FOOD, NUTRITION, AND YOU

by Linda & Ursula Smith Peavy ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 30, 1982

A general treatment of traditional topics--how food is digested; what nutrients are essential--along with equally general chapters on additives, the history of food processing, fast foods (via a history of MacDonald's), and adolescent concerns (acne, anorexia, sports). Also mentioned, though mildly, are the dangers of too much fat, sugar, and processed foods. Despite a few minor technical misstatements (on the ""natural form"" of vitamin A, or the amino acid components of soybeans), the information is reliable and the advice discreet--perhaps too discreet in criticizing contemporary practices. (""Wisely chosen and eaten only occasionally, fast food can make important contributions to our nutritional needs."") However, depth and detail are often sacrificed for presumed readability. The authors, who have written an adult book on nutrition, regale YAs with anecdotal chapter openings (""Antoine Lavoisier leaned out the window and looked down on the busy Parisian street below. . .""), but few hard facts. Typically, the chapter on additives begins back with FDA founder Dr. Wiley but doesn't tell us which additives are suspect today. (Instead we hear that ""some"" consumers want to ban ""all additives."") And the sports chapter focuses on Nadia Comaneci, whose ""well-planned training program"" enabled her to achieve an impressive record, but never tells us what Nadia ate. In the end, the combination of artificial interest-grabbers and innocuous pronouncements is not very informative and not very interesting either.

Pub Date: June 30, 1982

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Scribners

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1982

Categories: NONFICTION