774 Reading-Course for Farmers' Wives. 



Sixth, the condition of the food is of great importance. Milk is a whole- 

 some food, which should play a far more important part than it does 

 in the dietary of many families; but it must be clean milk. Eggs must 

 be fresh, fruit must be sound and not green or over-ripe, vegetables 

 must be in good condition, food must be rightly prepared, bread baked 

 until it is done and not left in a half-baked condition to ferment and 

 cause distress, vegetables must be prepared so as to make a larger 

 number of them easily digestible, even by children. 



UNDER-EATING AND OVER-EATING 



If more attention were given to selecting dietaries which would 

 include all the elements, and to preparing foods in simple wholesome 

 ways, there would be less need to discuss the questions of under-eating 

 and over-eating. A poorly nourished condition means frequently not 

 an over or under supply of food but a badly balanced dietary; meals 

 rich in protein, carbohydrate and fat but poor in the bulky foods and 

 in those which contain more mineral matter; too rich in meat and sweets, 

 and too poor in milk, eggs, cereals and vegetables; a dietary which does 

 not keep the body in good working order and permits it to become 

 clogged and out of condition. 



All the above considerations do not mean that the housekeeper's 

 problems are to be made more difficult by having meals consisting of 

 a great variety of things. It is not necessary to have elaborate meals, 

 difficult to prepare, since simple foods are best. 



A mark of progress is the present tendency to reduce the complexity 

 of the family dietary. There must be a certain variety, but it may be 

 obtained with very plain foods. When one person prepares a larger 

 part of the food, as is the case in a majority of families, elaborate meals 

 often mean indifferent cooking, for there is not time to do all well. One 

 or two excellently prepared dishes should yield more real satisfaction 

 and will give better hygienic results than the meal which combines a 

 dozen dishes of varying degrees of complexity. 



Some simple combinations will serve to show how few foods may be 

 put together and yet answer all requirements : 



Menu I. 



Whole wheat bread. 

 Whole milk. 

 Prunes. 



Protein is furnished by both milk and bread; fat by milk and bread; 

 carbohydrate by bread, milk and prunes; iron by prunes and whole wheat; 

 calcium by milk and whole wheat; phosphorus by milk and whole wheat; 



