Chapter XII: Part 12

31. With a little effort, children can be taught to like a large variety of foods, especially if these foods are given to them while they are still young. It is a decided advantage for every one to form a liking for a large number of foods. The person who can say that he cares for everything in the way of food is indeed fortunate, for he has a great variety from which to choose and is not so likely to have served to him a meal in which there are one or more dishes that he cannot eat because of a distaste for them.

Every mother should therefore train her children during their childhood to care for all the cereals, vegetables, and fruits. Besides affording the children a well-balanced diet, these foods, particularly vegetables and fruits, when served in their season, offer the housewife a means of planning economical menus, for, as every one knows, their price is then much lower than at any other time and is less than that of most other foods. During the winter, turnips, carrots, onions, and other winter vegetables are more economical foods than summer vegetables that must be canned or otherwise prepared to preserve them for winter use or the fresh summer vegetables purchased out of season. However, it is advisable to vary the diet occasionally with such foods.

COMPOSITION OF FOOD

32. To feed her family properly, the housewife should understand that the daily food must include the five food substances--protein, fat, carbohydrate, mineral matter, and water. As these are discussed in _Essentials of Cookery_, Part 1, they should be clear to the housewife, but if they are not fully understood, a careful review should be made of the discussions given there. The ways in which these food principles contribute to the growth and health of the body, as well as the ordinary foods that supply them in the greatest number, are tabulated in Table II for easy reference. This information will assist the housewife materially in the selection and preparation of food for her family; consequently, close attention should be given to it and constant application made of it.

33. As has already been learned and as will be noted here, a food substance often has more than one use in the body. For instance, protein builds tissue and also yields energy, but its chief work is that of building tissue, and so it is classed first as a tissue-building food substance. The fats and carbohydrates also have a double use in the body, that of producing heat and energy and of building fatty tissue. However, as their chief use is to produce heat and energy, they are known principally as heat-producing foods. Mineral matter not only is necessary for the building of bone and muscle, but also enters into the composition of the blood and all the fluids in the body. Growth and development are not ideal without an adequate supply of the many kinds of these salts, which go to make up the tissues, nerves, blood, and other fluids in the body.

34. The body regulators must be included in the food given, for they assist in all processes carried on in the body. Some are necessary to aid in the stimulation required to carry on the processes of digestion and in some cases make up a part of the digestive fluids. Consequently, vegetables and fruits that supply these body regulators and foods that supply vitamines should be provided.

Water, the chief body regulator, not only is essential to life itself, but forms by far a greater proportion of the body than any other single substance. The largest part of the water required in the body is supplied as a beverage and the remainder is taken in with the foods that are eaten.

TABLE II

FOOD SUBSTANCES AND THEIR RELATION TO GROWTH AND HEALTH

I Body-building materials
Proteins.
Meat
Fish and shell fish
Poultry and game
Eggs
Milk and milk products
Legumes (dried beans, peas, lentils)
Wheat and wheat products, as corn starch
Nuts
Mineral matter, or ash
Vegetables
Fruits
Eggs
Milk
Cereals
Meats
II Heat-producing materials
Fats
Animal
Lard
Suet
Tallow
Butter and cream
Vegetable
Olive oil
Corn oil
Cottonseed oil
Coconut oil
Nut oils
Mixed oils
Oleomargarine
Butterine
Nut butter
Crisco, etc.
Carbohydrates
Starch
Cereals and cereal products
Irish and sweet potatoes
Sugar
Cane sugar and molasses
Beet sugar
Maple sugar and sirup
Honey
Corn sirup and other manufactured sirups
Proteins
Same as in I

III Body regulators
Water
Mineral matter, or ash
Same as in I
Cellulose
Fruits
Vegetables
Covering of cereals and nuts
Food Acids
Sour fruits--citric and malic
Tomatoes--malic
Spinach--oxalic
Rhubarb--oxalic
Vitamines
Fat soluble A
Milk
Butter
Egg yolk
Water soluble B
Green vegetables, as spinach, chard, lettuce, beet greens
Asparagus and stem vegetables, as celery
Fruit vegetables, as tomatoes, peppers, okra
Fruits

The importance of bulk in foods cannot be emphasized too much. The indigestible cellulose of fruits, vegetables, and cereals is of such importance in the body that some of these foods should be supplied with every meal. Therefore, their incorporation into the diet should be considered as a definite part of the menu-making plan.

The acids of fruits are valuable as stimulants both to the appetite and to the digestion. Then, too, they give a touch of variety to a menu otherwise composed of rather bland foods. The stimulation they produce is much more healthful than that of condiments, drugs, or alcoholic beverages and should receive the preference.

_Vitamines_ are substances necessary for both growth and health. A child deprived of the foods containing them is usually not well and does not grow nor develop normally. These substances are also required in the diet of adults in order to maintain the body in a healthy condition. The leafy vegetables and milk are the foods that yield the greatest supply of vitamines. In fact, it is claimed by those who have experimented most with this matter that these two sources will supply the required amount of vitamines under all conditions.

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BALANCING THE DIET

QUANTITY AND PROPORTION OF FOODS

35. FACTORS INFLUENCING FOOD.--Numerous factors affect the kind and quantity of food necessary for an individual. Chief among these are age, size, sex, climate, and work or exercise. In addition to determining the amount of food that must be taken into the body, these factors regulate largely the suitability of the foods to be eaten. It is true, of course, that all the food substances mentioned in Table II must be included in every person's diet after the first few years of his life, but the quantity and the proportion of the various substances given vary with the age, sex, size, and work or exercise of the person and the climate in which he lives. Merely to provide dishes that supply sufficient food value is not enough. This food material must be given in forms that can be properly digested and assimilated and it must be in the right proportion for the person's needs. The aim should therefore be to provide a _balanced diet_, by which is meant one that includes the correct proportion of the various food substances to supply the needs of the individual.

