A comparison of the diet of a selected group of grade children living in a boarding school with those of a similar group of day students

Many studies have recently been made on the nutritive value of American diets, and on the importance of good food habits. Two quotations indicate the present attitude toward nutrition. If health is the first objective in education, then nutrition stands first among subjects for instruction. Nutrition deals with material matters. The substances used, and the way in which they are used are the first concern in the making of any machine. The human mechanism is the most delicate and the most important of all machines. And as stated by Minot, "Man’s future depends very largely upon what he decides to eat".2 It is apparent, therefore, that the child should be fed, not only for his present good, but also for his future contribution as a parent to the improvement of the race. Heretofore there have been many dietary studies and surveys made among high school children, but comparatively few with the children from the intermediate grades. The present study is an evaluation of the dietary practices of thirty-four girls mostly between eight and eleven years of age, except for one who was twelve, and one thirteen