Evening star., 1939-05-30
Food Fatigue
Should Be
Avoided
Variety Is Always
To Be Considered
In Your Menu
BY ANGELO PATRI.

One gets weary of the same food
day after day. Cereal is good, and
so is milk. Orange juice is about
perfect, and toasted bread is very
tasty. Spinach can be eaten with
enjoyment, carrots too. But if you
serve any one of these things day
after day you will bring the child
to the same place as the one Eliza
Jane reached when she heard,
There's lovely rice pudding for
dinner again" She hit the roof,
and so did the pudding.
No grown up person would stand
for spinach every day. nor for any
other kind of food that became rou-
tine. Eating is not just a matter of
the full stomach. 1t interests the
whole being, body and spirit alike
The eyes take great interest in the
matter. The color of the food, the
style Of its serving, the beauty of
the entire arrangement pleases the
eye and the vision lends strength to
the appetite.
Smell has a great influence The
good smell of spice, of toasted bread,
hot olive oil, broiling meat. tickle the
nostrils and start the mouth water
ing. And there is something about
the smell Of herbs, thyme, sage, that
comforts the very soul of man. Food
that has such smells as these never
goes abegging. Children and grown
ups alike, meet it halfway.
Taste is the most powerful of all
incentives to hearty eating. The
flavor of food adds to the delight of
eating it. Saltless foods. fiat vege-
tables. cake without a hint of va
nilla, lemon or nutmeg, get no hand
from the family. But let the per-
fume of gingerbread, favored with
cloves and ginger sweetened with
molasses, float on the air and see the
eager interest on the faces of the
family waiting for the call. 1t is
so easy to flavor food, and it is flavor
that makes appetite.
1t is all very well to say food is
food and tell children to eat what
is put before them and say nothing.
1t does not work for any length of
time Only an urgent hunger will
make such food as that known as
plain cooking" go down. And when
it is handed children day after day,
their stomachs 60 on strike. They
simply cannot feel hungry enough
to eat the stuff another time. They
are suffering from what I call food
fatigue"
When you wish to train a child to
eat variety of foods. which is the
aim of all training in diet. be careful
not to serve any one food, however
good, too often. Be careful to
change the recipe so that the thing
looks different and smells different.
When a child wearies of food be-
cause it has been served without
imagination he is likely to cling to
his conviction that it is unpleasant
and fight against it every time 1t is
offered. When you want to culti-
vate taste for any one food make
it a speciality.
Never forget in feeding children,
and grown up people as well. that
the mind has lot to do with appe-
tite. The attitude of mind is set by
the experiences of the senses-eye,
nose, mouth, contribute to the feel
ing that prompts appetite. The mind
must approach the meal with feel
ing of pleasure. The emotions
aroused by the senses add their
power to the whole. The atmosphere
of the dining room adds something
more. There must be happiness, a
feeling of good will, harmony OF
mind and body at this hour. This
secured, the welcome for the good
smelling, savory meal is assured.
Good cooking, a varied menu well
served, increases the power Of nour-
ishment the meal itself holds. There
Is more than vitamius to be con-
hdared hare.