36. QUANTITY OF FOOD IN CALORIES.--Without doubt, the most intelligent way in which to feed people is to compute the number of calories required daily. As will be remembered, the calorie is the unit employed to measure the amount of work that the food does in the body, either as a tissue builder or a producer of energy. The composition and food value of practically all foods are fairly well known, and with this information it is a simple matter to tell fairly accurately the amount of food that each person requires.

As has been stated, the number of calories per day required by a person varies with the age, size, sex, and occupation of the person, as well as with the climate in which he lives. For the adult, this will vary from 1,800 to 3,000, except in cases of extremely hard labor, when it may be necessary to have as high as 4,500 calories. The average number of calories for the adult, without taking into consideration the particular conditions under which he lives or works, is about 2,500. Still a small woman who is inactive might be sufficiently fed by taking 1,800 calories a day, whereas a large man doing heavy, muscular work might require 3,500 to 4,000 daily.

37. IMPORTANCE OF PROPER AMOUNT OF FOOD.--Most authorities agree that it is advisable for adults and children well past the age of infancy to take all the food required in three meals. The taking of two meals a day is sometimes advocated, but the possibility of securing in two meals the same quantity of food that would ordinarily be taken in three is rather doubtful, since it is assumed that large amounts of food are not so easily disposed of as are smaller ones.

On the other hand, to overeat is always a disadvantage in more respects than one. Taking food that is not required not only is an extravagance in the matter of food, but overtaxes the digestive organs. In addition, it supplies the body with material that must be disposed of, so that extra work on the part of certain organs is required for this activity. Finally, overeating results in the development of excessive fatty tissue, which not only makes the body ponderous and inactive, but also deadens the quickness of the mind and often predisposes a person to disease or, in extreme cases, is the actual cause of illness.

38. EFFECT OF WEIGHT ON DIET.--An idea of the way in which the weight of a person affects the amount of food required can be obtained by a study of Tables III and IV. As will be observed, Table III gives the number of calories per pound of body weight required each day by adults engaged in the various normal activities that might be carried on within 24 hours. It deals only with activity, the various factors that might alter the amounts given being taken up later. The figures given are for adults and the factors mentioned are those which affect the intake of food to the greatest extent.

The lowest food requirement during the entire 24 hours is during the time of sleep, when there is no activity and food is required for only the bodily functions that go on during sleep. Sitting requires more food than sleeping, standing, a still greater amount, and walking, still more, because of the increase in energy needed for these activities.

In a rough way, the various occupations for both men and women are classified under three different heads: Light Work, Moderate Work, and Heavy Work. It is necessary that these be understood in examining this table.

TABLE III

CALORIES PER POUND FOR 24 HOURS FOR ADULTS Occupation Calories Sleeping............................... 12 Sitting................................ 14 Standing............................... 17 Walking................................ 20 Light work............................. 22 Moderate work.......................... 24 Heavy work............................. 27

Those considered as doing light work are persons who sit or stand at their employment without any great degree of activity. They include stenographers, dressmakers, milliners, teachers, clerks, shoemakers, tailors, machine operators, elevator operators, and conductors.

Moderate work involves a little more activity than light work, but not so much as heavy work. Professional cooks, professional housekeepers, housekeepers in their own homes, professional chambermaids, waitresses, masons, drivers, chauffeurs, plumbers, electricians, and machinists come under this class.

Persons doing heavy work are the most active of all. They include farmers, laundresses, excavators, lumbermen, miners, metal workers, and soldiers on forced march.

39. To show the variation in the amount of food required according to body weight, Table IV is given. The scale here presented has been worked out for two persons who are normal and whose weight is correct, but different, one weighing 130 pounds and the other 180 pounds. It is assumed, however, that they are occupied in 24 hours with activities that are identical, each one sleeping 8 hours, working at moderate labor for 8 hours, walking 2 hours, standing 2 hours, and sitting 4 hours.

TABLE IV

DIFFERENCE IN FOOD REQUIREMENTS THROUGH VARIATION IN WEIGHT

Number of Calories for 130 Pounds 8 hours, sleeping ....... 520 4 hours, sitting ........ 303 2 hours, standing ....... 184 2 hours, walking ........ 216 8 hours, moderate work 1,040 -- ----- 24 2,263

Number of Calories for 180 Pounds 8 hours, sleeping ....... 720 4 hours, sitting ........ 430 2 hours, walking ........ 300 2 hours, standing ....... 238 8 hours, moderate work 1,440 -- ----- 24 3,128

To find the total number of calories required for these activities, the weight, in pounds, is multiplied by the calories per pound for 24 hours for a certain activity. Thus, as in Table IV, if a person weighing 130 pounds sleeps for 24 hours, the number of pounds of weight, or 130, would be multiplied by 12, which is the number of calories required per pound in 24 hours for sleeping. However, since only 8 hours is occupied by sleep and 8 is 1/3 of 24, the required number of calories would be only 1/3 of this number. In this way each item is worked out in the table, as is clearly shown by the following figures:

For sleeping .............. 130 X 12 X 1/3 = 520 For sitting ............... 130 X 14 X 1/6 = 303 For standing .............. 130 X 17 X 1/12 = 184 For walking ............... 130 X 20 X 1/12 = 216 For moderate work ......... 130 X 24 X 1/3 = 1,040 Total, as in Table IV ..................... 2,263

40. In this connection, it may be interesting to know the ideal weight for persons of a given height. Table V shows the various heights for both men and women, in inches, and then gives, in pounds, the correct weight for each height. When, from this table, a person determines how far he is above or below the ideal weight, he can tell whether he should increase or decrease the number of calories he takes a day. For persons who are under weight, the calories should be increased over the number given in Table III for the normal individual if the ideal weight would be attained. On the other hand, persons who are overweight should decrease the number of calories until there is sufficient loss of weight to reach the ideal. Of course, an adjustment of this kind should be gradual, unless the case is so extreme as to require stringent measures. In most cases, a slight decrease or increase in the quantity of food taken each day will bring about the desired increase or decrease in weight.

