THOUGHTS OF SPRING

New Zealand Listener, Volume 7, Issue 160, 17 July 1942, Page 14

THOUGHTS OF SPRING

| ‘Written for "The Listener" by DR.

MURIEL

BELL

Nutritionis

to the Department of Health)

ITH apologies to the poets, I will bring you down to earth--to Mother Earth. And to thoughts of the Vitamin C she will yield. The stakes you see at the bottom of this article are not pea-stakes, but a chart to guide you as to the values of the things that Mother Earth will yield. Now is the-time to plant black curraht bushes or cuttings -the latter yield fruit in their second season. Those seed potatoes have to be set up on end; but you hear all that on the wireless, or read it in the paper, so I will mind my own business. The accompanying chart is intended to convey some idea of the relative importance of our foods as contributors to the daily diet. The quantities which furnish the amounts of Vitamin C indi-

cated by the figures are such as one might eat in the day. Let us assume that we eat about half-a-breakfast-cupful of vegetables or fruit as a rule-about 314 ozs. But you wouldn’t take more than %4 cup of blackcurrants, probably; or more than about 5 sprigs of parsley. So wherever there is no amount mentioned, the amount is half-a-cupful. Now, for good health, you need about 60 to 75 milligrams of Vitamin C per day. If you have a salad of lettuce, parsley, celery and carrots, you still have not climbed very far up the chart. But a good helping of potatoes and cauliflower will probably provide you with the day’s needs for this vitamin, if you are careful with the method of cooking. (Next week: "Arithmetic in Milk’ For Mothers, by Dr. Turbott.)

WHERE YOU GET YOUR VITAMIN C