food prices. In this book, Trager, who has written of food and nutrition in other books, has seized on a topical theme and has done a well-crafted job in setting forth the partially-known, partially-hid­den story of the Russian wheat deals of the summer of 1972. It was all done very quietly, piece by piece, in hotel rooms in New York. When it was over, the largest grower of wheat in the world, the Soviet Union, bought up one-quarter of the en­tire 1972 U. S. wheat crop at bargain basement prices. In the aftermath, those prices didn't stay in the basement but went through the roof. A new era in food prices had begun.

Unraveling the origins and the conse­quences of the wheat deal (at 20 million tons, the largest commercial transaction in history) was a challenge that Trager has handled lucidly and entertainingly. Nutrition, politics, economics, agricul­ture, national priorities, social values­and more-are set forth amidst reverber­ations still echoing in the market place. For an insight into these relationships, "Amber Waves of Grain" is a case study well worth the reader's attention.

Howard A. Schneider, Ph.D. , Direc­tor, Institute of Nutrition, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C.

Learn to lJe Thin, Simon, S. , G.P. Put­nam's Sons, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016, 1973, 222 pp. , $6.95.

In this book, the author, who is trained in psychology, explains how a success­ful weight reduction program can be achieved and maintained through be­havior modification. The reader is taught to recognize the common excuses used to explain weight problems, the different types of overeating in "bingers," nibblers, and hearty eaters, and the types of situ­ations and stimuli that trigger overeating. A 13-step guide includes several tech­niques and an actual diet plan to lose weight. Recommendations for lifetime maintenance are made.

The content of the book reflects this, stresses behavior, not specific food and nutrition information. The reader is en­couraged to identity his or her own problems and to make necessary changes. Those working with overweight persons of all ages should find the book useful.

K.A.C.

Candy, Chocolate, Ice Cream and How

to Lick 'Em! Sprung, S., Tandem Press,

Tannersville, Pa., 1973, 144 pp., $5.95.

This book describes the author's suc­cess in losing, and keeping lost, 100 pounds with a diet she calls the "On/ Off

Vol. 6, No.4, October-December, 1974

Diet." One day is spent eating the num­ber of calories recommended for one's sex, height, age and level of activity and the next, eating no more than 900 Cal­ories. The strength of this diet, the au­thor maintains, is that "it satisfies the nutritional requirements that the body needs while it allows the indulgences that the emotions crave."

I don't share the author's optimism about meeting nutritional requirements since there is nothing in this diet per se that guarantees its being nutritionally sound, but the one day on, one day off motif may make dieting seem less rigor­ous than a lowered energy intake day-in and day-out. Additionally, the author talks in a humorous and understanding fashion about the habits and attitudes that lead to obesity.

There's a mild pitch for "natural" and "organic" foods that's more than offset by the author's description of special ice cream concoctions and various gourmet delights. There's an extensive calorie guide at the end of the book.

This book might be useful to diet counselors as a means of understanding the feelings of the obese and to dieters as a source of moral support.

Kathleen Carpenter, Dept. of Nutri­tional Sciences, University of Cali­fornia, Berkeley.

Fun Foods for Fat Folks, Coffey, K.R. and Terrell, M.A. , University of Ten­nessee Child Development Center, 71 I Jefferson Ave. , Memphis, TN 38105, 1974, 135 pp. , looseleaf, ring binder, $5.00 plus 50 cents postage.

Apart from its rather off-putting title, this book is a comprehensive guide for parents of overweight children. It con­tains basic nutrition information and background facts about overweight and the importance of weight reduction . The major part of the book is devoted to ex­plaining a dietary pattern based on the Basic Four Food Groups modified by an exchange list. The suggested menus can easily be adapted to meals for the whole family, so that the overweight child does not feel singled out. Sample meal plans for 1,000, 1,200, 1,500,1,800, and 2,000 Calories are given. Also included are helpful suggestions on psychological techniques to avoid overeating; exercis­ing; lunch boxes and restaurant meals; and saving money along with cutting calories. Low calorie recipes, food prep­aration hints, the latest RDAs, and addi­tional references are given. The book is worth recommending to any laypersons who need and! or wish to lose weight as

POSITION AVAiLABlE

DEPARTMENT CHAIRMAN, Foods and Nutrition. Ph.D. degree, teaching and research experi· ence required, administrative experience desirable. M.S. with national recognition considered. Rank and salary commensurate with training and experience. Send resume to: Mrs. Margaret Hard, Chairman, Home Econom· ics Research Center, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99163.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

This Publication

is Available in MICROFORM'

... from

Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zeeb Road

Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106

Xerox University Microfilms 35 Mobile Drive

Toronto, Ontario. Canada M4A 1 H6

University Microfilms Limited St. John's Road,

Tyler's Green, Penn, Buckinghamshire, England

PLEASE WRITE FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION

Journal of NUTRITION EDUCATION / 149

well as to parents of overweight children. M.C.P.

Nutrition and Diet Therapy: Reference Dictionary, 2nd ed., Lagua, R.T., Claudio, V.S. and Thiele, V.F., The C.v. Mosby Co., 3301 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103, 1974,329 pp., $9.75.

This carefully compiled reference dic­tionary reflects the needs of our time in giving special attention to scientific and technical terms specific to the field of nutrition. First printed for use in the Philippines, the authors state "this second edition has been redesigned for Ameri­can and international use." The vocabu­lary of more than 3,500 terms was se­lected from a wide range of books and current journals in the fields of nutrition and medicine. Especially helpful is the rather complete survey of diets formerly and! or presently used: Caesar's; ele­mental; Kempner; Newburgh; and Sippy.

