Understanding Nutrition

Sharon Rady Rolfes received her MS in nutrition and food science from Florida State University. She is a founding member of Nutrition and Health Associates, an information resource center that maintains a research database on more than 1,000 nutrition-related topics. She has taught at Florida State University and coauthored several college nutrition textbooks, including UNDERSTANDING NUTRITION, and UNDERSTANDING NORMAL AND CLINICAL NUTRITION. In addition to writing, she serves as a consultant for various educational projects. Her volunteer work includes delivering food to the hungry and homeless in her community. She maintains her registration as a dietitian nutritionist and her membership in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Ellie Whitney grew up in New York City and received her B.A. and Ph.D. degrees in English and Biology at Harvard and Washington Universities. She taught at both Florida State University and Florida A&M University, wrote numerous newspaper columns on environmental matters for the Tallahassee Democrat, and coauthored almost a dozen college textbooks on nutrition, health, and related topics, many of which repeatedly reappear as new editions. She spent three decades exploring outdoor Florida and studying its ecology, and then co-wrote PRICELESS FLORIDA: NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS AND NATIVE SPECIES. Now retired, and more concerned about climate change than any other issue, she volunteers full-time for the nonpartisan national nonprofit Citizens Climate Lobby.

1. An Overview of Nutrition.
Highlight 1: Nutrition Information and Misinformation.
2. Planning a Healthy Diet.
Highlight 2: Plant-Based Diets.
3. Digestion, Absorption and Transport.
Highlight 3: Common Digestive Problems.
4. The Carbohydrates: Sugars, Starches and Fibers.
Highlight 4: Carbs, kCalories and Controversies.
5. The Lipids: Triglycerides, Phospholipids and Sterols.
Highlight 5: High-Fat Foods -- Friend or Foe?
6. Protein: Amino Acids.
Highlight 6: Nutritional Genomics.
7. Energy Metabolism.
Highlight 7: Alcohol in the Body.
8. Energy Balance and Body Composition.
Highlight 8: Eating Disorders.
9. Weight Management: Overweight, Obesity and Underweight.
Highlight 9: The Latest and Greatest Weight-Loss Diet -- Again.
10. The Water-Soluble Vitamins: B Vitamins and Vitamin C.
Highlight 10: Vitamin and Mineral Supplements.
11. The Fat-Soluble Vitamins, A, D, E and K.
Highlight 11: Antioxidant Nutrients in Disease Prevention.
12. Water and the Major Minerals.
Highlight 12: Osteoporosis and Calcium.
13. The Trace Minerals.
Highlight 13: Phytochemicals and Functional Foods.
14. Fitness: Physical Activity, Nutrients and Body Adaptations.
Highlight 14: Supplements as Ergogenic Aids.
15. Life Cycle Nutrition: Pregnancy and Lactation.
Highlight 15: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
16. Life Cycle Nutrition: Infancy, Childhood and Adolescence.
Highlight 16: Childhood Obesity and the Early Development of Chronic Diseases.
17. Life Cycle Nutrition: Adulthood and the Later Years.
Highlight 17: Nutrient-Drug Interactions.
18. Diet and Health.
Highlight 18: Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
19. Consumer Concerns About Foods and Water.
Highlight 19: Food Biotechnology.
20. Hunger and the Global Environment.
Highlight 20: Environmentally Friendly Food Choices.
Appendix A: Cells, Hormones, and Nerves.
Appendix B: Basic Chemistry Concepts.
Appendix C: Biochemical Structures and Pathways.
Appendix D: Measures of Protein Quality.
Appendix E: Nutrition Assessment.
Appendix F: Estimated Energy Needs.
Appendix G: Choose Your Foods: Food Lists for Diabetes and Weight Management.
Appendix H: Aids to Calculation.
Appendix I: WHO Nutrition Recommendations.
Appendix J: Healthy People 2030.
Glossary.
Index.