TABLE V

CORRECT WEIGHT FOR CERTAIN HEIGHTS

===================================
Men | Women
-----------------+-----------------
Height | Weight | Height | Weight
Inches | Pounds | Inches | Pounds
--------+--------+--------+--------
61 | 131 | 59 | 119
62 | 133 | 60 | 122
63 | 136 | 61 | 124
64 | 140 | 62 | 127
65 | 143 | 63 | 131
66 | 147 | 64 | 134
67 | 152 | 65 | 139
68 | 157 | 66 | 143
69 | 162 | 67 | 147
70 | 167 | 68 | 151
71 | 173 | 69 | 155
72 | 179 | 70 | 159
73 | 185 | |
74 | 192 | |
75 | 200 | |
===================================

41. EFFECT OF SEX ON DIET.--The difference in sex does not affect the diet to any great extent. Authorities claim that persons of opposite sex but of the same weight and engaged in the same work require equal quantities of food. But, in most cases, the work of women is lighter than that of men, and even when this is not the case women seem to require less food, probably because of a difference in temperament. That taken by women is usually computed to be about four-fifths of the amount necessary for a man. The proportion of food substances does not differ, however, and when individual peculiarities are taken into consideration, no definite rules can be made concerning it.

In the case of boys and girls up to the age of young manhood and womanhood, the same amount of food is required, except for the difference in activity, boys usually being more active than girls.

42. EFFECT OF CLIMATE ON DIET.--The climate in which a person lives has much to do with the kind of diet he requires. In the extreme North, the lack of vegetation makes it necessary for the inhabitants to live almost entirely upon animal food except during the very short warm season. Consequently, their diet consists largely of protein and fat. Under some circumstances, a diet of this kind would be very unfavorable, but it seems to be correct for the people who live in these regions, for generations of them have accustomed themselves to it and they have suffered no hardship by doing so. It is true, however, that races of people who do not live on a well-balanced diet are not physically such fine specimens as the majority of persons found in countries where it is possible to obtain a diet that includes a sufficient supply of all the food substances.

43. In hot countries, the diet consists much more largely of vegetables than any other class of foods. This means that it is very high in carbohydrate and comparatively low in protein and fat. As can well be understood, a diet of this kind is much more ideal for a warm climate than a diet composed to a great extent of animal foods.

44. In temperate zones, the diet for both summer and winter seasons varies according to the appetite of the inhabitants themselves. Usually a light diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, cereals, and a small amount of meat is found the most desirable for summer weather, while a similar one with a larger proportion of meat is the usual winter diet. On the whole, the desire for food, which, to a certain extent, is regulated by the climate, can be trusted to vary the diet fairly well for the existing conditions.

45. EFFECT OF AGE ON DIET.--The proper diet for infancy and childhood is a matter that must be discussed by itself, for it has practically no connection with other diet. It is also well understood that up to maturity there is a difference in the diet because of a difference in the needs of the body. However, from maturity up to 60 years of age, the diet is altered by the conditions already mentioned, namely weight, size, sex, climate, and work or exercise. At the age of 60, the amount of food required begins to decrease, for as a person grows older, the body and all of its organs become less active. Then, too, there is a reduced amount of physical exercise, which correspondingly reduces the necessity for food. At this time, an oversupply of food merely serves to overwork the organs, which being scarcely able to handle the normal quantity of food certainly keep in better condition if the amount of work they are called upon to do is decreased rather than increased.

It has been estimated that persons 60 years of age require 10 per cent. less food than they formerly did; those 70 years old, 20 per cent. less; and those 80 years old, 30 per cent. less. Usually the appetite regulates this decrease in food, for the less active a person is, the less likely is the appetite to be stimulated. However, the fact that there is also a great difference in persons must not be lost sight of. Some men and women at 70 years of age are as young and just as active as others at 50 years. For such persons, the decrease in quantity of food should not begin so soon, nor should it be so great as that given for the more usual cases.

46. As there is a decrease in quantity with advancing years, so should there be a difference in the quality of the food taken. That which is easily digested and assimilated is preferable to food that is rich or highly concentrated. Usually, it is necessary to increase the laxative food in the diet at this time of life, but this matter is one of the abnormalities of diet and therefore belongs properly to medical dietetics rather than to a lesson on normal diet.

DIET FOR INFANTS AND CHILDREN

47. From birth until a child has attained full growth, the food requirement is high in proportion to the size of the child. This is due to the fact that energy must be supplied for a great deal of activity, and at the same time new tissue must be manufactured from the food taken. It should be remembered, too, that all body processes during growth are extremely rapid. At birth, the average child weighs about 7 pounds, and for several days after birth there is a normal loss of weight. In a few days, however, if the diet is correct, the child begins to increase in weight and should gain about 1/2 pound a week until it is 3 months old. From this time on, its weekly gain should be slightly less, but it should be constant. If the weight remains the same or there is a decrease for a number of consecutive days or weeks, it is certain that the diet is incorrect, that the quantity of food is insufficient, or that the child is ill. The reason for the loss should be determined at once and the trouble then corrected.

