HOME SCIENCE EXTENSION

Evening Star, Issue 20666, 13 December 1930, Page 26

HOME SCIENCE EXTENSION

; SALADS. , Ever since tie first Latin father conceived the idea of .dressing lus simple dinner of herbs’with the oil supplied by his olive orchard, spnnklmg.it with salt and the pleasantly acid juice of a lemon, salads have formed an increasingly popular part of the menu. And in whatever manner wo decide to dress our salads it should be not only our pleasure bub our duty to serve them frequently because of' their' wholesomeness and appeal to the palate. A \v<ll-balanced diet consists of protein, carbohydrate, fat, mineral salts, vitamins, and, water. Water forms a much bigger proportion by weight than most persons suppose—e.g., cabbage has a higher proportion of water than milk, and meat is approximately 65 per cent, water. Of the solids, almost the whole consists of protein, carbohydrate, and fats, which ought to bo in the proportion roughly of 2-10-5. Carbohydrates and fats will vary according to occupation and climate, bat the protein, which is the flesh-building food, should not vary to any extent but remain approximately 12 per cent, of the total solids for adults and 15 per cent, for growing children. The body can use only so inuCh protein, and as this is a nitrogenous food that which is not used must bp broken down m the body and excreted by the kidneys, ■ which in time, will probably object to working overtime. . In New Zealand, especially in rural districts, meat is consumed freely—far too freely, for it is, with the exception of the fat in it, almost pure protein. In the towns the average person eats less meat and more carbohydrate-, white bread, potatoes, scones, c<ikds etc* Our average meal, supplying in bulk a great deal of meat and carbohydrate, effectively “ fills ” and. being “ filled,” our appetites are satisfied. But what of the mineral salts and vitamins? . These are required in' such tiny quantities by weight that their capacity to “ fill ” is negligible, and a hungry man will thank you for bis adequate ration of protein, carbohydrate, and fat and scorn bis ration of mineral salts and vitamins. But give .him the first and not the second ration, and bo will soon , cease to exist. ’ This can be very simply proved by animal experiments, and has been illustrated over and over again in hitman tragedy. The old-time sailors stricken with scurvy; the East, with her death roll from beriberi; the so-called epidemies of snow blindness in Labrador; and yes, the pathetic children in our own country with malformed bones and appalling teeth as well las' the apathetic -ones who have the bottom places at school and often suffer from goitre. All of these, tragedies are the results of denying a. sufficient ration of mineral salts and vitamins. It would profit every home maker to note this list carefully, take alarm if need bo, and certainly study preventive medicine when preparing food for her family. Everv cell of the body requires certain mineral salts that it may live. \Ve must have iron to form lueraoglobin for the red corpuscles in the blood, we must have haunoglobin to react with oxygen in the lungs, we must have oxygen or we die: Iron.is of such importance that when an infant, is born Nature provides it with enough iron in its body to safeguard it for a year. How important is iron, then, during the pre-natal period! lodine is needed by the thyroid, gland, which will soon show signs of goitre if deprived of this mineral. Bones, teeth, nervous tissue, heartall the organs and parts of the body need their mineral salts. But give adequate protein, carbohydrate, fat, water, mineral salts, and still death will result. There is something wanted.in food to vitalise it, and this something we call vitamin.. As yet we scarcely know what vitamin -is.

but we df> know what happens when it is complete!}’ destroyed—death. There is more than one vitamin. They, have been divided into three main groups—A. B, C —but more recent research takes us farther down the alphabet. . All these facts are of interest —vital interest —to the home maker, but bow is she to use them in practice? The simplest reply is “ Salads.” Fruits and vegetables as a class arc much the richest in mineral salts and vitamins, and if we serve them raw we eliminate the risk of wasting or destroying them by soaking, boiling, and above all by cooking them with baking soda. Unfortunately, to so many “ salads ” mean little besides lettuce, and perhaps radishes, spring onions, tomatoes, and eggs to garnish, whereas they ought to open ap hundreds of possibilities. It is less difficult to think of what may he put into a salad than what may not. Let us take a few foods apbabetically. Apples, diced; asparagus, cooked; bananas, sliced; beans, cooked; beets, raw and grated or cooked; cabbage, raw, shredded; carrots, raw, grated; cottage cheese, dates, eggs, marrow, cooked; mint, nuts, onions, lemons, oranges, peaches, peas, cooked; plums, radishes, spinach raw or cooked; tomatoes, and hosts of others. Once one has got the salad idea every raw and cooked lood has a possibility. The success of the possibility depends very largely upon the blending of the ingredients and the salad dressing. Last Saturday we gave a recipe lor a "bed evorv-day boiled salad dressing. Here are some suggestions that might be tried upon the family, but be careful, especially if vegetables are eaten "rndgingly at dinner, and do not bo too ready to divulge the secret of the constituents. The most pronounced anti-cao-bago ” husband will soon bo asking for the humble vegetable if you shred it finely (raw), add diced apple and celery, mix well with salad dressings and serve on lettuce leaves garnished with tomato or egg, because colour does make a difference to a dish. ’Then there is spinach—a veritable iron mine! Try this;—To half, a bundle of finely chopped, raw, fresh spinach, a medium-sized, grated, raw carrot, and two chopped spring onions add enough salad dressing to blend. Serve on crisp lettuce leaves and garnish with tomatoes and eggs. . Salmon makes a tasty heart to this salad. Cooked green peas are a delicious addition or substitute, and so arc French beans. Do not forget the possibilities of a savoury fruit salad, which may be served individually or with cold meat. Dice an apple, slice a banana, and blend with salad dressing. Serve on crisp lettuce leaves, and garnish with chopped nuts and raisins. Try this:—Ono and a-lialf cups ot finely shredded cabbage, half-cup diced apple, half-cup. grated pineapple. Served with salad dressing on. lettuce leaves. ‘ ... A simpler salad can bo made with diced, cooked beetroot and cut up oranges served with salad dressing. Once you begin to explore the realms of salads there is no end to the variety of wonderful health-giving dishes you can set before the family, and you will find them immensely popular. Salads are so easy to make .and serve attractively. One can become quite an artist in arranging colour and forms, but the key to success is freshness. All the salad stuffs must be crisp and served daintily without ever the suggestion of having been much handled. The best way to keep lettuce and other greens fresh, is to wash them thoroughly”" under running water (do not soak)’, wrap them in a damp tea towel or of butter muslin, and keep -in a cool place.' A salad can then be prepared at a moment’s notice, and we have the satisfaction of. knowing that we are serving the best possible tome of mineral salts and vitamins. How much better to take our medicine in this way and be well than to get “out of sorts” and band over onr savings to the chemist.

tho upper school, and the main purpose of the proposed reorganisation is the provision of tho exploratory period, coupled with tho opportunity for classification according to aptitudes and tho realisation of this hope depends on tho pupils being enrolled in large numbers under a single authority. On this point the evidence of Mr Garrard is emphatic. He said: — (4, A largo roll number allows for a division into classes of pupils of similar educational attainment. 5. Pupils progress at the speed at which tiny arc individually capable. G. A largo staff allows for specialisation of subjects. “These are some of tho benefits that the reorganisation proposed in the Atmoro report foreshadows. They will be lost by tho premature banding over of the pupils of the 11-plus pex-iod to the admittedly inefficient post-primary machinery at present in existence. “Your attention, as Minister, is drawn to these tendencies of the department’s proposals, because in the opinion of tho executive their acceptance would postpone for at least a generation any bopo of realising the benefits to bo anticipated * from the adoption of the scheme proposed by the report.”