Eating

Introductory Essay

"Canada has determined to change the eating habits of a nation, because she has learned that efficient production of food is only half the victory. It takes efficient consumption, too, to give full…

Alphamin - for the fighting man

"The health of a nation is one of its armaments" - and in the absence of a balanced diet because of wartime shortages, vitamin supplements were a way to keep the Allied war effort healthy.

Alphamin.pdf (6.28 MB)

Another Christmas away from home

The menu was impressive, but the note at the bottom indicated that they might have to resort to tinned rations at the last minute.

Christmas in Germany

With the war over, soldiers of the 5th Battalion enjoyed Christmas 1918 in Germany, where they were serving with the occupation forces.

Victory Cook Book

This collection of recipes was released by the Navy League Chapter of the I.O.E.D. to raise money towards war work. Find out what women on the homefront cooked for their families.

Food for Health in Peace and War

The Canadian Medical Association released this booklet of nutritional information, cooking instructions, and shopping tips to teach housewives the proper kind and amount of food to buy, to keep the entire family strong and healthy during wartime.

"Brightening up the drabbest corners of your home"

Wartime restrictions meant making do with what was available - and this booklet provided many ways to breathe new life into old products by using Tintex tints and dyes.

Rationing in wartime Britain

Toronto physician Norman Harris joined the Canadian Army Medical Corps in 1916, and in 1918 was with a Canadian hospital in Seaford, in southern England. This card permitted him to purchase rationed food from a local shop.

Fighting the war by feeding the family

Everything was militarized during the Second World War, including the household economy. Women became "housoldiers" whose job was to prepare "appetizing and nourishing meals that protect and preserve the health of their families."

Housoldiers.pdf (4.63 MB)

Living on a soldier's pay

Through menu suggestions, nutrition tips, and budget advice, this booklet aimed to help a soldier's wife make the best use of her husband's assigned pay and dependents' allowance.

Budgetting.pdf (2.35 MB)

"Thrift - Economy - Production"

Much of this booklet dealt with stretching wartime rations, but it also addressed thrift and economy in a more general sense, with tips on how to curb waste in the home.

How to Live.pdf (4.1 MB)