Normal diet for the infant is the mother's milk, but if this cannot be supplied, the next best diet is modified cow's milk, which for the young child must be greatly diluted. If it is found necessary to give proprietary, or manufactured, foods, raw food of some kind should be used in addition, the best way to supply this being with a little orange juice or other fruit juice. At the age of 3 months, this may be given in small quantity if it is diluted, and then the amount may be gradually increased as the child grows older.

48. EFFECT OF WEIGHT ON CHILDREN'S DIET.--The food requirement in the case of children is determined by weight. To decide on the proper amount, it is necessary to know the normal weight at certain ages. At birth, as has been stated, the normal weight is 7 pounds; at 6 months, 15 pounds; at 1 year, 21 pounds; at 2 years, 30 pounds. The food requirement for 24 hours per pound of weight is as follows:

CALORIES 24 HOURS Children up to 1 year.......................... 45 Children from 1 to 2 years..................... 40 Children from 2 to 5 years..................... 36

From a study of these figures, it will be noted that there is a gradual decrease in the required number of calories per pound as the child grows older. The decrease continues until maturity is reached, and then the scale for adults applies.

49. EFFECT OF AGE ON CHILDREN'S DIET.--A child should not be kept exclusively on milk for more than 6 or 8 months, and then only in case it is fed on the mother's milk. Fruit juice, which has already been mentioned as an additional food, is recommended if the diet requires raw food or if it is necessary to make the child's food more laxative. When the child reaches the age of 6 months, it should be taught to take foods from a spoon or a cup; then when it must be weaned, the task of weaning will be much easier. At the age of 8 or 9 months, depending on the condition of the child, small amounts of well-cooked, strained cereals may be added to the diet, and these may gradually be decreased as the food is increased in variety. Up to 1-1/2 years of age, a child should have 8 ounces of milk three times a day, which amounts to 1-1/2 pints. At this age, half of a soft-cooked egg or a spoonful or two of tender meat chopped very fine, may be given, and for each such addition 4 ounces of milk should be taken out of the day's feeding. But from 1-1/2 years up to 5 years, at least 1 pint of milk a day should be included in the diet.

At a little past 1 year of age, a normal child may begin taking a few well-cooked vegetables, such as a bit of baked potato, a spoonful of spinach, carrot, celery, green peas, or other vegetables that have been forced through a sieve or chopped very fine. At 1-1/2 years, the normal child should be taking each day one vegetable, a cereal, buttered bread or toast softened with milk, eggs, fruit juice, a little jelly, and plain custards. However, each of these foods should be added to the diet with caution and in small amounts, and if it appears to disagree with the child in any way, it should be discontinued until such time as it can be tolerated.

In case a child is being raised on a formula of cow's milk and it is a strong, normal child, it should be taking whole milk at the age of 8 or 10 months. If the child is not strong, the milk may still be diluted with a small amount of sterile water, but this should be gradually decreased until the child is able to tolerate whole milk.

50. FEEDING SCALE FOR INFANTS.--It is, of course, a difficult matter to make definite rules for the feeding of all children, for conditions arise with many children that call for special plans. However, for children that are normal, a feeding scale may be followed quite closely, and so the one given in Table VI is suggested.

TABLE VI

FEEDING SCALE FOR INFANTS

First Three Months

Milk.

Fourth Month

Same as for preceding months and orange juice and cereal waters.

Sixth Month

Same as for preceding months and well-cooked and strained cereal.

Eighth Month

Same as for preceding months and beef juice, beef broth, and yolk of
soft-cooked egg.

Tenth Month

Same as for preceding months and unstrained cereal, half of
soft-cooked egg, both white and yolk, chopped or strained cooked
vegetables, such as spinach and other greens, asparagus, carrots,
celery, and squash, stale bread, crackers, toast and butter.

Eleventh Month

Same as for preceding months and well-cooked rice, baked potato,
jelly, plain custard, corn-starch custard, and junket.

Twelfth Month

Same as for preceding months and whole egg, a tablespoonful of
tender meat, string beans, peas, turnips, onions, chopped or
strained applesauce, stewed prunes, and other fruits.

Eighteenth Month

Same as for preceding months and home-made ice cream, plain sponge
cake, milk soups, and cereal puddings.

This scale is to be used by adding to the diet for one month the foods suggested for the next month, giving them at the time the child reaches the age for which they are mentioned. For instance, a child of 8 months may have everything included in the first three, four, and six months and, in addition, beef juice, beef broth, and the yolk of a soft-cooked egg, which is the diet suggested for the eighth month. Then at the tenth month it may have all of these things together with those given for this month.

51. When any of these foods is first added to the diet, much care is necessary. Each new food should be given cautiously, a teaspoonful or two at a time being sufficient at first, and its effect should be carefully observed before more is given. If it is found to disagree, it should not be repeated. If at any time a child is subject to an attack of indigestion, its diet should be reduced to simple foods and when it has recovered, new foods should be added slowly again. In the case of any of the ordinary illnesses to which children are subject, such as colds, etc., the diet should be restricted to very simple food, and preferably to liquids, until the illness has passed. The diet of a baby still being fed on milk should be reduced to barley water or a very little skim milk diluted with a large amount of sterile water. When the illness is over, the child may be gradually brought back to its normal diet.

DIET FOR THE FAMILY

52. One of the difficulties of every housewife having a family composed of persons of widely different tastes and ages is the preparation of meals that will contain sufficient food of the correct kind for all of them. Children up to 6 years of age usually require something especially prepared for their meals, except breakfast, but, as a rule, the selection of the diet for children from 6 years up to 15 or 16 years of age is merely a matter of taking from the meal prepared for the remainder of the family the right amount of the various foods. Tea and coffee should not be included in the diet of growing children, and should under no circumstances be given to small children. If the proper method is followed in this matter, no difficulty will result, but where children expect to eat the food served to the others at the table and are not content with what is given to them, it is better not to feed them at the same table with the adults.

