongly condemned. Drinks and Drinking.

A drink of water taken on rising is beneficial; this may be repeated during the day between meals. Generally speaking, a child should be allowed as much water as is necessary to quench thirst; an active child may require' as much as two quarts in very hot weather. The prevalent notion that a child should not drink cold water is erroneous.

If a child feels thirsty when it conics to meal-time, a little water may be allowed before commencing the meal, but there should be no further drinking until the end of the meal. The common habit of washing down mouthfuls of food with liquid taken from time to time during the course of the meal is injurious. This practice should be strongly condemned, because such habits, once definitely formed, are very hard to break, and may last a lifetime. Water or milk and water is the best drink to take at the close of meals. Tea and coffee being neither good nor necessary beverages, their use should be strongly discouraged in the care of growing children. It is desirable to impress upon parents that both are specially injurious to child-, ren on account of their tendency to ■impair digestion, ana as nerve stimulants, to conduce to nervous instability. | Number of Meals. | For children from two years of age onwards, three meals a day are ample. No food whatever should be taken between meals, and the habit of giving milk, tea, cake, • biscuits, sweets, etc., between the regular meals should receive the strongest condemnation. It is specially necessary at the present time that we should train our young people to adopt the soundest habits in this respect, and that every eefforl should' be made to discourage the prevailing tendency to take food between

the regular' three meals a day. The principle of allowing the stomach time to complete its work on each meal before more food is taken should be the rule for all children, and is of special importance in the case of any child whose health is below par and whose digestive power is consequently impaired. The old maxim “little and often’’ is. a mistake, whether children are well or ill. (To Be Continued,)