Nutrition Almanac (4th ed)

The first three editions of Nutrition Almanac sold more than 2.5 million copies. The 494-page fourth edition is expanded and updated, with new information to answer your questions and help you plan your personal nutritional program. "Nutrition is the relationship of foods to the health of the human body," explain the Kirschmanns (daughter and father), and they cover every aspect of how food relates to health. A detailed section on nutrients, for example, describes each vitamin and mineral, how it is absorbed and stored, dosage and toxicity, deficiency effects and symptoms, beneficial effect on ailments, and research findings. Another section offers 175 pages of common ailments and stressful conditions that may be related to nutrition, and which nutrients, exercise, herbs, and homeopathic remedies may be beneficial for each. A shorter chapter on herbs summarizes the medicinal uses of 70 herbs. The book also includes 73 pages of extensive nutritional information about common foods, showing how they help meet the RDA for each nutrient for both babies and adults. It is surprising in a book as up-to-date as this one that the authors choose to include height/desirable-weight charts, which are thought by experts to be outdated and irrelevant to health. Otherwise, this is a reference book you'll use often if you care about tracking and improving your nutrition. --Joan Price