53. The most satisfactory way in which to arrange meals that are to be served to persons of different ages is to include several foods that may be fed to all members of the family and then to select certain others proper only for adults and still others suitable for the children. A sample of such a menu for supper is the one here given. It is assumed that the children that are to eat this meal are not infants.

SUPPER MENU

ADULTS Rice Croquettes with Cheese Sauce Lettuce Salad Bread, Butter, Jelly Baked Apples Plain Cookies Tea

CHILDREN

Steamed Rice Bread, Butter, Jelly Baked Apples Plain Cookies Milk

A menu of this kind is not difficult to prepare, and still it meets the needs of both the children and the adults of the family. The main dish for each has the same foundation--rice. Enough to serve the entire family may be steamed. Then some may be retained for the children and the rest made up into croquettes and served with cheese sauce to the adults. The remainder of the menu, bread, butter, jelly, baked apples, and plain cookies, may be eaten by every one. Tea will probably be preferred by the adults, but milk should be served to the children. Other suitable menus may be planned without any extra trouble if just a little thought is given to the matter.

PROPORTION OF FOOD SUBSTANCES

54. The proportion of food substances necessary for building and repairing the body and for providing it with material necessary for its various functions is a matter to which much discussion has been given. Formerly, it was not understood that the protein should be limited to exactly what the body needed and that its requirements were comparatively low regardless of conditions or exercise. The standard for diet very often allowed as much as 25 per cent. in protein. This percentage has been gradually reduced by the discovery of the actual body needs, so that now it is believed by the most dependable authorities that only about 10 per cent. of the entire day's rations for the adult should be protein. The growing child needs a greater proportion than this because he is building up muscle tissue. The adult whose muscles have been entirely constructed requires protein only for repair, and 10 per cent. of the day's food in protein is sufficient for this. This means that if the total calories for the day are 2,500, only 250 of them need be protein.

55. The remainder of the calories are largely made up by fat and carbohydrate. These, however, need not be in such exact proportion as the protein, for no real danger lies in having either one in a greater amount than the ideal proportion. This is usually three-tenths fat and six-tenths carbohydrate or in a diet of 2,500 calories, 750 fat and 1,500 carbohydrate. The carbohydrate is very much in preponderance because of its easy digestion and assimilation. As may be imagined, it is not a simple matter to figure a diet as closely and carefully as this, and it is only in extreme cases where such planning is necessary.

56. The required amount of protein for the ordinary daily diet can be had with about 3 ounces of meat, together with that which is found in the bread, vegetables, and cereals taken each day. At any rate, the menu should be planned so as to supply a protein dish for at least one meal in the day. The fat is supplied largely by the butter taken and the fat used in the cooking of foods. The carbohydrate is provided by the starch found in cereals, bread, and vegetables and by the sugar contained in fruits, as well as that used in the preparation of various foods and in the sweetening of beverages, cereals, and fruits.

In addition to providing these food substances, each meal should include at least one food, and for dinner preferably two foods, that will supply a large amount of mineral salts, cellulose, and vitamines. As will be remembered, fruits and vegetables are the foods to be used for this purpose.

57. This method of menu planning may seem somewhat difficult at first thought, but in reality it is not different from that which the intelligent housewife follows who attempts to provide her family with a variety of foods and who appreciates the value of that variety. If she plans her menu in this manner, prepares the food so that it will be wholesome, easily digested, and given in the proper proportion, and at the same time watches the weights of the members of the family in the manner suggested, she need have no fear about the general health of her family, for it will be well maintained.

* * * * *

MENU MAKING AND TABLE SERVICE

GENERAL RULES FOR MENU MAKING

58. Perhaps the greatest problem in the planning of menus for a family is that of securing sufficient variety. A housewife who uses the same recipes and the same combinations of food repeatedly is apt to get into a rut and the members of her family will undoubtedly lose interest in their meals. This condition results even with the dishes of which those of the family are extremely fond. However, they will not tire so quickly of the foods they care for if such foods are served to them less often. Then, too, there is more chance to practice economy when a larger variety of food is used.

The importance of planning menus systematically should not be overlooked, either, no matter how simple they may be. Even if breakfast consists of only two or more dishes, luncheon of three or four, and dinner of no more than four or five, a certain amount of planning should be done in order that the meal may be properly balanced. If the suggestions for meal planning already given are applied to this work, very little difficulty will be experienced in providing meals that are both attractive and properly balanced. In addition to these suggestions, a few general rules for menu making ought to be observed. Most of these are simple and can be followed with very little effort.

59. Unless the menu is planned for a special occasion, the cost of the various dishes should be made to balance. For instance, if an expensive meat is to be served, the vegetables and the salad selected to accompany it should be of moderate cost. On the other hand, if an expensive salad is to be served, a dessert of moderate cost, such as a simple rice pudding, should be used to offset the price of the other dish. Planning meals in this way is urged for the sake of economy, and if it is carefully followed, all the meals may be made to average about the same cost.

60. Another important point in successful meal planning is the avoidance of two dishes in the same meal made from the same food. For instance, tomato soup and tomato salad should not be served in the same meal, for the combination is undesirable. Corn soup contrasts much better with tomato salad than does the tomato soup, for it has the bland flavor that is needed to offset the acid salad. Some housewives, it is true, object to such planning on the ground that it does not give them opportunity to utilize all the materials they may have on hand at the same time. But in nearly every instance the materials can be used to excellent advantage in meals that are to follow and, in addition, the gain in variety is sufficient to warrant the adoption of such a method.

