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EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS and apricots are all listed as good iron sources. The booklet's most serious drawback, however, is that it presents several mixed messages. For example, the text states that salt restriction is not necessary but the booklet has a section on how to decrease dietary salt. Likewise, the weight gain section discourages weight reduction during pregnancy and points out that 300 to 500 extra calories per day are needed during pregnancy, but then it provides instructions for cutting calories "without sacrificing nutrition." In at least two other places-including the section addressing pregnant teens-the author expresses a similar concern about excess weight gain. However, the author does not express concern or offer suggestions for the more common and more serious problem of inadequate weight gain except in the case of twin gestation. Although the current scientific literature does not indicate any problems with moderate caffeine intake, the book addresses caffeine and alcohol in the same section, thus implying that they are equally poor choices. On a positive note, the pamphlet does provide references for additional reading and does have a section on the WIC program. The booklet has some potential, but I cannot recommend it in its present form. Janet Allen, M.A., R.D., WIC Coordinator, University of Florida, North Central Florida Maternal and Infant Care-WIC Project, 730 N. Waldo Road, Suite B, Gainesville, FL 32601. BOOKLET Guess What's Coming to Dinner: Contaminants in our food, Americans for Safe Food, 1987. From Center for Science in the Public Interest, 1501 16th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036, 55 pp., booklet, $3.50 plus $.30 postage. This booklet's message to the public is that our food is contaminated. Chapters discuss health risks of pesticides, drugs (including antibiotics and hormones) fed to animals, microbial contamination, aflatoxin, and contaminated seafood. The inadequacy of governmental regulation and enforcemen,t is a theme throughout. While references are provided in support of many claims, these references are sometimes inadequate. The busy centerfold shows the flow of "contaminants" through the food chain and attributes cancer, birth defects, and food poisoning to "chemicals and bacteria." Each chapter concludes with a "Play it Safe" section. To combat contamination, VOLUME 20 NUMBER 1 1988
the authors suggest careful food buying and preparation as well as involvement in public policy. The booklet ends with suggestions for local activities to bring about desired changes. The booklet presents an up-to-date appraisal of the U. S. food supply as of March 1987. However, given the ever-changing food safety scenarios, a publication cannot address current issues without frequent revision. For example, the booklet does not cover the National Academy of Sciences report, Regulating pesticides in foods: The Delaney paradox, issued in May 1987. Although concern about the safety of our food supply is probably justified, the approach of this booklet may be alarmist in that it fails to put the various risks in perspective. A discussion of relative risk among contaminants would be useful. For example, the federal government has identified microbial contamination as a high-priority area (FDA Consumer 20(8):24-27, 1986), while pesticide residues are of lesser concern as a public health risk. A focus on change through public policy channels is a commendable approach for the Americans for Safe Food coalition. If such action were to increase funding for regulatory agencies, we might be one step closer to a safer food supply. Bon appetit! CarolynA. Raab, Ph.D., R.D., Extension Foods and Nutrition Specialist, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331. AUDIOCASSETTE Motherwise: Everything you want to know about pregnancy and birth, 1987. From Knight-Ridder Press, Dept. FEF, Box 5367, Tuscon, AZ 85703, 72 min., audiocassette, $7.95. Also available: Stop the Tears: How to calm and comfort your crying baby, 1987, 40 min., audiocassette, $7.95. This audiotape series was designed for expectant parents. And while it purports to contain "all the essential, reassuring wisdom every mother and father must know," unfortunately this wisdom does not include information about eating during pregnancy. In fact the only advice on prenatal diet has to do with eating bran cereal and drinking one and one-third quarts of water as a way to relieve constipation. While the tapes mention that the average weight gain in pregnancy is twenty-five pounds, the lack of emphasis on the importance of the prenatal diet to the outcome of pregnancy is a serious flaw. Even a recommendation that preg-
nant women discuss their diet with a nutritionist or other health-care provider would have been a major improvement over the dearth of nutrition information provided. There is some discussion of breastfeeding versus bottle-feeding. And while this discussion could have been more positive, at least the tape suggests that a mother try breastfeeding for three weeks to see whether it is right for her. Again, a recommendation to seek information from a health-care provider would have been helpful. The audio quality of the tape is inconsistent. A variety of narrators is used with mixed results. The unevenness of the levels makes listening difficult in some places. Overall, given its lack of prenatal nutrition information and its less-thansatisfactory audio quality, I do not recommend this audiocassette for expectant parents. The second audiotape, Stop the Tears, is much more successful. It does an excellent job explaining how a parent's response to a baby's cries can affect the feeding relationship, the development of trust, and the total amount of time a baby spends crying. It emphasizes how feeding on demand and holding a baby can significantly reduce crying time. This audiocassette will be useful to parents who want to improve their parenting skills and better understand their baby's cries. I definitely recommend it. Mary V. Lussier, M.P.H., R.D., Nutrition Education Consultant, State Department of Health Services, W.I.C. Supplemental Food Section, Sacramento, CA 95814 NEW PUBLICATION Lose Weight Naturally Newsletter, Whitlock, J., ed., vol. 1, no. 1, May 1987. From Rodale Press, 33 E. Minor St., Emmaus, PA 18098, 8pp., monthly, $24. This monthly newsletter for consumers is packed with information including behavior modification tips, food tables, recipes, case studies, exercise information, features on the latest exercise equipment (such as motorized exercise tables), research reports, and reader-ofthe-month success stories. Specific nutrients and their relationship to dieting and weight loss have been featured, including calcium ("weight loss without bone loss"), magnesium ("diets that keep your heart happy"), iron ("energize yourself with iron"), and zinc ("zinc zaps stubborn fat"). Each feature reported on related research and listed good food sources S .A.B . for the nutrient.
