MAN AND HIS BREAD

New Zealand Listener, Volume 12, Issue 287, 22 December 1944, Page 25

MAN AND HIS BREAD

(Written for "The Listener’ by DR.

MURIEL

BELL

Nutritionist to the

Department of Health)

HE history of wheat growing makes a fascinating story. Take, for instange, the cultivation of strains that have enlarged the wheat belts for the short summer of Canada, or of strains that will grow in the dry climate of Western Australia, This is the basis on which the world’s population has been enabled to growthe application of science to wheat culture has made it possible to feed the expanding population. At a lecture given by Sir John Russell in 1931, a story was told of a gloomy prophet of the last century who had compared the rate of growth of the population with the areas suitable for wheat growing, and deduced that there would be famine in this 20th century-the audience appreciated the joke, for at that time wheat was being burned because of so-called "over-pro-duction" (more properly under-consump-tion due to the depression). Wheat is generally preferred for bread-making-though there are peoples in other lands who prefer bread made from rye or other cereals. Trash And Chaff Man has also become sensitive in his psychological and gustatory reactions to bread. We have each our own strong dis-likes-the wholemeal-eater regards white bread as tasteless trash, the white breadeater is inclined to make rude references

to the chaff eaten by the other fellow. Rather less than 10 per cent of the population eat wholemeal bread. And though £29,000 was spent on propaganda in favour of the voluntary choice of national wheatmeal bread in England, the people persisted in their preference for white bread until its compulsory introduction, forced by the shipping position. As Sir Gowland Hopkins has put it, "tradition tends to accumulate prejudices as often as truths." Many of us have changed our prejudices quite suc-cessfully-we often hear of parents who, knowing that wholegrain cereals have better nutritional value than refined cereals, have changed their habits in order to set the example for their children, and have found that they came to prefer the wholemeal bread. Food prejudices are fairly widespread in children -parents can, however, do a great deal to overcome these dislikes and thus do their children a good service. Sometimes it requires the firm attitude; sometimes reasoning; sometimes it can be done by the method by which as a child I was persuaded to like rabbit. Having refused to eat rabbit because I did not like the smell when it was stewing, I was one day presented with my portion of "chicken pie." Asked how I liked it, I said it was nice. When they revealed that it was rabbit, I knew I had been defeatedand have liked rabbit ever since!