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Food and health misinformation
in selected foods, J. Am. Dietel. Assn., 70:161,1977. Gifft, H., M. Pimentel and M. Washbon, A Guide to Nutritive Value, J. Nutr. Ed., 9:88, April-June 1977 (review).
Christine M. Olson, Ph.D., R.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. DISEASE AND NUTRITION
The Killers and Cripplers, Facts on the major diseases in the United States today, compiled by the National Health Education Committee, David McKay, Inc., 750 Third Ave., New York, NY 10017, 1976, 333 pp., softcover, $9.95. This compendium of facts and statistics on some major diseases is a useful reference for health professionals as far as it goes. The progress and effectiveness of various health and medical research programs are reported. Lacking, however, are chapters devoted to diabetes and coronary heart disease. A chapter on high blood pressure covers only part of the etiology of this disease. Discussion of nutrition as it relates to diseases such as cancer and coronary heart disease is also missing. N. W. FOOD AND HEALTH MISINFORMATION
The New NutsAmongThe Berries, Deutsch, R., Bull Publishing Co., P.O. Box 208, Palo Alto, CA 94302,1977,359 pp., softcover, $4.95; hardcover, $8.95. This book is as delightful to read as its title is clever. It is a new edition of the expose of American food fads fmt published in 1961 and revised previously in 1%7. The present revision does not have a foreword nor a short review by leading "traditional" nutritionists, although there are many supporting statements from recognized leaders in the field of health and nutrition. The fust half of this book is similar to the earlier editions, with some updating of the early history of the peculiar mixture of medicine, witchcraft, religious visions and diets that center around characters like W. K. Kellogg and his friends, followers and foes. Other characters in the story of the seamy side of food and health are still in the book, but new characters who espouse new ideas about old fads include ex-Presidents; ex-Governors; rising and sinking TV, radio, recording and movie stars; and even a baseball great who has become a "has-been" by improper dieting. The distinct advantage of this edition is its extensive list of controversial books on nutrition in the bibliography. It should be in every public library as a ready reference to. nutrition nonsense and should be required reading in all courses in community nutrition. Gaylord P. Whitlock, Ph.D., Extension Nutritionist, Cooperative Extension, University of California, Davis, Calif.
FOODSERVICE
Better Food for Public Places, Moyer, A. Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA 18049, 1977, 276 pp., $8.95. This book is fraught with many incorrect statements, overgeneralizations and unsubstantiated claims. Although interesting reading, the book intersperses facts with exaggerations or false statements which make it an unreliable source and one that could easily mislead persons not trained in nutrition and/ or food service management. Better Food contains nine chapters. The first looks scathingly at institutional food services and labels most as "mechanized worlds of pre-portioned, pre-cooked, instant convenience products." Although several research studies have indicated loss of nutrients does not differ significantly among various types of food delivery systems, the implication is made that all food services are moving toward centralized systems that leach out most nutrients. Also, another false assumption mentioned several times is that nutritionists compute nutrient composition of all menu items and nutrient intakes from raw, rather than prepared state. Standardized production formulas are purported to be designed to turn out poor quality in a uniform manner. Chapters 2 and 3 focus on the Child Nutrition Programs, college feeding and health care food service. Chapter 4 discusses several programs labeled as success stories in institutional feeding. The discussion of the school lunch program is misleading in several respects, e.g., the statement is made that the program is based on the government's RDAs (presumably the U.S. RDAs) rather than those established by the National Research Council. Also, the discussion includes misinterpretation of fmdings from a number of research studies related to school food service. A number of undocumented claims are made, e.g., that most of the school lunch food is thrown away. Most studies have shown that plate waste varies from 10 to 12 percent, which is not substantially different from plate waste in other food services or at home. There are some valid criticisms of the Child Nutrition Program regulations-one example is the criticism of competitive foods which are permitted currently in schools. The remaining chapters emphasize institutional food service based on a "natural foods" approach. A number of good suggestions, though generally recognized and not unique to the book, are given for food production in quantity. Equipment, food storage and preparation are discussed. Example menus and a number of quantity recipes are included as well as a listing of informational resources. The book is particularly critical of food additives and their "deleterious effects" and includes a number of false statements. The book is recommended reading July-September 1977
for trained professionals who can sort out the fact from fallacy in order to be aware of what the critics and soothsayers are asserting. Otherwise, Better Food for Public Places should be placed high on lists of books not recommended. Allene G. Vaden, Ph.D., R.D., Associate Professor of Dietetics, Restaurant and Institutional Management, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kans.
