The amount of food required daily for health varies with different people. It is possible, with experience and practice, to supply the required foods satisfactory, giving foods that are popular, foods that suit the taste and the likes and dislikes of the individual and foods that give variety. It must be remembered that each meal should be balanced, example:

1. It should contain enough body building food.
2. It should include some protection food.
3. There should be enough energy food to satisfy each individual.

Babies and infants

For the first few months, babies can live very satisfactory on their mother's milk alone. If it is not possible to give babies their mother's milk, they may have to be given cow's milk. There are many reliable brands of powdered cow's milk that are suitable for babies. Mothers should follow very carefully the directions given when reconstituting milk for babies. Babies should be fed on one brand of milk unless a change is absolutely necessary, as babies' stomachs are very sensitive and do not like changes. It is essential there is absolute cleanliness n the preparation of babies' food. All feeding bottles and equipment used must be thoroughly washed and sterilized by boiling, and hands should be thoroughly scrubbed before touching any of the equipment used for the preparation of babies' food.

Although milk is a complete food, it is not a perfect food for a growing child as it lacks vitamins. To make up for this deficiency, orange juice and cod liver oil should be given to the child. These supplementary foods can be introduced to them from the age of 6 months above. Babies must begin mixed feeding, as milk alone is not enough to supply all the requirements for their growth. Eggs puree foods and commercially prepared pre-cooked cereals can be gradually introduced, beginning with as little as 1 teaspoonful and gradually increasing it to the amount that each individual baby can take.

Between the ages of 1 and 2, the baby should have changed over from a completely milk diet to a more solid and varied diet. As soon as the teeth are cut, the baby should be encouraged to use them by eating crisp foods like rusks and toast. By the time the baby is 2 years old, its diet should be more like that of an adult's except that the child will eat smaller amounts of food. It is important that foods given to the baby should be rich in body building and protective substances and at the same time should be fairly light and easily digestible. The baby should not given rich, greasy foods like fried foods, spicy foods, pastries and rich cakes as they are all very indigestible.

Schoolchildren

Schoolchildren grow very fast and are very active and therefore require more food. For growth, they must be given foods which contain large amounts of protein, calcium and vitamins, while sufficient quantities of fats and carbohydrates must be supplied to give them the energy they use up in activity. As children are small, their stomachs will also be small, so the food given to them must not be bulky. Milk, meat, fish, eggs, fruit and vegetables are all used foods for supplying the necessary nutrients required. All children should be given at least one pint of milk everyday. The milk can be give as a drink or mixed in with their food.

Schoolchildren should be given enough protective foods to prevent them from diseases that spread so easily among schoolchildren. Sufficient protective foods will also help keep them free from coughs and colds. Teenage girls should be given foods that are especially rich in iron, like liver, kidney, cockles and green vegetables to prevent them being anemic.

Children of 10 years or more have very hearty appetites. Besides body building and protective foods they should be given plenty of the staple foods like bread and rice, and more solid snacks. Cakes and pastries are very good and satisfying for children of this age group. These children require more good and nutritious food than any other group of people, and correct feeding at this stage will lead to good health later on.

Adults

The foods suitable for adults depend on the occupation and sex of the individual. Since adults stop growing physically, their appetites will naturally be less than those of children. Manual workers and athletes require more energy foods than any other group of adults, so their food must be rich in carbohydrates and fats. They also need more minerals and water in their diet to replace the large amounts lost through perspiration.

Adults with desk jobs will naturally require less energy foods than the manual worker. Since they spend a great deal of their time sitting down at their work, it is important that the food given them should be fairly easy to digest and is not too bulky. These people are known as sedentary workers.

Women, on the whole requires less food then men. Their need for foods rich in iron is greater than the average man. Expectant and nursing mothers should have more body building and protective foods to feed the baby and mother. This increase should take place gradually after pregnancy begins. During the later stages of pregnancy, it might be necessary to decrease the energy foods as the mother, heavy with child, cannot be very active. They should have at least two pints of milk every day to supply valuable calcium.

Old people require all the food necessary for any adult. It might be necessary to give more easily digestible foods as they might not have all their teeth and will have difficulty eating hard foods. It might also be necessary to give them smaller amounts of food which should be given at shorter intervals. It is not true to say that old people require less food than young people, for the needs of the old are the same as those of any other adults. A rich, well balanced diet is necessary to keep them in good health.