American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide
added 05/11/10
Looking something up in a book, of all things? It may sound old school, but there were answers to questions before there was Google, and a book from a trusted source is still a resource extraordinaire. Before seeking out internet myths and misconceptions from a fad-diet-obsessed popular culture, check out the authoritative guide from the ADA as your go-to source of accurate information when you have a nutrition question or concern.
Book Review by Mary Saucier Choate, M.S., R.D., L.D.
Co-op Food and Nutrition Educator
How much magnesium in a supplement is too much? How many days will that pasta salad stay good in the refrigerator? My teenager wants to be a vegetarian– will he be missing out on important nutrients?
It can be daunting to have questions about nutrition, or to hear news stories about diets, and feel that you don’t have the training to evaluate the information properly. This can lead to the quandary of either not pursing a change that could really improve your health or making a choice based on poor information that could lead to harm.
This authoritative guide from the American Dietetic Association (ADA) can function as your “go to” source when you have a nutrition question, before turning to the Internet jungle mash-up of high quality right next to inaccurate information.
Using an actual book for answers to your nutrition questions might seem so “old school” when you can just “Google” your question and get an answer instantly. The value of this reference book from the ADA, however, is that the information you’ll find is of very high quality—that is, factual. It is also reader-friendly and written especially for folks who don’t necessarily have a background in nutrition science.
The first section of the book is an overview of healthful eating and activity information. This is followed by chapters covering just about any nutrition subject you might wish to know more about. Topics include: the expected information about weight management or vitamins and minerals in foods; a helpful chart on phytonutrients (plant compounds that support health); an in-depth explanation of carbohydrates, food safety, life cycle nutrition, sports nutrition, and food allergies; and nutrition for chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis. The entire book is laid out in an easy-on the-eyes format with lots of call-out boxes filled with interesting and helpful snippets of information, charts, and nutrition self-checkups.
One of my favorite chapters discusses how to find expert nutrition advice and how to spot quackery. It features helpful guidelines to consider when hearing or reading a news story or a diet or nutrition book to screen out the sensational, but false, information. A five-page “resources you can use” section is an extensive list of contact information for sciencebased newsletters, websites, and health and wellness organizations.
As for those questions at the beginning of this article? The safe upper limit for magnesium in a supplement is 350 milligrams/day (page 643); pasta salad will keep three to five days in the fridge (page 293); and to feed a vegetarian teen, see page 513 for tips on foods to offer. If he is eating milk and eggs, a well-rounded vegetarian diet can provide all nutrients for health; if he is a strict vegan (no milk or eggs), more care will be needed. See page 634 for reliable vegetarian nutrition websites.
American Dietetic Association Complete Food And Nutrition
Guide Revised and updated 3rd edition. Author: Roberta Larson Duyff. Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, New York. Publication Date: September 18, 2006. 688 pages.
