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their own lunch, with the natural result that they are spent for 

 candy, chewing gum, or questionable push-cart goods. 



To meet this difficulty school lunches are provided in districts 

 where they are needed in some cities in this country, and much more 

 generally in Europe. Sometimes the food is furnished by the muni- 

 cipal authorities, sometimes by private charitable agencies working 

 through the school organization. In some cases it is served free to 

 all, in others sold at a trifling sum to those who can afford to pur- 

 chase it. In this way each child is sure of at least one nutritious 

 and suitable meal a day. Where this has been tried improvement 

 not only in the physical but also in the mental condition of the 

 pupils seems invariably to follow, and most school officials think 

 with experience the matter can be so managed that it brings no dan- 

 ger of pauperization. In the case of school lunches prepared in con- 

 nection with domestic science courses the children may at the same 

 time be given important object lessons in the proper cooking and 

 serving of food. 



KINDS OF FOOD EATEN IN AMERICAN HOMES. 



Owing to great range in climate and agricultural conditions, 

 the United States yields food products in great variety, as well as in 

 great abundance. Methods of transporting, storing, and distribut- 

 ing food products have kept pace with improved methods of cultiva- 

 tion, and perhaps at no time and in no country has there been 

 greater variety of products of the farm, field, ranch, and garden from 

 which to select than in the United States to-day. 



Data have been summarized which show the proportionate 

 amounts of different foods which make up the diet of the average 

 American home, and the relative proportion of the total nutrients 

 and energy which the principal foods and food groups supply. A 

 summary of such data based on the results of about 400 studies is 

 presented in the table which follows: 



Proportion of Nutrients Furnished by Different Food Materials in 

 the Average American Dietary. 