JOURNAL OF NUTRITION EDUCATION
45
the authors suggest careful food buying and preparation as well as involvement in public policy. The booklet ends with suggestions for local activities to bring about desired changes. The booklet presents an up-to-date appraisal of the U. S. food supply as of March 1987. However, given the ever-changing food safety scenarios, a publication cannot address current issues without frequent revision. For example, the booklet does not cover the National Academy of Sciences report, Regulating pesticides in foods: The Delaney paradox, issued in May 1987. Although concern about the safety of our food supply is probably justified, the approach of this booklet may be alarmist in that it fails to put the various risks in perspective. A discussion of relative risk among contaminants would be useful. For example, the federal government has identified microbial contamination as a high-priority area (FDA Consumer 20(8):24-27, 1986), while pesticide residues are of lesser concern as a public health risk. A focus on change through public policy channels is a commendable approach for the Americans for Safe Food coalition. If such action were to increase funding for regulatory agencies, we might be one step closer to a safer food supply. Bon appetit! CarolynA. Raab, Ph.D., R.D., Extension Foods and Nutrition Specialist, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331. AUDIOCASSETTE Motherwise: Everything you want to know about pregnancy and birth, 1987. From Knight-Ridder Press, Dept. FEF, Box 5367, Tuscon, AZ 85703, 72 min., audiocassette, $7.95. Also available: Stop the Tears: How to calm and comfort your crying baby, 1987, 40 min., audiocassette, $7.95. This audiotape series was designed for expectant parents. And while it purports to contain "all the essential, reassuring wisdom every mother and father must know," unfortunately this wisdom does not include information about eating during pregnancy. In fact the only advice on prenatal diet has to do with eating bran cereal and drinking one and one-third quarts of water as a way to relieve constipation. While the tapes mention that the average weight gain in pregnancy is twenty-five pounds, the lack of emphasis on the importance of the prenatal diet to the outcome of pregnancy is a serious flaw. Even a recommendation that preg-
nant women discuss their diet with a nutritionist or other health-care provider would have been a major improvement over the dearth of nutrition information provided. There is some discussion of breastfeeding versus bottle-feeding. And while this discussion could have been more positive, at least the tape suggests that a mother try breastfeeding for three weeks to see whether it is right for her. Again, a recommendation to seek information from a health-care provider would have been helpful. The audio quality of the tape is inconsistent. A variety of narrators is used with mixed results. The unevenness of the levels makes listening difficult in some places. Overall, given its lack of prenatal nutrition information and its less-thansatisfactory audio quality, I do not recommend this audiocassette for expectant parents. The second audiotape, Stop the Tears, is much more successful. It does an excellent job explaining how a parent's response to a baby's cries can affect the feeding relationship, the development of trust, and the total amount of time a baby spends crying. It emphasizes how feeding on demand and holding a baby can significantly reduce crying time. This audiocassette will be useful to parents who want to improve their parenting skills and better understand their baby's cries. I definitely recommend it. Mary V. Lussier, M.P.H., R.D., Nutrition Education Consultant, State Department of Health Services, W.I.C. Supplemental Food Section, Sacramento, CA 95814 NEW PUBLICATION Lose Weight Naturally Newsletter, Whitlock, J., ed., vol. 1, no. 1, May 1987. From Rodale Press, 33 E. Minor St., Emmaus, PA 18098, 8pp., monthly, $24. This monthly newsletter for consumers is packed with information including behavior modification tips, food tables, recipes, case studies, exercise information, features on the latest exercise equipment (such as motorized exercise tables), research reports, and reader-ofthe-month success stories. Specific nutrients and their relationship to dieting and weight loss have been featured, including calcium ("weight loss without bone loss"), magnesium ("diets that keep your heart happy"), iron ("energize yourself with iron"), and zinc ("zinc zaps stubborn fat"). Each feature reported on related research and listed good food sources S .A.B . for the nutrient.
JOURNAL OF NUTRITION EDUCATION
45