B
o o K
S
PLANNING AND POLICY
Preventive Medicine, USA: Health Promotion and Consumer Health Education, A Task Force Report sponsored by the John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health and the American College of Preventive Medicine, 1976, Neale Watson Academic Publications, Inc., 156 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010, 255 pp., softcover, $4.95. This landmark report is required reading for anyone concerned with health education and national health policy. Prepared by one of eight major task forces for the National Conference on Preventive Medicine in June 1975, the report advocates health promotion as the foundation for national health policy and consumer health education as a major strategy for policy implementation. Recommendations from the report are reflected in the DHEW Forward Plan for Health, 1976-1980 and have influenced Federal health education legislation (PL 94-317) as well as other important national developments. Divided into three sections, the report begins by examining the relationship of health status to lifestyle, and then discusses social, economic and political forces leading to a rebirth of interest in health education. Considering health education broadly as a "field of interest" rather than a specialized discipline, section two provides a critical overview of current programs, practices and problems. While this analysis steps on many toes, it accurately summarizes the "state-of-the-art" and the need for national leadership. This leads to the heart of the report-13 key recommendations for implementing an effective national strategy of consumer health education. References to nutrition education are found throughout the report, which is heavily documented and supported by a number of appendices. Specific suggestions for nutrition education are included in a statement on nutrition and health by Barbara Echols Anlyan. These resources and the task force's larger recommendations for advancing health education generally provide nutrition educators with a valuable action tool. Carol N. D'Onofrio, Dr.P.H., Assistant Professor and Head, Health Education Curriculum, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Calif. Vol. 9
No.3
Journal of Nutrition Education
137
Christine M. Olson, Ph.D., R.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. DISEASE AND NUTRITION
The Killers and Cripplers, Facts on the major diseases in the United States today, compiled by the National Health Education Committee, David McKay, Inc., 750 Third Ave., New York, NY 10017, 1976, 333 pp., softcover, $9.95. This compendium of facts and statistics on some major diseases is a useful reference for health professionals as far as it goes. The progress and effectiveness of various health and medical research programs are reported. Lacking, however, are chapters devoted to diabetes and coronary heart disease. A chapter on high blood pressure covers only part of the etiology of this disease. Discussion of nutrition as it relates to diseases such as cancer and coronary heart disease is also missing. N. W. FOOD AND HEALTH MISINFORMATION
The New NutsAmongThe Berries, Deutsch, R., Bull Publishing Co., P.O. Box 208, Palo Alto, CA 94302,1977,359 pp., softcover, $4.95; hardcover, $8.95. This book is as delightful to read as its title is clever. It is a new edition of the expose of American food fads fmt published in 1961 and revised previously in 1%7. The present revision does not have a foreword nor a short review by leading "traditional" nutritionists, although there are many supporting statements from recognized leaders in the field of health and nutrition. The fust half of this book is similar to the earlier editions, with some updating of the early history of the peculiar mixture of medicine, witchcraft, religious visions and diets that center around characters like W. K. Kellogg and his friends, followers and foes. Other characters in the story of the seamy side of food and health are still in the book, but new characters who espouse new ideas about old fads include ex-Presidents; ex-Governors; rising and sinking TV, radio, recording and movie stars; and even a baseball great who has become a "has-been" by improper dieting. The distinct advantage of this edition is its extensive list of controversial books on nutrition in the bibliography. It should be in every public library as a ready reference to. nutrition nonsense and should be required reading in all courses in community nutrition. Gaylord P. Whitlock, Ph.D., Extension Nutritionist, Cooperative Extension, University of California, Davis, Calif.