61. As there should be variety in the materials used to make up the dishes of a meal, so should there be variety in the flavor of the foods selected. Rice, macaroni, and potato, for instance, make an undesirable combination. They are too similar because they are all high in starch; besides, they resemble one another too closely in consistency and they are all bland in flavor. If a meal contains one or two bland dishes, a special effort should be made to supply some highly flavored dish in order to relieve the monotony. The same thing may be said of acid foods; that is, an oversupply of these is just as distasteful as too many bland foods.

62. To have fresh fruit for the daily breakfast would be very delightful, but such fruit cannot always be secured. When fresh fruit cannot be had every day, it is better to alternate it with canned fruit or stewed dried fruit than to have it for several days in succession and then have to serve the alternative for a number of days. The same is true of cereals. If use is to be made of both cooked and uncooked cereals, it is much better to alternate them than to serve the cooked ones for breakfast for an entire week and then uncooked ones the next week.

63. When two vegetables are used in the same meal, they should be different. Sweet potatoes and white potatoes, although often served together, do not belong in the same meal. In fact, for most seasons of the year, two vegetables dissimilar in consistency should be supplied. For instance, if spinach is included in a meal, some contrasting vegetable, such as carrots, shell beans, etc., should be served with it. Beets and carrots would not make a good combination, nor should cabbage be combined with spinach, especially if both vegetables are prepared with a sour dressing.

64. A bland food or one high in fat, such as roast pork, certain kinds of fish, etc., is much more palatable if a highly seasoned sauce or another highly seasoned food or, in fact, a food of an entirely different flavor is served with it. Apple sauce or baked apples are usually served with roast pork for this purpose, while sour sauces or pickles of some description are served with fish to relieve its blandness.

65. To secure the most successful meals, the main course should be decided upon first and the additional dishes, such as soup, salad, and dessert, should be the second consideration. In this method of planning meals, they can be properly balanced, for if the main course is heavy, the others can be made light or some of them omitted altogether, while if the main course is a light one, heavier dishes may be selected to accompany it.

Whenever it is possible to do so, the heavy meal of the day should be served at noon and the lighter one in the evening. This plan should always be followed for children, and it is preferable for adults. However, having dinner at noon is often very inconvenient and sometimes impossible, because frequently one or more members of the family are at business some distance from home and their coming home at noon for dinner is impractical. In such an event, the evening meal should be the heavy one, but it should not be made too hearty and overeating should be avoided.

At all meals, tea and coffee should be used sparingly. Especially should this rule be followed by persons who are nervous, or high strung, or are troubled with indigestion and insomnia. At any rate, it is advisable not to drink either of these beverages at night.

* * * * *

METHODS OF SECURING VARIETY IN MEALS

CARD-FILE SYSTEM OF MENU MAKING

66. With the general rules for meal planning in mind, the housewife is well prepared to arrange menus that will be properly balanced, as well as varied and attractive. One means of securing variety in menus, and at the same time supplying oneself with a very convenient piece of kitchen equipment, consists in placing the recipes used on small cards and filing them in a card file under the headings to which they belong, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. For instance, a heading should be made for soups, one for potatoes, and so on. These cards may then be rotated in order to make up menus. When the first card of each group has been used, it should be placed at the back of the others in that group; then each one will come in the order in which it was originally placed in the file. Of course, when the cards are not filed alphabetically, it is a little more difficult to find the recipes one needs at a particular time, and so if desired other means of using the cards for menu making may be easily devised without changing their position.

In addition to serving as a basis for menus, this arrangement takes the place of a cook book. In fact, it is much more convenient, for instead of a book containing recipes on the table where the work is being done, a small card, which takes up less space and is much less likely to be in the way, may be substituted.

DINNER MENUS

67. To assist the housewife materially in planning dinners in great variety, Table VII, which contains suggestions for dinner menus, is given. As will be noted, it is intended that each dinner shall consist of a soup, a meat, potatoes in some form, another vegetable, a salad, and a dessert. It is not necessary, of course, to include all these dishes when a simpler meal is desired, but a number of suggestions are given in each group so that there may be a good selection. In order to use this table to advantage and to secure a large variety of menus, different combinations of the various foods may be made. Then, too, the combinations given may be rotated so that frequent repetition of the same combination will be avoided. This table therefore has the advantage over meals planned for 14 or even 21 days, for these must be repeated once in 2 or 3 weeks.

TABLE VII SUGGESTIONS FOR DINNER MENUS

SOUP 1. Tomato Bouillon 2. Rice 3. Cream of Corn 4. Noodle 5. Cream of Pea 6. Julienne 7. Clear Bouillon 8. Oxtail 9. Split-Pea Puree 10. Cream of Tomato 11. Celery 12. Cream of Onion 13. Barley Broth 14. Cream of Asparagus 15. Vegetable 16. Corn Chowder

MEAT 1. Roast Beef 2. Pork Chops 3. Macaroni and Cheese 4. Broiled Hamburg 5. Baked Fish 6. Broiled Steak 7. Kidney-Bean Loaf 8. Roast Pork 9. Lamb Chops 10. Roast Chicken 11. Baked Beans 12. Meat Loaf 13. Liver and Bacon 14. Roast Mutton 15. Broiled Ham 16. Scalloped Salmon 17. Roast Lamb 18. Lima-Bean Loaf 19. Veal Tongue 20. Fried Oysters

POTATOES 1. Boiled Potatoes with Butter and Parsley 2. Scalloped Potatoes 3. Hashed-Brown Potatoes 4. Baked Potatoes 5. Potato Puff 6. French Fried Potatoes 7. Potato Patties 8. Roast Potatoes 9. Candied Sweet Potatoes 10. Mashed Potatoes 11. Creamed Potatoes 12. Stuffed Potatoes 13. Baked Sweet Potatoes 14. Potatoes au Gratin 15. Sauted Potatoes

