MILK.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 4316, 20 March 1934, Page 2

MILK.

A VALUABLE FOOD. There is one food which fulfils all of the requirements of scientific nutrition. There is, in fact, only one food which even approaches perfection. If, therefore, you wish to enjoy a well-balanced diet, which will maintain health and a favourable resistance to disease you must obtain this most nearly perfect food, together with certain other foodstuffs, the combination of which complies with all the specifications for a correct diet.

All this may sound a little mysterious .though the principles of good nutrition are really simple. Before revealing the secret of the one most nearly perfect food, consider for a moment, what such a food must do for you. It must contain protein to build your tissues and give bodily strength, it must have carbohydrates to furnish, energy, it must possess minerals to form strong bones and teeth, and, finally, it must be liberally supplied with vitamins. These' invisible chemical substances known as vitamins are of great importance to growth and the production and preservation of good health. The one food which comes nearest to having every one of these necessary elements is milk. Throughout the ages it has been observed that those races which have been the most vigorous and longlived have subsisted largely on a diet composed of dairy products. Milk contains fat, protein, and sugar, the fat rich in the growth and strength promoting vitamins; the sugar and also the fat yielding the energy producing earbonhydrate. Milk is likewise rich in such minerals as calcium and phosphorus which are essential to the proper formation of bones. If a mother has plenty of good milk in her diet before her baby comes that, child will usually have good teeth. If the child receives plenty of pure milk during infancy 'its chances for growth and development are of the best.

For many years past arrangements have .been made in various schools for the distribution of milk to children with great advantage in their physical well-being. Every child ought to consume at least a pint and a half of milk a day in some form. Adults too, should use a generous amount of milk in some form in their daily diet. The only reason milk is not a completely perfect food is because 1 its bulk does not make it satisfactory as a sole article of diet. It is also a little low in iron, though rich in other minerals. No other substance compares with it, however, and it has been rightly called the great protective food. If all persons would be sure to have plenty of milk, green vegetables, and fruit in their daily meals they would enjoy improved physical welfare and coHie nearer to health and happiness than can be achieved without these necessary foods. Remember that there is no effective substitute for milk. Remember that it needs most careful handling from the milking shed to the consumer so as to prevent it from becoming contaminated with germs. In the home milk must be kept cool and covered up, and all receptacles containing milk must be thoroughly cleaned before and after use. Remember also that it is cheap compared with other, foods and that its daily consumption is good business, an which returns dividends in health and efficiency. When lowered finances tend to depress the family budget, true economy can be achieved by using more milk and dairy products in the daily fare.