OUR BABIES

Northern Advocate, 11 August 1934, Page 4

OUR BABIES

(By Hygeia.) Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society). “It is wiser to put np a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.” THE DULL DAYS. Last week we discussed the question of comfort and colour in connection with children in winter time. This Avcek let ns go on to consider the question of diet, AA’ith special reference to cold-weather conditions. Healthy, active children tend to be well and hungry in cold weather, and should be able to take Avith advantage rather more food, and especially rather more fat in the diet, than is necessary or good in hot weather. One reason for this is that fat produces heat, but the more important reason is that certain fats are the principal sources of tAvo of the, \ T itainins so specially necessary for- groAving children. Vitamin D. One of these, vitamin D, is produced by some of the properties of sunlight acting on our bodies, either directly by shining on the skin or indirectly through the food avc eat. Naturally, Avhen direct sunshine is at a minimum during short winter days an additional supply of the sunlight factor in food is required, because, as some people knoAv noAA'adays, insufficiency of this factor predisposes a child to rickets, 'decay of the teeth, and other conditions of ill-health. Vitamin A. But that is not all. There is another vitamin knoAvn as A, Avhieh is a very important factor in the diet of children, especially during Avinter. Vitamin A is concerned Avith resistance to infection, and deficiency of this factor in the food causes increased susceptibility to all sorts of infections, including colds and chest trouble. Therefore it is advisable to supplement the diet in Avinter Avith food or foods especially rich in*both vitamins A and D. Butter, cream, and. eggs contain both, but are apt to be poor in these factors in Avinter —just AA’hen they are Avautcd most, Also, one cannot increase the alloAvanee of these foods beyond. a certain point Avithout causing indigestion. Cod liver Oil. Cod liver oil is our “.royal standby” in this connection. It is an extremclj' rich and reliable source of both'’vitamins A and D. Strange as it sefem's, green plants are the primary source of the vitamins,'even in cod liver oil. In the springtime there is a great growth in the sons of minute green vegetation in Avhieh is concentrated the wonderful properties of the sun’s rays. The plants form the food of tiny floating animals, Avhieh in turn are eaten by small fish, and these again by larger fish, such as the cod. The vitamin from the green plants is transferred from the smaller to the larger fish in the process of digestion, and finally becomes concentrated in the liver of the cod. Therefore cod liver oil contains the vitamin collected and concentrated from an enormous quantity of green plants. Not Avithout reason has it been described as “bottled sunshine.” lloAvevcr pure, cod liver oil as such is unpalatable, and though some children' take it avoll in this form, it is best given in the form of an emulsion, which should bo finely homogenised so as to place no tax on the digestive organs.

Many of our mothers have been in the habit of giving Plunket Emulsion (which is specially prepared for baby feeding) to the older children. There was no Objection to this; but in orderto meet the needs of older children in the direction indicated, and to place within the reach of mothers at a strictly moderate price an entirely reliable food product having the special qualities required, the Karitane Products Society prepares a special emulsion for older children. It consists of specially selected fats and oils and a certain proportion of malt extract and other sugars. The fats are mostly cod liver oil and bone marrow. The latter has some nutrition-promoting qualities which make it a highly desirable complement to the cod liver oil. The emulsion is very finely homogenised—in fact the fat particles are not more than a hundredth part of the size of the fat particles in cow’s milk. Food, Not Medicine. It must be clearly understood that we recommend this emulsion definitely simply and solely as a food to supplement the ordinary diet of the child, particularly in winter and early spring, and not in any way or at any time as a medicine. We have nothing to do with the advocacy of drugs or medicines. Our province is the promotion of good nutrition and growth by natural, simple means. It must not be thought, however, that the giving of a few 'tablespoonfills of cod liver nil emulsion every day will make up for all or any radical errors or deficiencies in the child’s ordinary diet. It certainly will not do anything of the kind, flood wholesome meals, including daily some brown bread (wholemeal), milk, butter, vegetables and fruit (raw and cooked), with eggs nr fish in moderation —these are the basic requirements, Cod liver oil, in whatever form it is given, is valuable to supplement such a diet in certain directions, but it cannot take the place of any of the basic ingredients. Next, week we will conclude this article by giving some suggesting for (he planning of actual meals, the suggestions being based on practical experience with children.

A SET OF HOT PUDDINGS FOR COLD DAYS. Raspberry Pudding.—Take 2oz butter, 2oz sugar, 1 egg, 4oz flour, I teaspoon baking poAvder, tablespoons raspberry jam, -i enp millc. Beat butter and sugar to a cream, add egg well beaten; stir in milk, flour and baking poAvder; avcll grease a pudding basin, put jam in bottom, pour in batter, and steam 1 to li hours. Serve with sauce or cream. To make the sauce: Take 1 pint Avater, 2 tablespoons jam, I tablespoon cornflour, a little sugar. Mix cornflour with a little Avater and sugar, put rest of Avater and jam to boil, strain, stir in cornflour and boil thick. Make lemon or orange sauce in same Avay, using fruit juice and i pint of AA'ater.

Orange Crumb Pudding.—Take cup sugar, 1 cup breadcrumbs, 2oz butter, 2 eggs, juice and grated rind of 3 oranges, 1 pint scalded milk. Soak breadcrumbs in hot milk, adding butter; leave half an hour. Beat and add egg yolks, orange juice and rind, also sugar, together; add to the crumbs and milk; mix, put in piedish and stand in a dish of Avater, and bake until firm, float egg whites, add a little icing sugar, place on top of custard Avhen nearly done. Replace in oven until brown.

Date pudding.— Take 3oz sugar, 3oz butter, 2 eggs, fioz flour, 1 teaspoon baking poAvder, Hb stoned dates, juice of 1 lemon, pinch of nutmeg, 1 cup milk to mix. Beat butter and sugar to a cream, beat eggs well and add dates, baking poAvder, pinch of nutmeg, and sprinkle with flour to prevent fruit sinking; add flour, lemon

juice and dry ingredients, and bind with the cup of milk. Put in greased basin and steam 2J hours.

Easy Padding. —Take 4oz ground rice, 4oz flour, 2oz butter, .1 dessertspoon baking powder, 2oz sugar, 1 pinch salt, water to mix. Sift all the dry ingredients well together, rub butter into flour, etc., mix into a soft pasty dough with water; put into greased basin; boil 1 hour. Servo with golden syrup or jam.