Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-30
The ChiId's Meals.

| IF there ever Is a time when the human
machine needs the very best and mos
nourishing food it is between the ages oil
five and fifteen During these years
when the body growth is most rapid, the
cbild's strength must be kept up to the
mark. and as varied as possible menu
of food readily converted into suitable
building materials must be provided.
Too many parents, particularly those OF
the old-fashioned school. cling to the
theory that child's likes and dislikes In
the matter Of food are of no Importance
whatsoever: that the child must eat what
is placed before it. whether it likes it or
! not.
This is a very poor system. because it
often results in the child taking a dislike
to foods which, If little tact had been
| used, 1T might have been led to eat with
some pleasure and appetite Another point
! is that food that one disiikes never does
as much good as it would if it had ap-
pealed to the appetite
| If. then, a child has an Unborn hatred
for, say, milk or boiled eggs and essential,
| nourishing foods of that sort, do not force
| them upon him, but have them served
| in such variety of ways that he viii
| not recognize them.
Many children who do not like boiled
| eggs will really enjoy them when they are
| scrambled or in the form of omelettes,
and if they refuse to drink milk by the
| glassful turn it into junket or into very
| milky milk puddings.
To encourage the correct development
of the brain and body care should DC
| exercised over the selection of the food
| and too long an interval of time should
not be allowed to elapse between the
| meals.
| A child at very early age looks for
| regularity In his meal hours, and when
| ever the times comes round the healthy
child is ready and eXpectant for it.
If left too long that delightful sensa-
| ton of being hungry will have passed
| away and left a dull ache instead. The
child will either not want to eat at all
| or else will eat very quickly and per-
haps have a bad attack of indigestion in
| consequence.
A child should not be brought up on a
large amount of meat; a little in the
| middle of the day is quite enough, and
| then it should be not too Well done. Cold
meat is not easily digested by young
children; little hot beef or mutton with
plenty Of gravy is both more nourishing
and more suitable to the youthful stom-
ach.
There should always be vegetables-po-
tatoes In not too large quantity, as
| they are not -makfng-and whole
wheat or standard bread, as much Of this
with gravy and a green vegetable as the
child likes After this he should have
junket or a milky pudding with stewed
fruit. or any pudding made with milk
and eggs.
Tea, say at > o'clock, should consist
| of very weak, freshly made tea. bread
and butter and jam if you can be quite
sure that it is perfectly pure, and sponge
cake.
The last meal should be nourishing. but
a very light one. Milk, il he will drink
it, either hot or cold, is the ideal supper.
but Ii he cannot digest it try some cocoa
| or a cup of raw meat juice diluted with
| boiling water. Then he can have bread
| and butter and a lightly boiled egg, on
toast and milk, a milky pudding or an
| onelet.
Never let child have twice-cooked
meat: the nourishment has been largely
cooked out of it the first time. leaving
only a mass of fibrous matter which can
do the child little good.
1t is we'll to encourage In children
liking for fruit; let them have 1t when
ever they want it-that is to say, at
every meal All kinds Of ripe fruit as it
| comes into season should be given to
them. as well as stewed fruit but in the
| ca sc of raw fruit the skin should always
be removed.
A banana, when peeled. should be
scraped with a silver knife, as the stringy
substance thus removed contains a pun
gent bitter oil, injurious both to children
| and grown people.
Never allow children to eat between
meals: let these meals be regular and
wholesome, and do not give them too
many sweets. A few directly after their
midday meal, however, are quite harm
less.