The child is building the temple of the soul, planned by the divine Architect - but ofttimes ruined by man's bad workmanship.

- Child Life.

Upon the health and strength of our children the glory and greatness of our nation depend.

Every child has a right to be as healthy as present knowledge can make him. Proper feeding is one of the chief factors in health.

- Health Education.

THE witty French cook who said, "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are," might even more certainly have stated, "Tell me what you give your children to eat, and I will tell you what they will grow to be," for the kind of food the child eats largely determines whether he will be a strong, healthy adult, or a weakling. More important, then, than the wise selection of foods for grown people is the proper feeding of the growing bodies of children - especially of little children.

A Few General Rules Should Be Borne In Mind

1. Meals should be given at regular times.

2. No "nibbling" between meals. If a child is really hungry, a slice of bread and butter will satisfy the craving for food. Never give candy at such times. It will not only spoil the normal appetite, but will encourage a bad habit. Oftentimes a glass of water, and not food, is what the little one really craves.

3. Teach the child to drink plenty of water between meals - several glasses a day.

4. Happiness while eating is essential to good digestion.

5. Do not force a child to eat. If after a day or two the appetite does not return, consult a physician.

6. Teach a child to wash face and hands before eating. Explain that dirt is dangerous. Explain that flies are dangerous.

Teach a child to demand fresh air and sunshine, for they arc the great cleansers of nature.

7. Children may generally be taught to like all kinds of foods that are good for them. By giving a little of a new food at first, taste can be cultivated.

Staple Food Requirements

1. Milk is the best and most important food for growing children. No other food can take its place. Children over five years of age should have at least three cups a day, more if possible.

Warm milk is more easily digested than cold milk. If children rebel against drinking plain milk, it may be given in the form of cocoa, milk soups, custards, etc. If it is impossible to get fresh milk, use dried milk. If neither fresh nor dried milk is procurable, use evaporated milk. If skimmed milk is given, the child should eat plenty of vegetables and cream or butter. Tea and coffee should not be given to growing children at all.

Bread and milk form a perfect food, containing all food elements in the right proportion to sustain child life. The milk furnishes protein for muscles and other tissues; fats and sugar for body fuel; minerals for bones and other tissues; vitamins, essential to growth and health. The bread furnishes some of each of these, but is valuable because it provides starch fuel food, and gives bulk.

2. Bread, cereals and other grain products should furnish about one-third the food required by a child.

3. Vegetables are essential to the growing child not only for their food value, but because they contain vitamins (see page 420). The water in which vegetables and rice have been boiled should be used for making soups, sauces, and gravies. Where for any reason there is a scarcity of milk and eggs, the diet should include as much milk as possible, with pea or bean soups, spinach and other green vegetables, oatmeal, and dried fruits. Vegetables and fruits are excellent sources of iron and other elements necessary for growth. If combined with milk, they will supply food value fully equal to that of meat.

4. Eggs, meat, etc. Aside from milk, eggs are the best source of protein for children. Where plenty of milk and an egg a day are included in the diet, a child needs very little meat. Allow not more than 2 ounces of meat a day for a child from 7-10 years; 3 ounces daily from 10-14 years. Broth from stews may be given on vegetables and bread.

5. Fruits. - There should be some fruit in the diet every day. Where fresh fruit is not possible, use dried fruit. Bananas should not be eaten raw by very young children. Bananas are not ripe until the skins have brown spots. They should be cooked if given before they reach this stage.

6. Sweets. - There is danger of children getting too much sugar and spoiling the appetite. They should not have more than the following allowance, aside from that contained in foods:

It is better to give sugar in cocoa and desserts than as candy. Molasses has a high food value. Dates are a good substitute for candy.

7. Fats are essential for growing children. Cream and butter, the fats of milk, are the most important kinds; therefore, children should have unskimmed milk. For the delicate child, cod-liver oil is an excellent fat, containing large quantities of vitamins, see page 420. Cod-liver oil may be procured in gelatine capsules, but if orange juice is given after, the child seldom objects to the oil. Other oils, such as olive, corn, and peanut, are good foods, too, in small quantities. (See Salads, page 167.) Young children should not have cooked fats except bacon fat, which is easily digested. All fried foods should be avoided.

Children need at least three meals a day. The heavy meal should preferably come at mid-day, with a light supper, such as bread and whole milk, baked potatoes, stewed fruit; or cereal and milk, bread and butter, baked bananas; or poached egg on toast, baked potatoes, bread and butter, apple sauce, gingerbread.

Desserts. - Cooked desserts are not essential with plenty of bread and butter and vegetables and fruit. When given, they should be plain and simple; as cereal puddings with fruit, such as rice, oatmeal, or bread pudding.

Home Lunches. - If dinner is at the end of the day, let the luncheon be as light as the supper would be if the main meal were at mid-day. See end of this chapter for suggestions.

Basket Lunches. - School authorities are recognizing the importance of a warm mid-day meal for children, and many schools provide school lunches. If a child must carry a whole luncheon, it should be nutritious as well as appetizing. If possible let it include a bottle of milk. If it is practical for the child to use a thermos bottle, the milk may, of course, be warm; or hot cocoa, or soup may be provided by this means. The following suggestions should prove helpful;

Nourishing Sandwiches

Whole wheat bread Raisin bread Toast Nut bread Oatmeal muffins Rolls

Appetizing Fillings

Peanut butter

Chopped celery with mayonnaise Lettuce and tomato with dressing Jelly, or chopped raisins Chopped dates

Chopped olives and peppers, mayonnaise dressing

See chapter on Sandwiches, page 287, for further suggestions. Desserts of custard, baked apple, sweet chocolate, maple sugar, sponge cake, fruit cookies, or gingerbread make a pleasant variety.

It is essential for the children to have plenty of time in which to tat their mid-day meal. The child who bolts a meal and rushes back to school cannot either work or digest properly. It would be better to carry a lunch than to go home for a warm meal, if the journey means hurried eating.