Body Building Children, Circa 1942

From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega

The topic of what to feed kids is one with a long history. I found myself just the other day watching an online video of what to pack for school lunches. That old refrain of "what's for dinner (or breakfast or lunch)" gets old no matter who the generation is asking so it's no wonder that cookbook publishers have long tried to provide ideas.

From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega

In 1942 Ruth Berolzheimer and the Culinary Arts Institute had the answer for how to feed children foods that were high in vitamins. Her cookbook, The Body Building Dishes for Children Cook Book was the answer to raising those well-nourished children.

With the subtitle of "A well-nourished child is a happy child Vitamins are their spark plug" Berolzheimer set about explaining what foods contained what vitamins. Probably not surprisingly, much of the food isn't "kid-friendly."

[Just a side note, Berolzheimer was a prolific food author so you may have seen her name before. An article about her can be found on the Chicago Reader website.]

Some of Berolzheimer's advice makes sense for today's parents including the admonishment to not give your opinions about what you like or dislike in front of kids because they will then not eat it. She writes, "If adults have bad dining habits they should be kept a deep, dark secret from children." She also recommends attractive table settings to make children interested in eating.

From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega

Berolzheimer provides two menus for children based on age. So what does she recommend for a week worth of meals for the school child? The menu below reflects various lunches beyond the same old sandwich. Liver Vegetable Soup, Peppers Stuffed with Macaroni, Farina Vegetable Ring, Lima Bean Chowder, and Eggs in Tomato Cases all help to make for fairly large lunches (even my teenager thought the lunch menu included a lot of food).

From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega

You might note a few things about this menu. Meat is not featured in every meal. Meat is pretty much relegated to dinnertime and in the Preschool Menu, meat is even less prominent. Only one breakfast features bacon and lunch is mostly meats in soups or broth. One result of less meat consumption would be reduced food costs.

This recipe booklet's emphasis on organ meats makes sense in terms of beliefs about their vitamin content. Liver and kidneys are featured in three dinners. World War II food rationing in the United States was just starting when this cookbook went to print and  the emphasis on organ meat would gradually become commonplace. You also might notice that milk is pretty much the drink of choice for each meal. Part of the high vitamin diet was consuming one quart of milk each day.

From the collection of Gena Philibert-Ortega

So I'm curious, anyone grow up with some of these recipes? Did you have parents or grandparents concerned about your vitamin intake? What foods were you forced to eat as a child because it was "good for you?"