Diet for the sick and convalescent is usually divided into four classes - namely, liquid, soft, light, and general.

Liquid diet includes milk, broth, cream soup, eggnog, plain gelatine, ice cream, ices, fruit juices, etc.

Soft diet, in addition to the liquid, is composed of gruels, well cooked cereals, such as oatmeal, cream of wheat, farina, etc., milk and cream toast, soft cooked eggs, custards, etc.

Light diet contains no meat except breast of chicken, sweetbreads, brains, fish, oysters; and for vegetables, baked, mashed and creamed potatoes, spinach, lettuce, vegetable souffles containing the pulp but not the fibrous parts of vegetables, fruits, and most light desserts. Of course, rich pastry and puddings are excluded absolutely.

The general diet is about the same as the light, except that the more easily digested meats are included. Never give pork to a patient. Fried meats also are to be avoided.

While ordinarily the diet of a patient in charge of a physician will be ordered by the latter, nevertheless the housemother should have some idea of what is proper to give. First of all, keep this fact in mind: that a person sick in bed needs little food, and that in most cases if the stomach is given a rest convalescence soon follows. Also remember that during illness all the organs are necessarily weakened to a certain extent so that very easily digested food should be given, thus requiring the minimum amount of work for assimilation.