| Many
factors enter into the food problem as it appears in everyday
life. In the same household there are generally persons of different
food requirements. The baby cannot be fed like the 15-year old
high school girl is fed. The dainty fare which best suits the
school teacher is held in scorn by the farm worker whose energy
needs are twice as high. To use the same food resources for all
and make adjustments which assure for each a palatable, digestible,
and adequate diet call for knowledge and skill in the apportionment
of the various items on the menu. Milk
is a great protector of the diet in almost every point: of unique
importance for calcium, an outstanding source of riboflavin
and phosphorus, and a significant source of vitamins A and B.
Even in adult life, therefore, a liberal amount of milk should
be included at all times, at least a pint a day.
Vegetables and fruits
deserve a definite place in the diet because of the mineral
salts which they furnish, and also because of their laxative
properties. Green vegetables, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage
and citrus fruits are particularly valuable and should be used
frequently.
The amount of eggs,
meat and other flesh foods to be used is determined partly by
their nutritive value, partly by their flavor and ease of preparation
for the table, and partly by their cost. Meats are relatively
expensive in comparison with their nutritive return. Eggs give
a higher nutritive return than meat, being rich in vitamin A
and a good source of vitamin B, D and G, while ordinary muscle
meat is a poor source of vitamin A and D and good source of
vitamins B & G.
The foods from cereal
grains are valuable as sources of energy and protein, and if
whole grain or enriched, of iron and vitamins B & G. They
are the most economical items in the diet, and the proportion
used depends largely upon the amount of money available for
food. As much as one half of the total calories of an adult
man’s diet may be secured from this group of foods.
Fats and oils, because
of their flavor and “staying power” as well as their high content
of calories per pound, are important in a good diet. When other
sources of vitamin A are limited, it is desirable that much
of the fat be butter or fortified oleomargarine unless cod liver
oil is used regularly.
Sugars, while adding
much to the palatability of the diet, contribute fuel only and
must not constitute a high proportion of the total calories
or there will be danger of shortage of ash constituents and
vitamins, and also danger of digestive disturbances. |
