Customer Reviews

Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My professor assigned this text for my first ever online course. I was worried that with out the lectures that I would have a hard time understanding the material and properly completing my assignments. I found this text easy to understand and very informative. I really enjoy the controverisies at the end of the chapters. It gives you a relatable aspect of what you just read.

Nutrition:Concepts and Controversies has clear wording and extensive descriptions for most of it's subjects. It explains subjects in a way that is interesting and not just scientific. There are also controversy sections at the end of each chapter which give you both sides of current health arguments.
This book is very helpful outside of class too because there are many charts such as the DRI, UL and BMI that you can use the determine if you are getting adequate nutrients.

I was pleasantly suprised with the quality of this book. I am only about half way through it but it is an easy read, yet it contains a huge amount of information. If you are interested in better understanding of nutrition then this is a good book for you.

This text is written for lower division students, so the biochemistry, physiology and other science topics are necessarily simplified. However, many of the science explanations are too vague or incomplete to make sense and there are numerous errors of fact. Worse, however, is the fact that the authors of this text give no sense of the controversies in nutrition; instead they present opinions with no evidence. There is much we do not know about nutrition, yet the authors seldom reveal any gaps in our understanding. The authors seem to primarily advocate the diet advice of the American Dietetics Association, which is mainstream but does not represent the range of legitimate views about diet among nutrition scientists.

One example: this text avers that ketosis is a dangerous and abnormal state, and that carbohydrates are necessary for good health. This of course is a controversial contention, given the research on low carbohydrate diets. We simply do not have enough information yet to evaluate the risks and benefits of low carbohydrate diets adequately. Yet the authors of this text blithely list a series of potential ill effects from restricting carbohydrates. What really rankled me though is that there are only 3 references given for these bold claims. I looked them up. One is only marginally relevant to the issue. The other 2 do not support the claims they make about ketosis. This is inexcusable.

So my opinion is that the scholarship in this book is poor, that the text parrots the particular diet recommendations of the American Dietetics Association without providing adequate evidence for these recommendations, and that the very exciting and vigorous controversies ongoing in the world of nutrition science are elided, so as to present the appearance that we actually know the answers to these critical questions.

Another book purchased for my daughter who needed it for a nutrition class at the "local" state college. She has really enjoyed this book. It is well written and balanced in its comments on various topics that can be controversial for some. One part she found funny was the section on alcohol. The book spend quite a bit of time showing how any alcohol is considered a poison to the human body which tries to eliminate it through various means. Having indicated that there is absolutely nothing positive about using alcohol, the book then ends by recommending that one use it in "moderation." Still, she speaks highly of this book and I would recommend it to any who are interested in nutrition.

I found this to be a good book on the subject of nutrition in terms of increasing my general understanding (I didn't come w/ a great deal of scientific info on the topic). It was written in an accessible and lucid manner which I had no difficulty understanding w/out an instructor. Also, its style and intent are not strictly "text book" in that they attempt to motivate and inspire people to apply the principles in their daily lives. On the other hand I will concur w/ the other reviewer who made some complaints. When I checked the bibliography for some of the reference articles cited, in certain instances they seemed to only marginally support the claims the author was stating as certainty (I should state that I am not a scientist and did not do any exhaustive studies). Overall I am satisfied I made the purchase and recommend it to someone who wanted to introduce themselves to the topic.

Has a lot of good information. Would recommend it for a person who strongly wants to change their dietary habbits and get healthy. I would call it an eye opener.

It works for the purpose that I got it for. turns out it wasn't the exact copy i needed for my class, but it works. As a book itself i find it very useful. I can see myself using this when I am a mother to help me and my family be healthy.

I needed a couple of books for Fall Semester at LCC in Eugene, Oregon.
Found book sales looking for books on Shakespeare (which were free); Bought both books for total of 31.95 though the original school costs were Nutrition ($111), and Mathematics ($85.00). 94 percent savings is great in these times. Love Amazon with all my cash money.

My daughter needed this book for her college course and it was alot cheaper through AMAZON. I was very happy with what I received.