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Nutrition (Health and Medical Issues Today)

Coffee is good for you—or it's not. Eggs raise cholesterol, but lower blood pressure. High-fructose corn syrup is "fine in moderation." Cheerios—or yogurt—can change your life. The news is filled with claims and counterclaims about miracle diets, foods, and dietary supplements. What should the consumer believe?

Despite the abundance of advice on food and diet, more Americans are obese than ever before, diabetes rates are skyrocketing, and more foods are recalled due to contamination. It is high-time for non-biased answers to the question of what is healthy and safe to eat. Nutrition provides those answers.

This book explains basic guidelines for healthy eating, along with the government's role in nutrition. It examines the issues of food safety and technology and the debates about genetically modified foods, organic foods, and vegetarian dining. Food bans, such as those on transfats are discussed, as are vitamins and supplements. After tracing the history of the study of nutrition and identifying principal researchers, the book examines seven major controversies in nutrition today. This basic guide to healthy eating will give both students and adults the tools they need to choose a diet that is healthy and safe.

 

Nutrition Resources


If you have read my nutrition book and are interested learning more about specific issues in food and nutrition, try these titles.



Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
HarperCollins, 2007
Novelist Barbara Kingsolver chronicles a year in eating after she and her family make a commitment to become locavores, those who eat only locally grown foods. In fact, many of the foods they eat come from their own garden and their own livestock. Her narrative is the strength of this book, with beautiful prose that delivers the message of sustainable eating in a warm, engaging way. For those looking for healthful alternatives to processed foods, this story will inspire them to visit a farmer’s market, join a CSA or start their own garden.



Natural Causes by Dan Hurley
Broadway, 2007
Health and medical journalist Dan Hurley takes on the hugely successful supplement industry in this well researched book. In Hurley’s opinion the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 was a gigantic and costly legislative mistake that needs to be corrected. His research calls into question the effectiveness of virtually all dietary supplements and he backs up his opinions with devastating case studies.



What to Eat by Marion Nestle
North Point Press, 2007
In this book consumer advocate-nutritionists Marin Nestle provides an aisle-by-aisle guide to the business of supermarkets and why they are designed to discourage healthful food choices. Through advertising, availability, portion sizes and marketing incentives, shoppers are bombarded with claims that influence their purchases and their overall nutrition. The key to eating well according to Nestle comes from being an informed and educated shopper even in today’s supersized grocery stores.



The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Penguin Books, 2006
Pollan’s examination of the food industry is a wake up call to anyone confused by the conflicting nutritional information thrown daily at consumers. The book is divided into three sections, each dealing with a different aspect of food. He looks at industrial farming, organic food on both a big and small scale and the basics of how to hunt and gather food as an individual. Pollan writes compellingly about the overabundance of corn and oil in the production of American food. The information in this book is clearly food for thought.



The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter by Peter Singer and Jim Mason.
Rodale, Inc. 2006
The authors examine the food habits of three families and trace the origins of their food to better understand the details of its production. By exploring the controversies associated with modern agribusiness Singer and Mason offer readers a window into the ethics of food production and its hidden costs. Topics include fair trade, big versus little organics and the pros and cons of vegan diets.