made aware of a real danger-that of bacterial contamination and growth in the kitchen. Also included are some val­uable tips on buying and handling food to get the most nutritional value from the food dollar.

Several very useful tables appear in the appendices-all included with the consumer in mind. "What Can You Get for 100 Calories?," "Fat and Cholesterol Content of Some Common Foods," and other tables should prove interesting and enlightening . to the person restricting calories and/ or cholesterol.

One minor problem exists. Many of the questions used by the author relate to more than one of the topics covered in the book. As a result, questions and answers on controlling calories appear throughout the text-not just in the sec­ond section. This poses no problems for the person who reads the entire book but may shortchange the person just reading selected chapters.

All in all, "A Diet for Living" can be highly recommended for the concerned consumer. Also this book should prove valuable for professionals such as exten­sion or health care personnel who are continually bombarded with questions from the public.

Robert J. Reber, Ph.D., Extension Specialist, Nutrition, University of Illinois, Urbana, Ill.

Second Conference on Vitamin C, An­nals of the New York Academy of Sci­ences, Vol. 258, King, C.G. and J.I. Burns, Eds., New York Academy of Sciences, 2 E. 63rd St., New York, NY 10021, 1975,552 pp., softcover, $41.00.

If you've never seen a salmon with scurvy, then you'll at least want to skim through this volume.

"Second Conference" brings together much of what has been learned about vitamin C since the first such conference in 1960. The 51 original papers--con­tributed by prominent research scientists -are grouped into 6 parts: Metabolism of Ascorbic Acid, Interaction with Drugs and Environmental Chemicals, Ascorbic Acid and Biological Systems, Pharma­cological Aspects, Human Requirements and Needs, and Ascorbic Acid and Res­piratory Illness .

Of special interest to nutritionists are papers on the recently-discovered sulfate metabolites of ascorbic acid, ascorbic acid and cholesterol metabolism, and the function of ascorbic acid in blocking formation of nitrosamines, as well as a piquant panel discussion on vitamin C and respiratory illness.

The highly technical nature of most of the papers makes this monograph pri­marily of value to the serious investigator doing research related to ascorbic acid and of only limited value to the casual vitamin C-watcher. However any person

Vol. 8, No.2, April-June, 1976

with a curiosity about the vitamin, some familiarity with scientific jargon, and money in hand will find "Second Con­ference" full of fascinating information. It is undoubtedly the most important and comprehensive reference on ascorbic acid available today.

Jean Weininger, M.S., Doctoral Can­didate, Dept. of Nutritional Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Calif.

Food Buying

Food: High Nutrition/Low Cost, Garb, S., Springer Publishing Co., Inc., 200 Park Ave. South, New York, NY 10003, 1975, 177 pp., $6.95.

In his introduction to the book, Garb says that it is intended for people who want to reduce their food bills but not the nutritional value of their meals. If the information in the book is followed, the reader will possibly be healthier and have a little extra cash but spend more time preparing food.

A brief discussion of the major nutri­ents is followed by a chapter on purchas­ing and storing food. About one-fourth of the book discusses a "Food Value Counter Table." This table lists prote.;n, fat and carbohydrate in grams per pound of purchased food. The price per gram is based upon the average cost of the major foods in each category plus factors which may be deemed controversial. For ex­ample, Garb calculates the value of fat by averaging the price of four polyun­saturated vegetable oils which he says are "about the healthiest available." Ar­bitrary values are assigned to vitamins, roughage, seasoning and time saved in preparation. While the basic idea of eval­uating the costs of foods in terms of fair value price is good, Garb's method of appraisal is open to criticism.

A 58-page chapter of low-cost recipes is a useful feature of the book. Although there are a few statements with which I disagree, e.g., taking a vitamin supple­ment if it makes one feel better, this book provides a potpourri of limited nutrition information and consumer information on food purchasing and storage that may be of some use to the lay public.

Natalie R. Dickstein, R.D., Nutrition­ist, American Heart Assn., Dutchess County Chapter, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

Nutrition Labeling

Nutrition Labeling: How it can work for you, National Nutrition Consortium, Inc. with R.M. Deutsch, from Nutrition Labeling, P.O. Box 4110, Kankakee, IL 60901, 1975, 134 pp., softcover, $2.00 (checks to be made payable to National Nutrition Consortium, Inc.).

Many nutritionists feel that a con­sumer education program is needed be-

fore nutrition labeling will be fully used. This book is probably the most compre­hensive explanation of nutrition labeling yet produced for consumers.

The target audience is stated to be mainly health professionals, food editors, food advertising writers and others who communicate with consumers. It is also intended to be read directly by consum­ers. It covers a good deal of information about the nutritional items covered by the FDA labeling regulations--calories and macronutrients; fats and cholesterol; sodium; the U.S. RDAs; and the "man­datory" and "optional" nutrients listed on labels. Interwoven with discussion about the label are basic information, correction of misconceptions, and many useful tips on how to apply label infor­mation in personal food choices. Also included is brief information on ingredi­ent labeling, imitation foods and food additives.

The information and advice contained in the book are accurate although oc­casionally stated unclearly. While the writing style is certainly informal and at the lay person's level, some subjects (e.g., fats and heart disease) are over­simplified and/ or written in a tone that this reviewer felt "talks down" to the reader. The illustrations do not do justice to the text. The labels illustrated reflect neither a well-balanced selection of nu­tritious foods nor the range of foods cur­rently labeled. Milk is featured eight times, fats three times and bread and cereal each once; no fruits or vegetables or foods representing meat, fish, legumes, etc., are included. Other illustrations are not chosen to reinforce the text or illus­trate nutrition concepts. (The nutritionist is caricatured as a larger-than-life white­coated scientist.)

On balance, this book contains a solid base of nutrient information and helps fill a major unmet need. It can be recom­mended for use in teaching nutrition la­beling to consumers. M.C.P.

Communications

Beyond Words: An Introduction To Nonverbal Communication, Harrison, R.P., Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, 1974, 210 pp., $8.95.

Want to take an enchanting journey into the multidimensional world of non­verbal communications? This is an ex­cellent book integrating in a useful way the multiplicity of material available in this area. The author's approach is stim­ulating, developing some material with experiential learning. Each chapter be­gins with a list of learning tips and thought starters. Delightful illustrations are used throughout to portray concepts. There is an excellent bibliography and glossary included.

The book has four parts with each

Journal of NUTRITION EDUCATION / 87