Milford chronicle., 1933-09-15
BREAKFAST AND THE
SCHOOL CHILD

years Scnool journey.
The great responsibility of parents
and teachers is to keep their boys
and girls in fine trim for this busi-
ness of education. "It is now recog-
nized that much of the listlessness
fatigue and dullness in school chill
dren may be caused by poor physical
condition due OF lack of the foods
needed for growth and develop
ment," quotes Miss Pearl MacDon-
aid, extension service, University OF
Delaware.
Some one has said, "Of good be-
ginning cometh a good ending" A
good beginning for each day for
each child is satisfying breakfast
to help take care of his physical
needs. In many respects, the break
fast is the most important meal of
the day. From personal teaching ex-
perience, continues Miss Mcdonald,
we know that many children come to
school without having had any
breakfast at all or with having had,
perhaps, just a cup of coffee and
slice of bread or toast or sweet
roll. Whereas, the child should
have for breakfast about one-third
of the total days food supply, be-
cause he needs a definite amount oil
food to supply fuel for the energy
required, for his daily activities. And
always, in addition to this, we must
keep in mind that children are add
ing to their growth every day and
they can't grow without building
foods of the right kind.
The child who has scanty break
! fast or no breakfast at all becomes
over hungry or overtired and often
| times, instead of more, he may real
| ly eat less at the noon meal than if
he had eaten a good breakfast.
Scanty breakfasts and scanty
lunches frequently result in under
nourishment.
What is a good breakfast for a
| child?" asks some one.
There is no absolute rule as to the
foods to be used for breakfast. How
ever, some are better than others to
start of the day after the long rest
of the night. The machine is in low
gear, so to speak, and should be
speeded up gradually and not over
loaded with too heavy a load of
foods.
Q) Fruits the spark that
starts off the engine. 1t is light, has
flavor, stimulates and aids digestion
and elimination. Fruit may be fresh
(any fruit in season., or canned, or
stewed, dried fruit (as for example,
dried apricots). Nature is very gen.
erous in the supply of fruits provid
ed-oranges, grapefruit, apples,
pineapple, plums, pears, bananas,
berries, of all kinds, prunes, raisins,
dates, figs and others. Tomatoes or
tomato juice may be used as fruit
for breakfast.
(2) Milk - Nutrition authorities
advise a quart of milk a day for
every growing child. This means
one to one and one-third cups for
breakfast, on cereal or in milk toast
or in cocoa or other milk drink.
(3) Breakfast foods and bread
Cooked cereals are especially we'll
spited for a breakfast dish, because
they provide a warm food; they are
good carriers of milk; they furnish
a good source of energy in a reason
able bulk; and, if the whole grain
cereals are used, certain valuable |
minerals and vitamins are added.
Bread-one or two slices, in addi- |
tion, adds to the value of the break
fast. One large slice of bread is the |
equivalent, in energy of two-thirds /
cup of cereal.
Most children would prefer to
have some cereal and some bread for
breakfast rather than to have a
double quantity of either.
(4) Potato-may take the place
of cereal or bread if baked or boiled
with skins on so as to retain all of |
the food value.
(5) An egg, or bacon, or creamed
dried beef gives desirable addition
to the diet, especially when the child
is growing rapidly.
Such breakfast as the above will
furnish about one-third of the food
the child should have in a day of:
energy for his daily activities, pro-
tein, minerals, vitamins, and rough
age for building, repairing and reg
ulating the body machine. Better
breakfasts often result in better
physical condition and in better
work done at school.
But, many mothers tell us that
their children do not want any
breakfast. In many cases, this can
be overcome by having the child go
to bed early enough so that he has
a generous amount of sleep. He can
then get up early enough in the
for all the necessary tasks,
for an unhurried breakfast, and for
ample time to get to school without
undue hurry.
Breakfast suggestions may be in
order. .t
Cereals-Of these, rolled oats,
corn meal, rice Ralston, Wheatena,
cream of wheat are among the
To be good, all should be
cooked for long time.
For variation, they may be cooked
IN milk. Also, fruit may be added,
peahces, berries, in season,
1runes, raisins, dates, figs. "a
Cereals with "drizzled" honey is ,
delicious. To make "drizzled'' honey; {
place the container in warm mot ;
lot) water. 1t becomes thin enough
o drizzle over the cereal. u
Corn meal mush with honey raisfh
auce gives a pleasing change. To ,
nake-simmer very slowly 2 cupss 1
aisins in 1 cup water until tender. !
Add 2 cups honey and tablespoons [
emon juice. Also, cup of crushed 2
,inpannIa NAV ha mead for o,,,, 0f | /,