Evening star., 1926-01-21
FOOD AND HEALTH
BY WINIFRED STUART GIBBS.
Food Specialist.

In the days of early settlements our
ancestors did not. one fancies, pay
very much attention to the season
able character of what they ate. Food
was food, something to build their
/, bodies firm and strong. repair the
wastes of taXirg pioneer life, and keep
! up a supply of energy or driving
power at one and the same time.
AS luXuries multiplied with the de-
Nelopment of more complicated condl-
tions, however. it came to be a sign
of enviable prosperity to serve straw
berries in January or Winter fruits in
Summer. Luckily. common sense pre-
walls today. 10 a considerable extent.
so that we realize that the appetite
appeal. the quality Of the foodstuns
and so on are greater when the va
riouS products are eaten at the proper
season.
But when we have said this we
have not said all. There is vet an
other aspect of the question as re-
lating to Seasonable food that Is not
covered in such summary.
Custom has produced general
habit of serving certain foods chlehN
at certain seasons, simply because of
their supposed appropriateness for
those seasons. While to A certain eX-
tent this is all TO the good, brief IN
quiry into the facts may help the
housekeeper to add considerably to
the food value of her dietary, as well
as to its palatableness.
Among the foods that first occur 10
one as apt Illustrations of these points
are salads, citrus fruits. fruit drinks,
ice creams. frozen puddinSs and ices.
Practically all of these foods have
so definite an appeal to the Summer
he, in,
Summer scheme of living, that their
value as Winter foods is often looked
upon an incidental Fruits and ices
are, il is true. included in the cata-
logue of choice Winter desserts, but
they are usually designated as supple
mentary delicacies. The wise house
keeper will revise this notion some
what, so that she will come TO realize
more fully the Winter health value of
foods that are popularity supposed 10
be AT their best on the summer menu.
Salads first. Selected with due re
Sard To other dishes on the menu,
salads will contribute something hard
lN possible to any other combination
of foods. Others may, il is true, con
tain a share of the minerals and vita
Minis so prominent in salads. but none
carries perhaps that combination of
appeals that distinguishes artistically
Citrus fruits are. il is true, standard
for Winter breakfast. but let us not
limit their serving to the breakfast
grapefruit or orange. The wholesome
acids. 50 helpful in reducing the acid
ity of the blood present in rheumatic
conditions. and the mineral salts, vi
tally necessary for strong bones and
an efficient body. should ideally make
their appearance at more than one
meal. Moreover. these elements may
be called pre- -eminently repair foods,
and bodily repair is just as impor.
tant in cold weather as in hot. We
are accustomed TO thinking that we
must have more energy food in Win.
ter than during the dog DAYS. but we
are apt to forget that the ravages Of
cold in the system are just as deep as
those of excess heat.
Practically the same line Of rea son.
ing may he applied to the use of ice
cream and fruit beverages in Winter.
Ices are refreshing IN the normal per
son At the close of meal. no matter
what may hc the temperature. and
the StinCin- tonic rf the nouriShinG
ice cream constitutes one of the gen
uine refreshments of Winter diet One
should not. perhaps. attempt to re
duCc this statement To the minimum
of physiological facts. Refreshments.
tonic. stimulation. each of these is q
quality inherent in GOOD food and at
least portion of their good effects
may be traced 10 their action on thr
appetite, the nerves and the general
sense Of we'll being that follows d
carefully planned meal.