The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-08-05

anu In6 WateTDuky Uem0CF8G, IS
 strong is their national defense.
 By GAYNOR MADDOX NEA Service Food and Market Editor
 Washington, Aug. 5-An English
 mans home may be his castle. Blu
 his kitchen has become public do
 main. In July, 1940, the Englisl
 government decreed that all whit,
 flour be fortified with vitamin B
 and calcium. The stammia anC
 health of the population in 8 tota
 war forced great nation for thu
 first time in history to recognize by
 law the need to supply vitamins tx
 its people.
 The American government alst
 recognizes this need. Presiden'
 Roosevelt recently wrote: Total de.
 fense demands man power. The
 full energy of every American 1!
 necessary. Medical authorities reco. gnize completely that efficiency anc
 stamina depend on proper food" TO BE ADMINISTERED
 BY ESTABLISHED AGENCIES
 Hence the "gold standard for nu- trition" recently enunciated by the National Nutrition Conference. Un- like England, however, America will fight to gain this gold standard by education, not law.
 Plans for this education are al- ready well organized. The Presi- dent has made Paul V. McNutt (al- ready head of the FSAl coordinator of Health, Welfare and Related Defence Activities. Through his office the official national yardstick for the nutritional requirements of the country, formulated by the Ma tional Nutrition Conference, will be passed on to various advisory com mittees already in existence.
 Dr. M. L. Wilson, McNutt,s Di- rector of Nutrition, explained: we shall use every established agency which has been doing work in home economies, nutrition, child welfare. maternity care, public health and labor relations" to spread dietary i11- formation. Wherever possible, the government agencies-State, federal and local-already functioning will continue to administer and dispense this knowledge.
 The Bureau of Home Economies of the Department of Agriculture will play an invaluable part. The Bureau since 1923 has worked on the problem of food use and passed its knowledge on to the public. To- gether with the Agricultural Ex- tension Service, the Farm Security and the Surplus Marketing Administration it can help toughen up the nation through better nutrition advice.
 Many State Nutrition Committees will play an important part in the picture. Working directly at com- levels, their job is to en- courage farmers and small town families to raise more of the right kind of food for themselves and to show them how to can, preserve and store 1t. Also they teach how to arrange better distribution for milk, bulk fruits and small local show families how to cook to conserve vitanil1S and minerals; to teach people to speid their food money better; persuade families to switch from white to whole wheat or to enriched" Hours and breads; and so on.
 BETTER BREAD IS
 NOW AVAILABLE
 There are already on the mar 1et two new kinds of bread which Ire superior to our devitalized white bread, The four for one of them is produced by 8 new milling process which peels wheat of its splintery 1usks without removing any of the natural nutritive clements of the wheat grain. The other is an en- .iched bread, which looks and tastes ike our former white bread. But .hiamine, nicotinic acid and iron nave been added. Riboflavin will also ,e added as soon as it is available n sufficient quantities.
 Speaking of these new ingredi- .nts. Dr. w. H. Sebrell of the U. ,. Health Service said: "Lack of hiamine causes symptoms such as mental depression, easy fatigue and indue anxietieS. Lack of nicotinic lcid causes mental confusion and lisorientation. Iron is one of the most important elements for the hu- nan body"
 The standards for this enriched ,read and flour are generally to ,ecome effective by January l, 1942.
 Although vitamins had previously | ,een added to a few staple foods by ertain processors, the action of the | ederal government in cooperation with the entire milling and baking at this critical moment in | u rhistory gives the enrichment of | Iour and bread a prophetic em- Ihasis. White sugar will probably | e next.
 Most of the vitamin B complex l nd several other vitamins can now e manufactured synthetically Gov nutritionists, however, fav- r fertilization of our common taples with synthetic vitamins ather than the use of vitamir pills nless under emergency conditions. 'ESTED ARMY NATIONS ISEFUL IN EMERGENCY
 Should wartime emergencies ar i've, the civilian population could lrn to tested Army emergency ations. Field ration c, for example, onsists of six cans of different com nations of meat and vegetables, hole milk crackers, cube sugar and
 chocolate wafer. There's a simple nergency ration in the farm of locolate bars mixed with suger, ilk and oat flour.
 While these and other test ra- ons do not provide all the con- otutents of a properly balanced let, synthetic yitamins and vita in concentrates could be ration under clinical control to raise |