The Washington herald., 1916-03-20
Urges Mothers To Use Care
In Preparing School Lunches
u S. Bulletin Says Only Materials for Growing Bodies Should
Be Included and Gives Specific Menus-Moderate
Sweets and Desserts Are Provided in These.

What shall school children be given
TO eat at noon in the lunch basket
at the home lunch table, or in the
lunchroom operated by the school
authorities? To help answer this ques-
ton, which almost every mother ana
many Of the educational authorities
are asking constantly. the Department
Of Agriculture, through the once OF
Home Economics, has Just Issued
Farmers Bulletin, No. Il2, School
Lunches" This bulletin was prepared
by Miss Caroline L. Hunt and Miss
Mabel Ward, under the direction OF
DR.. c. F. Langworthy of the States
Relations Service.
The bulletin, after discussing the
general principles of feeding school
children to provide for activity and
develop them into sturdy manhood and
womanhOOd. gives a number of simple
and appetiztng menus for the school
lunch basket and bills-of-fare and
recipes for preparing inexpensive and
nOurishing MONDAY meals or hot
dishes for children, either at home. on
q school stove. or in the domestic
science kitchen.
Relation of Lunch to Other Meals.
In feeding a child or anyone else,
the authors Of the bulletin point out,
meal apart from the other two. 1t
is seldom convenient to provide at
one meal all the materials needed by
a growing body. and those which are
omitted from one meal should be sup
piled by one OF the other meals. The
noon meal for children, however.
where food must be prepared at home
in the morning to be eaten else
where at noon. or where the children
frl- IL n
then rush back to school. offers spe-
cial dificuEties and deserves the care
full attention Of parents.
Before il is possible to plan a ra-
tiOnaI basket or other luncheon for
children. it is necessary for the
mother to understand the general es-
sentials Of diet for young people
These essentials in general are an
abundance OF simple foods. carefully
prepared. and of sufficient variety to
provide energy. repair wastes, provide
elements for building bone and tissue
and stimulate growth. To do this
most effectively, the three meals each
lay must supply the child with sufi
cient food from each of the following
classes:
l. Cereal or starchy foods.-Cereals
eaten principally as bread, supply nearly
half o. the protein commonly thought Of
twO-thirds of the fuel or energy in the
American diet. The quality Of the bread
therefore. is extremely important. Its
crust should be crisp and deep Gndicat-
ing thorough baking but not hard or
burned II should be light and free from
any suggestion of sOurness or ranCidity.
The CrUmb should be elastic, yet cap
able Of being easily broken up in the
mouth without forming a sticky mass. or
being too dry to taste good. These
qualities can be secured in rolls and bis
cult as well as in ordinary bread, pro-
vided they are cooked thoroughly. The
objection to hot bread is due to the fact
that undercOoIling may leave II soggy on
the inside, rather than because such
tile for bread may be stimulated by
using different kinds of bread. zwieback
and crackers, by the addition Of raisins
Currants. or nut meats. and sometimes
by cutting the slices into fancy shapes.
MILK Is Absolute Essential.
Cereal mushes and ready-tO-eat break
fast foods supply nearly the same nutri-
ent5 as bread. half CupfUI Of cooked
cereal being about equivalent to a good
sized slice Of bread. \ tablespoonful of
-rcam is about equivalent in fat to a lib
-raI spreading of butter.
= PTOteiH-riCh fOOds.-While bread
and cereals come near to fulfilling one
Of the important requirements of diet-a
correct proportion of nutrients providing
fuel only and those useful for body
building-Other foods W hich provide pro-
tein in larger proportion as compared
with fuel should not be- neglected
These foods include milk. meat Except
the very fattesD. fish. pouIt..y. eggs,
cheese, dried beans, cowpeas. peas, pea
nuts, and almonds, walnuts and other
nuts. Nuts. Of course. also contain con-
siderable fat. Milk Is an absolute essen
tial. not only because it contains a large
number Of nourishing substances in
forms easily assimiIated. but also be