A large proportion of discomfort, languor, irritability, disappointments 

 in life, as well as actual sickness, are the results, not of deficient food that 

 would be easily understood but of 



DEFECTIVE FOOD; 



a much more common fault in a country where the standard of living is 

 fairly high. Money may be freely spent upon the most costly forms of food 

 and endless trouble may be lavished on its preparation, but the results are 

 fruitless, or even actively detrimental to health, if the food is not suited to 

 the eater. 



It is no exaggeration to say that 



THE SUFFERING ASSOCIATED WITH ERRORS IN DIET IS 

 INCALCULABLE. 



Bodily vigour is diminished, mental alertness is dulled, there is failure 

 to resist disease, and a general deterioration is brought about. The con- 

 clusion of the whole matter may be briefly summarized as follows : 



Food is the most important source from which material is supplied for 

 the growth of the body, for its repair, and for furnishing it with material 

 from which to produce heat or energy for its activities. 



The study of nutrition is concerned 



(1.) With the various ways in which the different kinds of food and 

 drink serve the needs of the body throughout life: 



(2.) The value of these different kinds of food and drink under different 

 circumstances or for different purposes. 



OUGHT WE THEN TO GIVE CONSTANT CONSIDERATION TO WHAT 

 WE EAT AND DRINK? 



The reply to this most natural inquiry will take the form of another 

 question, namely : Who is included in this pronoun " we " ? If it includes 

 each member of every household, the answer will 'be 



AN EMPHATIC " NO." 



It would be morbid and undesirable to concentrate too much attention 

 upon the selection of our daily diet, but if the " we " refers to housewives 

 only, then the answer would be 



AN EQUALLY EMPHATIC "YES." 



It is plainly the cook's duty to prepare and present at table food suited 

 to the requirements of the consumers. What these requirements are it is 

 the purpose of this bulletin to show. 



THE LESSONS OF EXPERIENCE. 



In order to understand why experience has guided healthy human beings 

 to choose and to combine at one meal those foods w r hich are in common use 

 all over the world, it will be of interest to learn what each kind of food does 

 for the body after it has been digested, for then it becomes apparent how 

 reliable a guide Nature is, if we will but follow her lead. Take, for example, 



A MIDDAY MEAL 



of roast, stewed, or boiled meat, potatoes, cabbage, bread, stewed fruit, with 

 a light pudding or cream. Millions of families sit down to just such a 

 meal daily in the continents of Europe and America. 



