A weak ""translation"" of the 1980 U.S. Dietary Guidelines--which emphasized the need for the American public to increase its intake of complex carbohydrates. This has all been presented before, more knowledgeably and in more detail; but Ross zips through it one more time. Part I explains that complex carbohydrates are any food from a plant source which has not been refined or chemically altered (thus sweet potatoes are, sugar isn't); sets forth the basic pointers (eat a variety of foods, maintain ideal body weight, etc.); and describes why eating more of the complex carbohydrates eliminates excess fat, increases fiber, etc. Part III (more than half the book) consists of recipes--a sampling that can't compete with the latest guides (including Jane Brody's) or with the standards (like Frances Lappe's Diet for a Small Planet) that were way ahead of the US Dept. of Agriculture and their ""revolutionary"" guidelines, and remain ahead of this handbook.