The Bulletin. 35 



can not be too strongly einphasizod tliiit great care should be exercined in the 

 cooking of these cereals. An agate-ware or porcelain double boiler is almost a 

 necessity in tlie preparation of cereals for the nursery, since long cooking in- 

 creases digestibility. It is important to know what is accomplished in the cook- 

 inc of cereals. The purpose in long cooking is to secure a cliange in tlie starch 

 granules which, when acted upon by heat, are partially changed into a very 

 easily digested substance called dextrine. An extremely high and prolonged tem- 

 perature is required for this change, without which cereals are not nutritious, and 

 are likely to cause digestive troubles. Starch foods imi)erfectly cooked undergo 

 fermentation, therefore, for young children it is especially necessary that thor- 

 ough cooking be the rule. 



The following cereals are suitable for young children: Granulated or crushed 

 wheat, which makes a good all-the-year-round food, possessing no fat and requir- 

 ing cream to make it a perfect winter food; corn meal, a winter food, which 

 builds up strong tissues; cooked gluten; oat flour, from which delicious pudding 

 may be made; crushed barlej', wiiich, when properly cooked in milk or in water, 

 is an easily digested nursery food, and when used with gluten, half and half, 

 makes a highly nourishing nursery food. All these foods may be used as gruel, 

 porridge or in the form of simple desserts. White hominy, rice, barley, rye, and 

 wheat preparations are the most desirable, as they possess little or no fat. Oat- 

 meal is the usual cereal to begin with in the nursery, as it contains all the nec- 

 essary elements for growth. Since it contains fat, if the use of cereals is begun 

 in warm weather, wheat is preferable. All foods containing starch should not be 

 used at all during the first year, unless by medical advice, moreover they must be 

 used cautiously during the second year, when milk should still predominate as a 

 food. 



The use of fresh bread and hot biscuits should be forbidden as a part of the 

 diet of growing children. Few people of the present day realize how many in- 

 testinal disorders are caused by fresh or under-baked bread or hot biscuits. Well- 

 made, well-baked light bread or corn meal muffins are both wholesome and nour- 

 ishing in the diet of the young child, but should be at least one day old, care 

 being taken to keep the bread in a perfectly dry, covered box, tin being better than 

 wood. Whole wheat flour is vastly to be preferred to the whiter, less nutritious 

 flours, since it supplies some of the food elements in the child's diet received by 

 adults through other articles of food. Good light bread may be given to the 

 child of 12 months if suflicient number of teeth are present; good butter on the 

 bread may be allowed at 16 months. All cereals should be served preferably with 

 salt and cream; however, with active digestion and a well-balanced dietary, a 

 little pure sugar may be allowed. 



The tirst point to remember in the making of broth for the young child is that 

 good material must be used and that the meat must be treated in such a way 

 as to extract the juices. Cold, salted water should be used, and the meat should 

 be allowed to soak in the water for several hours before it is subjected to heat. 

 Even then it should only simmer. At the last it may be boiled for one or two 

 hours to dissolve the gelatin of the bones, but this is not necessary since a 

 chopped lean meat is more desirable. It is preferable, however, to have broth 

 made the day previous, as then every particle of fat can be removed. Fat plays 

 an important part in the nursery diet, but it is not to be served floating upon 

 poorly-made soups. Lean beef, chicken, veal, and lamb make desirable broths. 

 Milk broth flavored with water from carefully prepared vegetables, or with vege- 

 tables that have been rubbed through a sieve, makes a delicious, wholesome food. 

 Spinach, onions, string beans, peas, and celery may be used in this way. 



Meats to be served to young children should be selected with special care, and 

 should We prepared by boUing, broiling or roasting, always keeping in mind that 

 the object in cooking any meat is to keep in the juices. Hence, a very light degree 

 of heat is necessary in the beginning to harden the outside layer of the meat and 

 retain the nutritive juices. Meats \ni\y be included in the diet of the child after 

 the fourth year, given once a day at tlu midday meal. 



The best meats for the nursery diet are beef steak, mutton chop, roast beef, 

 roast lamb, broiled chicken, and certain delicate fish, such as shad or bass. 

 Among the forbidden meats are ham, bacon, sausage, pork, liver, and all dried 

 or salted meats or salt fish. 



