Читать книгу The Care and Feeding of Children - L. Emmett Holt - Страница 16

Table of Contents

What is the best infant food?

Mother's milk.

Of what is mother's milk composed?

Thirteen parts solids and eighty-seven parts water.

What are the solids?

Fat, sugar, proteids, and salts.

What is the fat?

The cream.

What is the sugar?

It is lactose, or milk sugar.

What are the proteids?

The curd of the milk.

Are all these elements necessary?

Yes; we cannot expect to rear a healthy infant unless they are all in his food.

Of what use is the fat?

It is needed for the growth of the bones, the nerves, the fat of the body, and the production of heat.

Of what use is the sugar?

It is needed for the production of heat, and to make fat in the body.

Of what use are the proteids?

They are needed for the growth of the cells of the body, such as those of the blood, the various organs, and the muscles.

Of what use are the salts?

Particularly for the growth of bone.

Of what use is the water?

By means of the water the food is kept in a state of minute subdivision or in solution, so that the delicate organs of a young infant can digest it. It is also necessary to enable the body to get rid of its waste.