Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-26

Society must measure its weu-being
IN terms of the health Of its children.
Since the foundations of physical we'll
being are laid in early infancy, the
Importance Of an adequate diet for the
baby and young child cannot be too
strongly emphasized.
There is a definite relationship be-
tween sickness resulting from infection
among -adolescent children and the
way those children were fed before
they were 3 years old.
Faulty diet may cause serious con-
sequences to the child without the de-
veiopment of symptoms which definitely
mark the sufferer from deficiency
disease. In other words. the child may
be brought into q sort Of twilight zone,
which the nutritionist calls "nutritional
instability" and yet show no outward
signs that he Is not in f1rst-class con-
dftion. What has happened is that the
childs whole general vitality Is low
cred and he is less capable Of resisting
any infection or strain to which ne
may be exposed.
Many of these malnourished chill
dren ind their way into the school
clinics. Out of 10000. 900 school chill
dren In the United States, 1t was stated
some years ago that about 14,0000 900
were handicapped by some kind OF
physical defect and that nearly 2 1000 900
were suffering from grave form Of
mAlnutrition. Ten million are said to
have enough teeth defective seriously
to interfere with health.
No blanket rule can be given for
diet that will suit every child. A diet
that induces apparently normal devel-
Opment in one child may not be ade-
uuate for another. The aim should
be to study each individual child and
plan its diet so as to make 1t as nearly
perfect as possible.
A diet that is selected from cereals;
such vegetables as potatoes. turnipS,
beets and carrots, and meat, is not
adequate for the young child during
the period when growth should be pro-
ceeding at q rapid rate. MIX and
leafy vegetables must also be added.
These foods, because of their value
in strengthening resistance and pro-
noting growth, are known as pro-
tective foods"
Vitamins A and D are perhaps the
most important in planning the diet OF
the growing child. Vitamin A, which
Is supplied abundantly In such foods
as whole milk. butter, egg yolk, spinach
and carrots. is more directly related to
resistance Of infection than any other
food factor Of which medical science Is
aware.
The Importance of vitamin D. has
been the subject of considerable recent
study. This vitamin controls, probably
absolutely, the calcification of bones
and teeth. In other words, 1t is neces-
sary for sound bone and tooth forma-
ton in the young body as 1t develops
Summer sunshine is the most potent
source of vitamin D. hence its name the
sunshine vitamin." Cod-liver oil is
the only other important source fur-
nished by nature.
Infants and very young babies should
be safeguarded in their skeletal de-
=. Nelopment by providing at regular in
| tervals q suitable amount OF cod-liver
h oil, which also contains high per-
centage Of the other essential vitamin
n OF infancy. the resistance building Vita
n min A, The infant should also have
+ every opportunity for outdoor exercise
han the sunlight.
l Later, vitamin d can also be in
nluded in It's daily diet by crumbing
ordinary white bread, in which this