Acknowledgment is here made of the valuable assistance of Winfield S. Hall, Ph.D., M.D., Professor of Physiology in the Northwestern Medical School, Lecturer, and Author of Nutrition and Dietetics; of Alida Frances Pattee, late Instructor in Dietetics, Bellevue Training School for Nurses, Bellevue Hospital, New York City, Author of Practical Dietetics.
The tables of Food Values and the classification of foods are kindly furnished by Dr. Hall and used by the courtesy of his publishers, while a few of the recipes are generously furnished by Miss Pattee. Recognition is also made of the good work of Miss Helen Hammel, former dietitian in Wesley Hospital, Chicago, in the preparation of some of the recipes.
The Author.
INTRODUCTION
THE problem of proper nutrition for the body is as vital as any study affecting the morals, health, and consequent power of a nation, since on the quality and quantity of food they assimilate, depend the sustenance, health, and strength of its citizens.
The food eaten by a nation largely determines the character of that nation.
No subject is so vital to the individual, to the family, the community, the nation, as health. No education is so vital as a knowledge of foods, sanitation, hygiene.
Health is the basis of happiness and the attainment of happiness is man’s chief pursuit. The very foundation of national life is the education of its citizens in its preservation. The nation seeks prosperity and happiness—yet true prosperity is based on these fundamentals.
Money can be expended for no object which will yield the nation, or the individual, greater returns than in the acquisition of a knowledge of how to keep well. Health specialists, in the future, will direct their work more to the prevention than to the cure of diseases.
The strongest powers are those which most fully guard the health of their citizens. The endurance of an army lies in the strength of the individual soldier.