Evening star., 1925-12-07
FOOD AND HEALTH
BY WINIFRED STUART GIBBS.
Food Specialist.

Suppose you were cast away on q
desert island with only a limited num-
ber of foods saved from the wreck,
wouldn't you exercise every ounce of
your creative Imagination in prepar-
ing those foods with as many vari-
ations as possible9 Skim milk out of
cans would be made to masquerade
as cream by skillful conversion into
cream gravy or cream sauce. Cereals
would appear at one meal in the form
or breakfast food, at another as a
main dish, while at a third the des-
sert would really be a hidden grain
mixture,
Why not pretend, as the children
say, that the same situation confronts
you at home? Get into the habit of
wringing every scrap of variation out
of every least food product and you
Will be surprised to see how easy it
ls TO keep out of those food ruts so
dreaded by the best of housekeepers.
1t may sound like a contradiction in
terms. this using a few foods for the
purpose of building up q variety"
but 1t Is really worth trying.
Just by way Of Illustration, take
hominy, or fine ground white corn.
Before we begin this analysis. we must
remember that what we are seeking
is something quite different from a
variety of recipes for cooking a GER
tam food. That is important and
worthy of the serious attention of any
ambitious home maker, but at present
we are out after facts that shall help
US in visualizing the nutritional posi-
bliltles to he got from limited num-
Der of products or even from single
product
Hominy, or in fact any fine grained
cereal product of approximately the
same consistency, is capable of fur
nishing the foundation for a number of
breakfast dishes. AS plain porridge
with whole or top milk, 1t makes an
acceptable second course for break
fast. Furthermore, as we are striving
to build up as rich a food content as
possible from our limited larder 1t be-
hooveS us to think over each dish as
planned with the purpose of gaining a
clear idea as to just what foods must
be added in order to make up for the
deficiencies Of the dish under con-
Sideration.
The plain breakfast cereal. then,
furnishes energy. some fat and some
BODYBUILDING material. The whole
milk makes an ideal addition, for it
contributes more bodybuilding ma
terial, vitamins and lime for bone
building. When a minimum number
of courses is necessary search the
Mother hubbard cupboard carefully
and try to find some dried fruits. dates
or raisins or figs. The addition of a
few of any one of these adds one more
important element. namely, mineral
matter for body regulating. Then If
the family Graves hot bread for break
fast. concoct delicious gems if there
is no baking powder; mullins if bak-
ing powder and -four are forthcoming.
These will add more energy, but the
dietary will be still one-sided, so lunch
con and dinner must be depended upon
10 make uD the deficiencies.
At these meals, the addition of
cheese to the hot cooked cereal will
provide the bodybuilding material,
while a cereal soup or thin cruel con-
tanning a few sprigs OF herbs or, bet
ter still, more generous quantity of
green or dried vegetables will offer
the makings" for better balance in
this vitally important line. Fruits in
endless variations will ''go with the
cold cereals for desserts, and more
milk. canned or fresh, with eggs, if
at hand, will accomplish wonders In
the way OF building and repair ma
terial.
Copyright, 1920