EXPERT’S VIEW

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23258, 20 July 1945, Page 6

EXPERT’S VIEW

Maintaining Health Under Rationing “Now that the war in Europe is over the prospect of our being on low rations for a limited period, even if they were our present rations of meat and butter, would not disturb me in the least, though the thought of longcontinued subsistence on low rations would be worrying,” says Dr. Muriel Bell, the New Zealand nutrition research expert, who adds that even with the new meat and butter ration the scale is still generous. "New Zealanders in the past have taken too much meat and too little milk; too much sugar, cakes and confectionery and too little vegetable: too much fat and calories in many instances and too little unrefined cereal: they have had the highest butter intake in the world, but they take too little cheese, on the average.” states Dr. Bell, in an article written for the “N.Z. Nursing Journal.” "They make very little use of dried peas and beans, which are good sources of vitamin B factors, as well as of protein.” “They have had so very little ingenuity in varying the diet except in the matter of making cakes and sweets

that their cookery books all run to sweet things rather than to savouries. Rationing, therefore, should give us an opportunity to improve these faults in our habit. Where rationing hits hardest is on the unresourceful or the tooconventional housewife. "Butter is valuable because of its vitamin A in an easily absorbed form and because of its calories in a palatable form.” she states. “It has very little vitamin D. The best advice you can give anyone who complains of a shortage of butter is to take more milk and when they have satisfied you that they are taking enough, you can tell them that if they are still short of calories, they can take more steamed puddings, which is a good way of making drippins or suet into a palatableform. As for the vitamin A in butter, there are lot.s more vitamin A in green vegetables and in yellow carrots. It would be no exaggeration to say that adult New Zealanders on the average, could go without butter for two years withoqt showing any vitamin A deficiency. ' Dealing with the reduced meat ration. Dr. Bell says the reduction will be scarcely perceptible because we shall leani to use foods now wasted. "Think of all the good thing we waste in New Zealand, rabbits, eels (regarded as a delicacy elsewhere.” Whale, which tasted like first-class steak was being tinned for overseas, because the New Zealand population was likely to turn up its nose at it. People in New Zealand would have to eat more cheese, or more peas and beans as meat stibstihites. she said.