The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-06-05
URGENT DEMAND
FOR SAVING IN
FOOD STUFFS

The necessity of guarding the food
supply of young children, and assur-
ing to them an abundant diet of prop
erly selected foods, is assuming every
day a more critical phase as the war
stringency increases and demands for
the conservation of foodstuffs become
more urgent. A most wholesome edu-
cational movement is going forward
among the American people in the use
of different foods. Nature is exceed
ingly adaptable, and the healthy hu-
man being can be fed with a fair de-
gree of success on widely varying diets.
But while the adult may thrive very
well on substitute foods of various
kinds and even be better off with some
of these dietary changes, it is noS al
ways true that young children will
profit by the same course. The child's
dietary requirements are less f1ex-
IDLE than are those of grown persons,
and insufficient or unsuitable food is
likely to have serious consequences
for the growing child.
Authorities on the subject state that
there is practically no substitute either
fdr milk or green vegetables in the
food of the growing child. Milk should
be given in many forms. Directions
for the use of milk in a variety OF
ways are contained in bulletin of
the Chi1dren's Bureau, which will soon
be ready for distribution.
Spinach is one of the best of green
! L, = =,
number of ways and should be used
freely in the daily diet. Fish and chick
en- are better for children in many
cases than beef or other meats, and
where these foods can be obtained,
one or the other may be given to
children.
In the face of the great need for
conserving wheat the use of new ce-
reals has become a matter of neces-
sity. There seems to be no reason
why such food may not be as wh<2e-
some as wheat, if properly cooked.
Mothers may need to be warned that
all cereals and particularly the coar-
ser ones, like oatmeal and corn, need
very long cooking to be suitable for
children. Therefore it stands to rea-
son that the quick" breads and grid
die cakes, which have been exposed to
cooking heat perhaps only a few min
utes, will not be well digested and
that all preparations of cereals should
be subjected to long slow cooking if
they are to enter into the diet of young
children.
At this moment, also, people are
being urged to eat all the potatoes
possible as another substitute for
wheat The request is made that fam
lilies shall eat potatoes three times
day but this is not intended to apply
literally to the youngest children, who
would not get a sufficient variety of
foad in the days meals if given pota-
toes at each one. The manner of
cooking potatoes must be constantly.
varied or the family will tire of them.
The methods will include frying and
scalloping, delicious to the adult pail
ate, if we'll done, but not suitable to
Young children. It is wise, therefore,
for mothers to remember that chill
dren under five will hardly be able to
eat potatoes more than once a day,
and that for them this vegetable is
better when baked, mashed, or fresh
w boiled and served simply with the
addition of a little salt and milk or
cream. Thus prepared they are so
completely cooked and sd finely divid
ed that children do not swallow them
in chunks Frying, on the other hand,
makes foods generally less suitable to
the digestion of children.