THE GOOD FOOD COMPENDIUM

by Jo Giese Brown ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 19, 1981

Brown's nutrition-oriented compendium of information, advice, and recipes covers a range of topics from vegetable selection to criteria for nursing homes, and lists a number of variously helpful further resources from wholesale produce markets to children's books that mention food or eating. (One is Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar.) The advice--eat more vegetables, eat less processed food, sugar, and salt--generally follows the official US Dietary Goals, though Brown's heart doesn't seem to be in the recommendations against saturated fat and cholesterol: she places a higher value than do many nutritionists on milk and eggs for adults, including the elderly, and tends, inconsistently, to play down non-animal protein sources. (To understand the bases for prevailing standards and recommendations, see instead Jane Brody's Nutrition Book, p. 319.) Still, Brown's chatty compendium is more browsable than many. And, for those who eat away from home, she offers some firsthand, behind-the-scenes observations on restaurant practices and nutrition standards. (Item: All but the classiest restaurants commonly buy not only pre-cooked frozen main dishes but also pre-cut salad greens treated with preservatives to last a week.) The recipes scattered throughout are varied and sensible, if unremarkable and at times unnecessarily novel.

Pub Date: July 19, 1981

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1981

Categories: NONFICTION