VEGETABLES 1. Spinach 2. Green Peas 3. Breaded Tomatoes 4. Squash 5. Red Beets 6. Sweet Corn 7. Buttered Carrots 8. Mashed Turnips 9. Scalloped Eggplant 10. Buttered Cauliflower 11. Hot Slaw 12. Scalloped Tomatoes 13. Carrots and Peas 14. Buttered Kohlrabi 15. Baked Onions 16. Sauted Eggplant 17. Stuffed Peppers 18. Creamed Turnips 19. Browned Parsnips 20. Sauted Tomatoes 21. Escalloped Cabbage 22. Creamed Onions 23. String Beans 24. Asparagus 25. Succotash

SALADS 1. Apple and Celery 2. Lettuce 3. Banana 4. Orange and Coconut 5. Cabbage 6. Tomato 7. Peas and Celery 8. Apple, Date, and Orange 9. Asparagus 10. Pineapple and Nut 11. Green Pepper and Cheese 12. String Bean 13. Fruit 14. Combination 15. Cucumber 16. Waldorf 17. Cabbage and Celery 18. Pineapple and Cream Cheese 19. Humpty Dumpty

DESSERTS 1. Chocolate Blanc Mange 2. Brown Betty 3. Raisin Pie 4. Crackers and Cheese 5. Fruit Gelatine 6. Cake and Fruit 7. Apricot Fluff 8. Tapioca Pudding 9. Steamed Pudding 10. Short Cake 11. Prunes in Jelly 12. Rice Pudding 13. Custard Pie 14. Baked Apples 15. Peach Cobbler 16. Chocolate Bread Pudding 17. Pineapple Tapioca 18. Ice Cream 19. Jelly Tarts 20. Gingerbread and Whipped Cream 21. Indian Pudding, with Custard Sauce 22. Floating Island 23. Prune Fluff 24. Nuts and Raisins

68. In the application of Table VII, use should be made of the dishes numbered 1 in the various groups for the first day's menu. This dinner, then, will consist of tomato bouillon, roast beef, boiled potatoes with butter and parsley, spinach, apple-and-celery salad, and chocolate blanc mange. In this way, the menus should be made by going through the entire list and combining the dishes whose numbers correspond. Upon coming to the last of the soups, which is No. 16, and attempting to make up a menu, it will be discovered that there are only fifteen varieties of potato dishes. In order to obtain a menu, the rotation must be begun again, and so No. 1 of the potato dishes is used. This menu would therefore consist of corn chowder, scalloped salmon, boiled potatoes with butter and parsley, sauted eggplant, peach-and-cream-cheese salad, and chocolate bread pudding.

In planning menus with the aid of this table, the housewife may not be able to use a certain dish that is suggested because it is out of season, cannot be procured, or resembles too closely some of the other dishes in the menu. In such an event, she should select another dish to take the place of the one that spoils the combination. Likewise, she should not hesitate to make any change that will result in producing properly balanced meals.

LUNCHEON MENUS

69. To aid the housewife in the preparation of suitable luncheons, a large number of luncheon menus are here given. These menus will serve to give variety in the preparation of meals if they are rotated properly and changes are made every once in a while in making up combinations of food for this important and interesting meal.

THE PLANNING OF MEALS

No. 1

Rice Croquettes Bread and Butter Fruit Salad Gingerbread and Cream Cheese

No. 2

Cream-of-Corn Soup Egg Salad Whole-Wheat Muffins Baked Bananas Tea

No. 3

Creamed Chicken on Toast Sliced Tomatoes Rolls Fruit Cake

No. 4

Scalloped Oysters Apple-and-Celery Salad Wafers Tea

No. 5

Cream-of-Tomato Soup Hashed-Brown Potatoes Graham Bread and Butter Baked Apples Tea

No. 6

Macaroni and Cheese Cabbage Salad Wafers Sugar Cookies Coffee

No. 7

Eggs a la Goldenrod Rice with Raisins Bread and Jam Tea

No. 8

Omelet Toast Prune Whip Vanilla Wafers Tea

No. 9

Consomme Chicken Salad Rolls Warm Gingerbread and Whipped Cream

No. 10

Creamed Dried Beef on Toast Lettuce Salad Stewed Fruit Tea

No. 11 Scalloped Corn Brown Bread and Butter Fruit Salad Cheese Straws Coffee

No. 12

Cold Ham Potato Salad Graham Bread and Butter Cookies Tea

No. 13

Oyster Stew Wafers Celery Pineapple Sponge Cake

No. 14

Cheese Souffle Baked Tomato on Toast Rice Pudding Tea

No. 15

Meat Pie Cranberry Jelly Table Raisins Coffee

BREAKFAST MENUS

70. WINTER BREAKFAST MENUS.--To assist the housewife in planning properly balanced breakfast menus for winter, a number of suggestions are here given. These necessarily differ from breakfast menus for other seasons because of the difference in the food that can be obtained. They are usually of a more hearty nature and contain more heat-producing foods.

