The citizen., 1920-06-24
FEEDING THE CHILD
BY c. Houston Goudiss
Continued From Last Week.

MVol tNptItS III Viiliu ultl dkItt lud
we feed too much free sugar 4
children of this age.
DR.. Alfred C.. Fones, OF Bridge.
port, Connecticut who has led tn,
entire nation by installing a sys-
TEN for caring for the teeth of th'
school children in that city, is au-
thority for the statement that there
should be no free sugar in the diet
OF the child from birth TO fifteen
years of age.
BY free sugar is meant sugar as
we ordinarily know il. He would
have the child rely on the natural
sugars in fruit and milk and on the
sugar made by their bodies from
the intake of starchy foods, such
as bread, potatoes and cereals.
After careful investigation, he points
out that the taste for sugar is de-
veloped in children by feeding them
swcetened foods and that often the
sugar takes the place Of the more
wholesome foods.
The sugar consumption is so cx-
cesSive. he says, that the liver is
overloaded with glycogen, and that
eaten in the form of swcetened
foods or candy, ferments on the
teeth. II also causes disease in the
teeth by action of osmosis. which
carries the sugar through the
eG1mel into the tooth structure.
The bacteria which cause tooth de-
cay live and multiply best in a
sugar solution, so that the argu-
mont seems reasonable.
Other doctors point out that the
craving for sweets is not natural
in children, but is a taste that is
artificially developed. An addi-
tional danger Of feeding too much
sugar lies in the fact that the
child gets its energy from the sugar
intake and, therefore will not
eat heartily OF other foods which
contain protein for muscle building
and mineral salts for bone structure
and body regulation.
Sugar is concentrated energy, and
therefore is the best appetite reduc-
ing food known. But remember It
only furnishes energy. IL does not
build bone or muscle. IL cannot be
relied upon TO nourish growing
bodies.
If it is desired TO give children
free sugar money furnishes this
in delightful form and is more easily
assimilated than cane sugar. If you
let them have candy, give it TO them
yourself. Make sure they do not
get it in some corner store where
1t is apt TO be colored with in
furious dyes and do not let them
eat candy between meals. And
keep on emphasizing honey
If the child's needs seem to indi-
cate more food than three ordi-
nary meals provide, a glass OF milk
with some crackers or even sweet
ened cakes or a piece Of fruit be-
tween meals is far better than
candy. Sweetened chocolate, eaten
with whole wheat crackers, is
good answer TO the child's craving
for sweets, because il contains fats
and other elements OF food value
in addition TO its sugar content. A
sweet tooth" can be developed by
faulty diet and can be kept under
control by proper attention TO diet.
Another class of foods that
should be relied upon for bowel
regulation are the green leaf
vegetables, such as lettuce, celery
spinach, etc. There was a time
when these agreeable edibles were
generally looked upon as lacking in
food value, because they did not
contain enough energy-fuel units.
But we have discovered they are
important sources of vitamines as
well as Of mineral salts such as
iron, all Of which are needed to
keep little bodies vigorous aud able
10 resist disease.
The iron and mineral salts found
in vegetables are Natures ideal form !
Of these vital elements for assimi-
letion by little bodies. They will
be easily taken into the system
whereas the forms furnished by |
the drug store often are eliminated |
practically as taken in. These leaf
vegetables are also bulk foods which
supply little bodies with insoluble
cellulose-the main source OF the
mass OF matter needed by the in
testines to facilitate the elimination
Of waste and keep the bowels NOV
ing regularly.
Vegetables should always be eaten
with the water in which they are
cooked, so as TO utilize the valuable
salts which are soluble