The right way to start your day IT IS important to eat breakfast in order to give one's body energy to start the day's activities. The person who begins the day without eating is likely to be sluggish and irritable, and probably will not work or play as well as the person who has started the day with an adequate breakfast. It is important, too, to eat the right kind of breakfast. Often custom dictates the foods for this meal. Since there are more hours between the evening meal and breakfast the following morning than between any other two meals, you should be hungry for breakfast. Whether you are hungry or not, it is almost impossible to skimp breakfast and still meet the food needs for the day. From one fourth to one third of the day's food allowance should come at breakfast. If no breakfast or too little is eaten, body tissue will not be burned to apply the energy needed, and mid morning hunger and fatigue can result. Yet, in spite of the importance of breakfast to health and efficiency, you will sometimes hear people say that they don't eat breakfast because they "don't like it" or because they "don't have time". A little thought will show that neither of these reasons is very good, whether applied to breakfast or to any other meal. Time for eating is as necessary as time for getting dressed. Conversation should be pleasant and the discussion of family problems postponed to another time. This will help to avoid the rushed feeling so often responsible for the eating of an insufficient breakfast, and will, moreover give a pleasant start to the day. Being grouchy at breakfast is nothing but a very unpleasant habit. Food dislikes, with most people are more a matter of emotion or of habit than of anything about the food itself. Fruit should be eaten daily because they supply many important food values. In choosing fresh fruits the degree of ripeness, the colour and firmness, and freedom from decay help the purchaser to judge its quality. The largest fruit is not always the best, it may lack flavour and juice. Neither is the least expensive variety always the most economical because it may not be as edible. Your decision will depend in part on how you intend to use the fruit. The best citrus fruits are well shaped and heavy for their size. Care must be taken in the preparation of fruits to conserve the nutrients, flavour, aroma and appearance. Fruits should be prepared just before it is served since in this way it is less likely to lose vitamins. READY TO EAT CEREALS The many ready-to-eat cereals on the market are made of wheat, corn, oats, rice or barley or a combination of two or more. Sugar syrup, malt salt and honey are added in varying amounts, improving flavour and the mixture is pre-cooked and processed into flakes puffs and shreds. They are convenient to use, save time in preparation and add appeal, taste, and variety to menus. The nutritional value varies. SERVING CEREALS 1. Combine two or three ready-to-eat cereals. 2. Spread flake cereals in a shallow pan, dot with table fat, sprinkle with brown sugar. Heat in a 325 degrees Fahrenheit oven for a few minutes. Serve at once. 3. Give cooked cereal a crispy topping of ready-to-eat cereal. 4. Add several tablespoons of honey or molasses to the cereal while it is cooking. 5. Add chopped dates or granular, wheat cereal. Stir well, pour into load pan and chill. Unmould, cut in thin slices and fry in a small amount of fat, turning to brown both sides. Serve hot with syrup. 6. Use alternates for sugar sliced or diced fresh fruit, dried fruit, maple syrup, molasses, honey, fruit juice preserves and jelly.
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