FOODSERVICE
Better Food for Public Places, Moyer, A. Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA 18049, 1977, 276 pp., $8.95. This book is fraught with many incorrect statements, overgeneralizations and unsubstantiated claims. Although interesting reading, the book intersperses facts with exaggerations or false statements which make it an unreliable source and one that could easily mislead persons not trained in nutrition and/ or food service management. Better Food contains nine chapters. The first looks scathingly at institutional food services and labels most as "mechanized worlds of pre-portioned, pre-cooked, instant convenience products." Although several research studies have indicated loss of nutrients does not differ significantly among various types of food delivery systems, the implication is made that all food services are moving toward centralized systems that leach out most nutrients. Also, another false assumption mentioned several times is that nutritionists compute nutrient composition of all menu items and nutrient intakes from raw, rather than prepared state. Standardized production formulas are purported to be designed to turn out poor quality in a uniform manner. Chapters 2 and 3 focus on the Child Nutrition Programs, college feeding and health care food service. Chapter 4 discusses several programs labeled as success stories in institutional feeding. The discussion of the school lunch program is misleading in several respects, e.g., the statement is made that the program is based on the government's RDAs (presumably the U.S. RDAs) rather than those established by the National Research Council. Also, the discussion includes misinterpretation of fmdings from a number of research studies related to school food service. A number of undocumented claims are made, e.g., that most of the school lunch food is thrown away. Most studies have shown that plate waste varies from 10 to 12 percent, which is not substantially different from plate waste in other food services or at home. There are some valid criticisms of the Child Nutrition Program regulations-one example is the criticism of competitive foods which are permitted currently in schools. The remaining chapters emphasize institutional food service based on a "natural foods" approach. A number of good suggestions, though generally recognized and not unique to the book, are given for food production in quantity. Equipment, food storage and preparation are discussed. Example menus and a number of quantity recipes are included as well as a listing of informational resources. The book is particularly critical of food additives and their "deleterious effects" and includes a number of false statements. The book is recommended reading July-September 1977
for trained professionals who can sort out the fact from fallacy in order to be aware of what the critics and soothsayers are asserting. Otherwise, Better Food for Public Places should be placed high on lists of books not recommended. Allene G. Vaden, Ph.D., R.D., Associate Professor of Dietetics, Restaurant and Institutional Management, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kans.
B
o o K
S
PLANNING AND POLICY
Preventive Medicine, USA: Health Promotion and Consumer Health Education, A Task Force Report sponsored by the John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health and the American College of Preventive Medicine, 1976, Neale Watson Academic Publications, Inc., 156 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010, 255 pp., softcover, $4.95. This landmark report is required reading for anyone concerned with health education and national health policy. Prepared by one of eight major task forces for the National Conference on Preventive Medicine in June 1975, the report advocates health promotion as the foundation for national health policy and consumer health education as a major strategy for policy implementation. Recommendations from the report are reflected in the DHEW Forward Plan for Health, 1976-1980 and have influenced Federal health education legislation (PL 94-317) as well as other important national developments. Divided into three sections, the report begins by examining the relationship of health status to lifestyle, and then discusses social, economic and political forces leading to a rebirth of interest in health education. Considering health education broadly as a "field of interest" rather than a specialized discipline, section two provides a critical overview of current programs, practices and problems. While this analysis steps on many toes, it accurately summarizes the "state-of-the-art" and the need for national leadership. This leads to the heart of the report-13 key recommendations for implementing an effective national strategy of consumer health education. References to nutrition education are found throughout the report, which is heavily documented and supported by a number of appendices. Specific suggestions for nutrition education are included in a statement on nutrition and health by Barbara Echols Anlyan. These resources and the task force's larger recommendations for advancing health education generally provide nutrition educators with a valuable action tool. Carol N. D'Onofrio, Dr.P.H., Assistant Professor and Head, Health Education Curriculum, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Calif. Vol. 9
No.3
Journal of Nutrition Education
137