HEALTH NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 23, 27 July 1927, Page 19

HEALTH NOTES

SCHOOL CHILDREN

LUNCHES AND RECREATION

(Contributed by the Department of

Health.)

A great deal hag been said and written during tho last few years about diet, and knowledge as to food and feeding has been widely diffused. , Still, as in most matters, attention to ma£ter of detail which may appear small is really of great importance.

! As the majority of school children, at , least of country school children, bring their lunqh tq g<jhool much Bifir be done in connection with this niQ3,l to inculcate good habit?, nutrilioiial and other. Of recent years a great advance has been made in the composition of theso lunches; hunks of caUo and bread and .jam sandwiches are to a great extent in tbe miaority, and a diversified assortment of fruit, vegetable, cheese, <?gg, and meat sandwiches is more frequently seen, Leaflets containing information as to the composition of school lunches arc published by the Health Department and may bo obtained from any nqad teacher on application. There is, however, still too much Waste of good food in the playgrounds —an evidence either of unsuitable or of hastily "bolted" lunches, or, in somo cases, of too great a supply. The preparing of lunches for a family every! morning throws a strain on many a! hard-worked mother, and one is not surprised that many adopt the easier plan of giving money to buy lunch«s. This Is a pity, as in most cases the money goes on unsuitable fpod. The time spent by a mother in preparing an appetising Im l6 h will be well repaid. SCHOOL LUNCHES. As well as a nicely-prepared lunch, rent during eating and proper mastication are important. If quarter of an hour or more of the midday interval wore set apart for lunch and the children givenHo understand that that time was sacred to gating and for nothing e!se, great good would result. The tendency to consume half the'food supply at tho fprenoon playtime would bo checked. There would also be less wasto of good food. Seated quietly the child would masticate properly and give digestion its proper chance. If, in addition, g, hot drink—particularly in the colder months—^were made a routine part of the ropast, the results of a happy meal would bo seen in tho ingreased vitality of the children. Though "play lunches" cannot be condemned entirely, as some children start for school after either a very early or even an insufficient breakfast, and it might bo a hardship to keep them hungry, yot they should bo generally discouraged, and getting apart a timo strictly for lunch would automatically help towards this. To sum up—attention to detail in the matter of carefully preparing lunches at home, suitable in quantity'and quality, Betting apart a definite timq for a. restful lunch, and the provision of a warm drink in cold weather, aro small but important matters in improving the nutrition of our rising generation and ,o< educating it in the values of diet, digestion, good manners, arid avoidance of waste. GARDENS. _ As a useful adjunct to tho diot question, and as a. healthy recreation, the keeping of gardens by children might be more encouraged. The nutritional value of vegetables cooked and uncooked is generally admitted, but in many country districts .too little attention is paid to obtaining a constant supply of these. Iron, iodine, and othor valuable nutritional assets, as well as vitamins, are presont in vegetables. Besides root crops, such as onions, carrots, turnips, etc., many green vegetables may bo grown in the winter months—spinach, silver boot, cabbage; in warmer districts lettuce, and in colder curly kail, brussel sprouts, etc. Children should bo encouraged to have gardens of their own so that with a little help and _ counsel from tho grown-ups the family might bo kept in groeu vegetables all the year round. SWIMMING AND BATHING. Another healthy form of exercise is that of swimming and bathing. During midsumer no, better way of sponding tho hot hours of the day can bo doviscd than by devoting them to bathing nnd to learning the art of swimming. Not only aro the muscles of tho body exercised thereby, but tho broathing apparatus is developed ant! the skin with its myiiads of fine pores and ncrvo endings W) purified and.toned up. Tho salt or fresh water inadvertently taken into noso or mouth acts, as a douche to the mucous membranes of theso cavities. Cases of enlarged tonsils and adenoidal growths are undoubtedly benefited by the tonic effect of salt water. Ono lucky school known to the writer has a lino stream with bathing pool' within a stone's throw; To sco the head teacher, superintending the attempts of novices, and, along with an assistant, keeping, a watchful eye on the scholars disporting themselves was a lesson in what can be done to teach this useful exercise. The happy hour ended with a demonstration at request to the older pupils of restoring animation to tho apparently drowned . A suitable stream, pond, sea beach, or salt water bath within easy roach of a school affords an excellent opportunity for building up tho health of the scholars.