OUR BABIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 September 1938, Page 8

OUR BABIES

Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society). “It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.” WISE MOTHERHOOD Food provides the necessary materials required by the body to nourish the tissues, to supply energy and'heat, and to regulate the functions of the body. Body-buildings foods are known as protein foods, and are to be found in milk, meat, eggs, fish, and other flesh 1 foods, and to some extent in cereals, peas, and beans. Some of these foods are required daily, and in the average home each day’s diet includes one or more. The tendency is perhaps to overeating rather than otherwise. This throws extra work on the digestive and excretory organs, as the body can deal with only a limited amount of protein. Mothers are therefore warned not to take too much of these foods. A safe guide is to take at least one pint of milk daily for cooking as well as drinking, to have meat but once a day, fish two or three times a week (as a substitute for meat if wished), and perhaps an egg daily (to be used as desired). FOODS FOR HEAT AND ENERGY. These are chiefly the starches, sugars, and- fats. The important point to bear in mind in regard to these substances is to see they are supplied from the best sources. The reason for this will be more fully explained further on in our talk. The best sources are wholemeal cereals, such as wheat meal, rolled oats, and unpolished rice; and fruit and vegetables should be included in each day’s diet, preferably in the raw state. The value of dried fruits as a food will be emphasised later. Fats may.’be taken in the form of butter, cretim, also the fat of meat, and smaller amounts from other foods. Ripe fruit is Nature’s sugar bowl; here we have sugar supplied in its best form, in conjunction with other valuable substances. Vegetables are invaluable, and in order to preserve their best qualities a little thought must be given to their preparation. Raw salads are excellent.

When cooking vegetables steam them whenever possible. Cook potatoes in their jackets in the oven. The casserole is another good way of cooking in the oven, and will preserve all the good of the vegetable. Vegetables should be cooked quickly in as little water as possible. Soda should not be added in the cooking. By using these methods the most valuable qualities of vegetables are conserved. Use the water the vegetables are cooked in for soups or gravy. Not only the mother but other members of the household also will benefit by the improved method of cooking. Cereals should be eaten as much as possible in a dry state rather than mushy, such as wholemeal bread, oatcake, and crisp toast. MASTICATION. If mothers could only realise how much benefit they would derive from the use of cereals in their dry state and the taking of raw fruits and vegetables they would never go back to their old method. Soft foods, highly refined, are eaten with the least possible effort, and in consequence they are not thoroughly mixed with the saliva, and are consumed in far larger quantities than the body requires, thus giving' rise to indigestion and discomfort and to general ill-health.

MINERAL SALTS. Nowadays we are constantly having impressed upon us the fact that the teeth of New Zealand children are poor. In fact it is stated that 98 per cent of New Zealand children have suffered in some degree from decay in the teeth. This can be set to rights only by correcting the conditions which lead to such a tragic state of affairs. One of the most important factors bearing:.on this is the health of the mother during the ante-natal period. This is the time when the foundations of good teeth are laid. The mother’s blood must convey to the child supplies of calcium and phosphorus, and these are to be found in a diet composed chiefly of milk, green vegetables, and wholemeal cereals. The need for other mineral elements in the diet should also be appreciated, particularly iron and iodine. The former is obtained from a variety of foods, but chiefly from green vegetables, eggs, and dried fruits, such as raisins, for example. lodine must also be considered, as it is lacking in the soil in many parts of New Zealand, and consequently there is a deficiency of it in vegetables grown in such soil. It is abundantly found in sea foods, such as fish and oysters, and in some seaweeds, certain brands of which are now on the market. The use of iodised salt will also help to ensure this element in food. VITAMINS. These known, but invisible, agents are vital to the health of the body. Considering them as a whole, their functions are to maintain the resistance of the body to infection, to aid growth and digestion, also to assist in the utilisation of calcium and phosphorus in the building of teeth and bones. Vitamins are found in taw green

vegetables and fruits, particularly oranges; in the germ of and to some extent in the outer covering of seeds, such as wheat and dried peas, beans, etc.; and from milk, butter, and last, but not least, from the rays of the sun, which if allowed to act on the skin will produce in the body itself the vitamin that plays such an important part in the building of sound bodies and teeth. Here again is another good reason why the previously mentioned foods are necessary to a well-balanced diet. ROUGHAGE. Another function food has to perform besides supplying nourishment to the body as well as mineral elements and vitamins is to provide a certain amount of fibrous material to act as a broom for the cleansing of the digestive tract. Roughage is provided by the fibrous part of any food that requires chewing, as in fruits, vegetables, the bran part of wheat or other cereals, and meat and fish. Its purpose is to stimulate the muscles of the bowel, so aiding good elimination and preventing constipation.