Author(s): Myrna Chandler Goldstein MA (Author), Mark A. Goldstein MD (Author)
Publisher: Greenwood
Publication Date: September 2, 2010
Language: English
Print length: 320 pages
ISBN-10: 0274985934
ISBN-13: 9780274985937
Book Description
This book presents research findings about 50 foods that are commonly touted as healthy and educates readers about the medical problems they purportedly alleviate or help prevent.
It is always in the best interest of those who market foods to make grandiose claims regarding their nutritional value, regardless of whether actual scientific proof exists to support such a claim. Even diligent and educated consumers often have difficulty discerning facts from mere theory or pure marketing hype.
As the incidence of childhood obesity in the United States continues to increase at an alarming rate and food costs skyrocket, this book arrives at a perfect time for health-conscious consumers, providing an authoritative reference for anyone looking to make wise eating decisions at home, work, school, or in restaurants. Healthy Foods: Fact versus Fiction is the result of a collaborative effort between a medical doctor and an award-winning journalist and author on nutrition. This book provides actual research findings to shed light on the true benefits of the most popular health foods―and in some cases, debunk misconceptions surrounding certain foods.
Every day consumers are bombarded with information about food�what�s healthy and what�s not. There are a great many controversies on the subject of what to eat, ranging from issues such as organic versus nonorganic to food-manufacturer claims that are unsubstantiated by science or purposely exaggerated to the proper and adequate labeling of foods sold in our supermarkets. This book is a compendium of information and insight written by the team of independent scholar Myrna Chandler Goldstein and Mark A. Goldstein, MD (division chief of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston). Each alphabetically arranged chapter is devoted to a particular food: Almonds, Cranberries, Eggs, Mushrooms, Sardines, Walnuts, and much more. Each chapter includes background information about the food and data about research related to its role in such areas as cardiovascular health, susceptibility to disease, cancer, diabetes, weight management, and overall health and well-being. In addition, each chapter has a list of references and resources, including websites. The volume also includes a glossary of medical terms used in the entries and an index that would be more complete and useful if there were more cross-references. In Defense of Food: An Eater�s Manifesto (Penguin, 2008) and any of the Eat This, Not That books from Rodale are also good guides to healthy eating. Healthy Foods: Fact versus Fiction is ideal for both school and community food and nutritional health instruction reference collections and would be useful at the undergraduate level as well. Also available as an e-book. –Diana Shonrock
Review
“This book will appeal to a wide range of health-conscious readers…It is highly recommended for public libraries…school and academic libraries will likely see it circulate widely.” Sarah Sutton, Texas A&M Univ –Library Journal.com
About the Author
Myrna Chandler Goldstein, MA, has been a freelance writer and independent scholar for more than 35 years. She is the author of Pain Management: Fact versus Fiction, Dietary Supplements: Fact versus Fiction, and other books published by Greenwood.
Mark A. Goldstein, MD, is the founding Chief Emeritus of the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, USA. He is also the editor in chief of Current Pediatrics Reports.
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