No. 1

Oranges Rolled Oats with Cream Soft-Cooked Eggs Toast and Butter Coffee

No. 2

Stewed Prunes Cream of Wheat with Cream Broiled Bacon Muffins and Butter Coffee

No. 3

Baked Apples Griddle Cakes with Maple Sirup Sausage Patties Coffee

No. 4

Rolls and Butter Corn Flakes with Hot Milk Grapefruit Coffee

No. 5

Vitos with Dates French Toast and Butter Jelly Hot Chocolate

No. 6

Apple Sauce Fried Cornmeal Mush with Sirup Broiled Bacon Coffee

No. 7 Orange Juice Steamed Rice Omelet Cornmeal Muffins and Butter Coffee

No. 8

California Grapes Hominy Grits Waffles and Sirup Coffee

No. 9

Sliced Bananas Pearl Barley Codfish Balls Marmalade Toast Coffee

No. 10

Popovers Filled with Warm Apple Sauce White Cornmeal Mush Baked Eggs in Cream Toast Coffee

71. SUMMER BREAKFAST MENUS.--During the summer season, fresh fruits of various kinds can be obtained, and these are generally used as the first course for breakfast. As the menus here given show, it is well to vary the fruit course as much as possible, so that there will be no danger of tiring the persons to be served. An uncooked breakfast food is preferable to a cooked one for summer and so several varieties of these are here suggested.

No. 1

Strawberries and Cream Scrambled Eggs Toast Coffee

No. 2

Raspberries Puffed Rice Baking-Powder Biscuits and Honey Coffee

No. 3

Blackberries Corn Flakes Creamed Toast Coffee

No. 4

Blueberries Grape Nuts and Cream Jelly Omelet Toast Coffee

No. 5

Sliced Peaches Puffed Wheat Clipped Eggs Toast Coffee

No. 6

Cantaloupe Krumbles with Cream French Toast and Sirup Coffee

MENUS FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS

72. Special occasions, such as New Year's, Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc., are usually celebrated with a dinner that is somewhat out of the ordinary. Then, too, on such days as St. Valentine's, St. Patrick's, Hallowe'en, etc., it is often desired to invite friends in for a social time of some kind, when dainty, appetizing refreshments make up a part of the entertainment. To assist the housewife in planning menus for occasions of this kind, a number of suggestions are here given. Suitable decorations are also mentioned in each instance, for much of the attraction of a special dinner or luncheon depends on the form of decoration used.

It should not be thought that elaborate, costly decorations are necessary, for often the most effective results can be achieved with some very simple decoration. Of course, the decorations should be suitable for the occasion to be celebrated. Favors of various kinds are generally on sale in confectioners' and stationers' shops, so that, if desired, favors may be purchased. However, the ingenious housewife can, with very little trouble, make favors that will be just as attractive as those she can buy and that will be much less expensive. She may copy some she sees in the shops or work out any original ideas she may have on the most suitable decorations for the occasion.

NEW YEAR'S DINNERS

No. 1

DECORATION--Ground Pine

Cream-of-Tomato Soup Mustard Pickles Croutons Baked Ham Hot Slaw Candied Sweet Potatoes String Beans Orange-and-Pineapple Salad Maple Parfait Macaroons Salted Nuts Coffee

No. 2

DECORATION--Potted Jerusalem Cherries

Crab-Flake Cocktail Asparagus Broth Radishes Wafers Roast Goose Hot Baked Apples Creamed Turnips Mashed Potatoes Peas-and-Celery Salad Vanilla Ice Cream, Apricot Sauce Table Raisins Coffee

EASTER DINNERS

No. 1

DECORATION--Daffodils

Clear Tomato Soup Mixed Pickles Croutons Creamed Mushrooms in Timbale Cases Roast Spring Chicken Mint Sauce Potato Puff Creamed Peas and Carrots Grapefruit-and-Celery Salad Milk Sherbet Sponge Cake Coffee

No. 2

DECORATIONS--Chinese Lilies and Iris

Fruit Cocktail Bouillon with Whipped Cream and Pimiento Celery Wafers Fricassee of Chicken Riced Potatoes Scalloped Corn Tomato Salad Bavarian Cream Salted Nuts Coffee

ST. VALENTINE PARTIES

DINNER MENU

DECORATIONS--Red Hearts and Ribbons, Red Candle Shades

Heart-Shaped Canapes Olives Clam Bouillon Creamed Chicken and Mushrooms in Pattie Shells Potatoes au Gratin Grapefruit-and-California-Grape Salad Vanilla Ice Cream Heart-Shaped Cakes Candies

LUNCHEON MENU

DECORATIONS--Red Roses, Heart-Shaped Favors, Cupids

Tuna-Fish Salad Heart-Shaped Brown Bread and Marmalade Sandwiches Nut Sandwiches Ice Cream in Heart-Shaped Cases Small Decorated Cakes Candies Nuts

ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARTIES

DINNER MENU

DECORATIONS--Shamrocks and Green Ribbon

Cream-of-Pea Soup Olives Wafers Roast Pork Loin Potatoes with Parsley Sauce Tomatoes au Gratin Green-Peppers-and-Cheese Salad Lemon Ice Cakes Coffee Green Mints

LUNCHEON MENU

DECORATIONS--White Narcissus, Green Carnations, Shamrocks

Chicken Salad Cheese-and-Green-Pepper Sandwiches Pistachio Ice Cream Sponge Cake Mint Punch

FOURTH-OF-JULY LUNCHEONS

No. 1

DECORATIONS--Sweet Peas, Small Flags

Iced Tomato Bouillon Wafers Cold Sliced Ham Swiss Cheese Creamed Potatoes and Peas Strawberry-and-Pineapple Salad Coconut Cream Pie Iced Tea

No. 2

DECORATIONS--Cornflowers and Daisies

Iced Watermelon with Mint Creamed Chicken and Mushrooms on Toast Potato Croquettes Corn on the Cob Sliced Cucumbers Vanilla Ice Cream Chocolate Sauce Punch

HALLOWE'EN LUNCHEONS

No. 1

DECORATIONS--Pumpkin Jack o' Lantern, Black-Paper Cats and Witches

Tongue Sandwiches Swiss-Cheese Sandwiches Cider Doughnuts Pumpkin Pie Molasses Taffy

No. 2

DECORATIONS--Tiny Paper Jack o' Lanterns