Feminine Interests

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 871, 15 January 1930, Page 5

Feminine Interests

WEIGH! PER AGE THE "CUT LUNCH” Our problem today lies in the daily lunch basket either packed at home or procured "ready made” at a local teashop or pastrycook's. The aim o£ the "cut lunch” is not merely lo satisfy hunger. It has to provide t he body with adequate material to repair the waste already caused by the work of the morning, and with •■fuel'' to maintain its energy until the dav is done. Creamy cakes, rich pastries, and a surplus of sweets and white flour may be delectable to the palate, but they offer no sure foundation for bodily health. For growing children or for young people in general, nothing can adequately take the place of a hot midday meal, but if this is unobtainable the lunch basket must contain the same essential food groups in balanced proportions. For ihe ' main course” let the basis of the sandwiches be wholemeal bread or brown bread, rather than the overrefined white bread, and choose the “Allings” with a view to their dietetic value. Much interest has been aroused during the last winter in the special milkwholemeal loaf, of which about 7,000 adult rations were daily issued by the Melbourne City Council to needy persons. The formula was provided by the city health officer (Dr. John Dale) after consultation with Dr. Kincaid—the medical officer in charge of the child welfare work of the Melbourne City Council—on the best means of providing a satisfactory diet during the prevailing economic distress. In this bread the wholemeal Is impregnated with skim milk powder (3foz to a loaf) and the milk fat lacking*in the powder can be provided by an allowance of two ounces of butter to each loaf of baked bread. This allowance of milk powder and butter is approximately equal in value to two pints of milk, and In combination with one pound of wholemeal yields about 2.450 calories of energy. With the addition of an orange (to provide vitamin C), this diet would keep an average person in reasonable health, provided of course that no great physical strain was undertaken. It will be readily seen what a valuable contribution this experiment is to our dietetic knowledge, as such a diet scheme is within the reach of all but the absolutely destitute. Another advantage of this bread is that its firmer crust necessitates extra chew-

ing an important factor in the development of healthy teeth, and the condition of the teeth has much to do w-ith the health of the body. Although this scheme was never put forth as an ideal diet, but only as a practical suggestion to keep needy people from starvation, many private individuals have gained much benefit by using this bread in their daily menus not so much in the main meals, which provide more or less satisfactorily for physical needs—but in the “cut lunch”, or the 11 o’clock or afternoon tea, when as a rule white bread, cakes, or biscuits are eaten. In a very interesting article on “A Simple Diet: Wheat, Milk, Orange,” published in the recent number of the "Health Bulletin” (Victorian Department of Public Health), Dr. Dale refers to the great importance of milk in children’s diet, and writes: “In parts of Great Britain the addition ot nnlk to the ordinary diet of children in industrial communities has produced very definite effects in improving the growth and the general health and liveliness of the children. Australian city children are probably better fed than their relatives in Europe, but nevertheless our milk consumption is low, and it is likely that an increased amount in children’s diet would lead to better growth and health here. It is particularly for such putposes as school lunches and for simple teas for children that it seems desirable that a milk-wholemeal loaf with the full amount of milk in it should form a regular part of household food supplies. The bread would probably be too solid to supplant ordinary bread in the general mixed diet. There is, however, much to be said for the increased use of wholemeal as opposed to white bread. The possible shortage of vitamin B is by no means fanciful, and the desirability of increasing roughage in our ordinarv diet is abundantly witnessed by the general prevalence of constipation and its many evil consequences.” SANDWICH FILLINGS American diet experts have issued many excellent suggestions for suitable sandwich fillings for the school lunch-basket, or “cut lunch” for business girls, and the following suggestions are from Mabel T. Wellman’s textbook, “Food Planning and Preparation," designed for American schools: (1) Cottage dheese to which either grated nut or sliced olives can be added. (2) Thin rashers of either cold boiled bacon or of crisply fried bacon. (3) Crushed baked beans or cooked

haricot beans (or peas) mashed smooth, and mixed with a little grated cheese and grated nut. (4) Peanut butter. (5) Scrambled egg cooked fairly dry, or chopped hard-boiled egg. A little minced ham or salad dressing can be mixed with the egg. (6) Fish —either salmon, sardines, or other oily fish, or cooked fresh fish mixed with a little white sauce or salad dressing. (7) Cold meat chopped or sliced, white sauce or salad dressing can be used with it. For sw§et sandwiches she suggests: (1) Stoned and mashed dates,

seasoned with a little lemon juice or with minced peanuts and salt. (2) Chopped raisins and nuts, with or without celery, and salad dressing. (3) Jam or jelly sandwiches. (4) Brown sugar scattered over bread and butter. Then there are the crisp sandwiches made with celery, lettuce, a mixture of chopped celery and ripe apple, with or without a sprinkling of grated cheese: or a mixture of chopped celery and grated nut. Stale currant loaf makes excellent “sweet sandwiches” merely spread with butter, and most children and young people like slices of wholemeal “war-loaf” (mixed with chopped or minced nut or with raisins or chopped dates). Such bread and butter often forms a nice change to sandwiches. Another “spice of variety” can be given by home-made oatmeal biscuits and butter with a liberal sprinkling of grated cheese (or a separate little block of cheese), and some celery or crisp lettuce leaves. Oatmeal cookies, oatmeal date cakes, gem scones made with wholemeal and currants, little cheese custards baked in light aluminium cups, plain sponge, madeira or sultana cake—all these can he combined with fresh fruit in season

CULTIVATE YOUR CURVES

To be too slim is no longer fash- j ionable. The boyish figure has been supplanted by graceful curves! Many women are too thin to show j off their figure to advantage. Putting | on weight—or fat —is usually more ! difficult than taking it off. Dietetic j measures must be chiefly relied on by I those who desire a pleasing plumpness. Not only must sugars, fat, and cereals be added in larger measure to the diet, but more protein must be taken, too, to balance the others. Add at least one pint of milk to the day’s rations, between meals, and it is best taken warm. Take two pints a day if you can. If necessary, this may be taken with meals if sipped very slowly. Milk provides both fat and protein. Tlie usual way in which protein is taken into the body is in the form of meat and fish, but it is not advisable to add more of these articles to the diet. Additional protein is better supplied l)y cheese, eggs, and milk. Fat-containing food& are butter, cream, milk, and chocolate, and these should be consumed in greater abundance. The potato, too, is an excellent provider of carbo-hydrate. Eat well, but don’t over-eat. That will only derange the digestion and prevent the extra food from being absorbed. Cod-liver oil might profitably be added to the diet of the toothin person in very cold weather. Not only should the over-thin person eat well, but she should rest well. If at all possible, rest, lying quite flat, for half an hour or more after the midday meal or the evening meal. At least eight hours’ sleep should be taken each night, or even nine. Above all, do not worry about trifles. A contented mind is a great help! HINTS THINGS WHICH YOU MAY NOT HAVE YET DISCOVERED To keep the dustbin sanitary, burn a few old newspapers, or some straw, in it each time it is emptied. This destroys all germs and dries the bin. When red-brick fireplaces become discoloured with smoke, it is a simple matter to freshen them up to look like new again. First scrub with hot soapy water, rinse and dry; then give the bricks a coating of brick-red washable distemper. This can be repeated whenever required. A pinch of salt in a glass of hot milk makes it more digestible and improves the flavour. Serving bread sauce with beef sausage, and apple sauce with pork saus- . ages; makes them much better appreciated —and does for more people!