Nutrition: A Very Short Introduction

Description

Nutrition is a topic of wide interest and importance. In spite of growing understanding of the underlying biochemistry, and health campaigns such as 'five-a-day', increasing obesity and reported food allergies and eating disorders, as well as the widely advertised 'supposed' benefits of food supplements mean that a clear explanation of the basic principles of a healthy diet are vital. In this Very Short Introduction, David Bender explains the basic elements of food, the balance between energy intake and exercise, the problems of over- and under-nutrition, and raises the question of safety of nutritional supplements. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Author description

David Bender is Emeritus Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry, University College London. Hehas authored and co-authored several texts on nutrition, including Introduction to Nutrition and Medicine (CRC Press), now going into its 5th edition, the A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition (2009), and Food Tables and Labelling (1999, with Arnold E. Bender). His research interests have been in the field of amino acid and vitamin nutritional biochemistry.

Table of contents

1. Why eat? ; 2. Energy nutrition ; 3. Protein nutrition ; 4. Over-nutrition - problems of overweight and obesity ; 5. Diet and health ; 6. Under-nutrition ; 7. Vitamins and minerals ; 8. Functional foods, superfoods, and supplements ; Glossary