The appendix contributes to the pri­mary purpose of this dictionary to present "up-to-date and complete infor­mation on terms used in nutrition." The latest RDAs, common abbreviations on patients' charts, and a summary of the dietary management of selected disor­ders are described. A glaring omission in listing professional organizations coo­cerned with nutrition in the U.S. is the Society for Nutrition Education, al­though the Journal of NUTRITION EDUCATION isusedin the bibliography.

This book is definitely a useful tool "for practitioners in the field of nutrition and dietetics" but not limited to those in the field . It provides an interesting and informative compilation of nutritional and medical terms plus reference tools.

Na.ncy Ciosek, M.S., R.D., Nutrition Instructor, Wesley-Passavant School of Nursing, Chicago, Ill.

Supermarket Counter Power, Shell, A.G., Warner Books, 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10019, 1973,209 pp., paperback, $1.25.

Reliable guidelines adult consumers can follow in reducing food bills are given here. Basic nutrition information is given; each of the Basic Four Food Groups is discussed in a separate chap­ter. Nutrients, their functions, purchas­ing guidelines, a comparison of price per serving, several recipes and food prepa­ration hints are included.

The author is an R.D., with consider­able teaching experience. There are many good points in the book although the poor quality of writing occasionally detracts from the content. Those work-~.

150 ! Journal of NUTRITION EDUCATION

ing in nutrition education, especially un the consumer level, should find the book a helpful resource. K.A.C.

Vitamins: A Systems Analysis Solution to the Doctor vs. Health Faddist Contro­versy, Levenson, J., Levenson Press, P.O. Box 19606, Los Angeles, CA 90019, 1974,48 pp., mimeo, paperbound, $7.95.

The stated intent of this booklet is to help the lay person decide whether or not to buy vitamin supplements. The qualifications of the author are not given other than self-study of the apparent situation. Most of the "truths" about the vitamins are reasonably sound, though very brief and with a number of obvious, disconcerting errors such as "B-6 is not a vitamin."

The gist of the arguments presented do not support the usual ':health faddist" approach nor the approach of scientific nutrition. The author takes an approach in support of those who sell vitamin pills containing levels up to two times the RDA. He implies that it is virtually im­possible to get one's vitamin needs by eating the foods available today and that "the optimal intake of most vitamins is above the RDA." The solution to this, he states, is "most conveniently made up by vitamin pill consumption." (p. 35).

Because of these statements, I cannot recommend the book to nutrition edu­cators-even if it were free (it is far overpriced)! It is too bad the book was not done in cooperation with a compe­tent nutrition scientist. G.M.B.

Man and His Foods: Studies in the Eth­nobotany of Nutrition-Contemporary, Primitive, and Prehistoric Non-European Diets, Smith, C.E., Jr., Ed. From Uni­versity of Alabama Press, University, AL 34586,1973,131 pp., $6.50.

In this little book, which presents a symposium on the Ethnobotany of Nu­trition given during the XIth Interna­tional Botanical Congress in 1969, bot­anists discuss nutritional patterns of early and present-day man as determined by plant use. Articles include discussions of native plants in the diets of Alaskan Eskimos, pre-Conquest and present-day Mexican dietary patterns, and ethnobo­tanical and nutritional factors in the do­mestication of American beans.

ACKNOWLEDGEM ENT

The Society for Nutrition Education ac­knowledges contributions in support of de­velopment of the Journal of NUTRITION EDUCATION from Hoffmann-LaRoche, Inc., and S,feway Stores, Inc.

An article of particular interest to nu­tritionists is that of Williams, an anthro­pologist who determined food intakes in three Mexican villages by three different methods. Two of these techniques, food diaries and 24-hour recalls, are not un­usual. The third method, however, was to follow one individual for an entire waking day, several days at a time, to note all he ate in approximated quanti­ties. This reviewer used the same tech­nique! to learn total food intake of small children in Malaysia and had not known it had been attempted elsewhere before reading this presentation.

The book can be recommended to nu­tritionists, and ethnobotanists interested in nutrition should be urged to make greater contact with nutritionists, espe­cially those interested in cultural aspects of diet.

Christine S. Wilson, P.h.D., Depart­ment of International Health, Univer­sity of California, San Francisco.

The Selection and Use of Instructional Media: A Systems Approach, Romis­zowski, A. J., John Wiley & Sons, 605 Third Ave., New York, NY 10016,1974, 350 pp., $15.00.

This book clearly and thoughtfully presents current trends in educational technology as it relates to new instruc­tional methods. The author looks at the media presented in terms of their contri­bution to helping the student achieve the instructional objective rather than sim­ply the advantages of one type of me­dium over another. It presents and discusses the systems approach to course design based on the work of Bloom, Gagne, and others and the selection of instructional methods and media as part of such an approach.

Teaching aids outlined include still media, sound media, simple audio and audiovisual media, film, television, teach­ing machines, programmed instruction, and simulators and games. An extensive reference list is included. The book will be of interest not only to teachers but also to those concerned specifically with curriculum or program planning and in­structional design. K.A.C.

College T eds

Essentials of Nutrition and Diet Thera­py, Williams, S.R., 1974,342 pp., paper­back, $6.50, and Self-Study Guide for Nutrition and Diet Therapy, Williams, S.R" 1974, 207 pp., paperback, $4.95,

I. Wilson, C. S., Chi ld following : A technic for learning food and nutrient intakes, J. Trop. Pediat. Environ. Child Health, 20 .( I): 25, 1974.

Vol. 6, No.4, October-December, 1974