The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1933-05-25
Of Recognized Importance,
Alike to Community
and Family.

How theories about the proper
food for children have changed In
the last generationl At one time the
child, after he was weaned, was con.
sidered as merely a little man or
woman and given smaller amounts
Of the regular family diet. Then It
was discovered that he could not
take care Of adult food and his diet
was limited to an enormous degree.
Later research proved that on such
simplified regime he was not get
ting everything he needed and there
fore other foods prepared to suit his
young digestion were added to the
milk and cereal diet. Now young
baby gets fruit and vegetable juices,
egg yolks. minced liver. early In life
and consequently thrives.
The young mother has q much
easier problem now in feeding a
child. although the diet does contain
more things. The formula for mod
flying milk is now simple and
Il is seldom a problem to get It to
suit the baby's digestion.
The bureau of home economics al
Washington emphasizes the fact
that we no longer consider the re-
sponsibility of seeing that the chill
dren in our midst get proper food as
merely family matter. II says:
"Wherever there is shortage Of
food for children, the community is
responsible for providing each child.
not merely with food enough, but
with the essential food elements
Lack of food. or a wrong diet, is
more damaging to the child than to
the adult because the child is grow.
ing and his food, while serving his
present needs, must also build for
the future.
"Milk, Of course, Is the most i'm.
portant item in the diet of the child.
But instead Of merely the milk and
gruels which in many families used
to be the young child's diet. va
riety of foods is recommended now
adays, even for the baby. Milk, &C.
reals, tomato or orange Juice, other
vegetables and fruits, eggs and some
meat-begin early. nutritionists say,
To give him all these things, making
sure, of course, that they are suit
ably prepared. Give them to him at
first as fruit juices. or finely chopped
or mashed vegetables, or scraped
meat. Little by little LET him have
coarser and more solid food until, by
the age of two, he is having the same
kind of food as the rest of the fam
ily. though In different proportions.
"Give the child plenty of milk.
Nutritionists have watched the
growth of different groups of chill
dren who were all on the same diet
except that some had more milk
than others. or some had milk while
others had not. In every case the
children who had most milk outgrew
the others In weight and height. II
the child does not drink enough milk
give Il to him cooked with his mush
or oatmeal, with his vegetables or
other food.
"Milk and cod liver oil or outdoor
sunshine are particularly Important
to children as protection against
ricketts,, a disease of the bones, or
rather a failure of the bones 10 de-
velop properly. ricketts,, resulting in
stunted growth. or crooked legs.
misshapen chest, or other deformi-
ties Is one of the sure signs Of un-
REIMBURSEMENT. II is the result OF
lack of calcium and phosphorus
for bone building FURNISHED in the
milky and of vitamin u FURNISHED
in cod liver oil and produced by out
door sunshine). which helps the
child's body to use the calcium con-
tanned In his food.
Especially for children In needy
families, nutritionlsts urge that
somehow cod liver oil be provided
Mt least two teaspoonfuls day for
every child under two years old. and
some for older children. too. IL posi-
BILE. II will cost. for each child about
10 to % cents week.
sFor children. then, nutritionists
emphasize first OF all the protective
foods That Is to say. In families
ON short rations, the first things TO
provide are such protective foods as
the children's milk. cod liver oil,