757 Third Ave., New York, NY 10017, 1977,499 pp., $12.95.

B A different approach to cookbooks is g offered by the Kreitzmans. Their book K provides not only recipes but also informa­S tion about the specific nutrient content of

each gourmet dish. Additionally, an intro­ductory section pokes holes in several mis­conceptions about foods and nutrients.

If a person finds nutrition labels helpful in planning meals, he/she would fmd The Nutrition Cookbook useful. Unfortunate­ly, not too many people, despite our educational attempts, find meal planning using labels a very easy or practical method. After criticizing the Four Food Groups as a guide to good nutrition, the authors offer no other positive guidance to their readers than to aim for 100070 of the RDA for the nutrients listed. In my experience with a wide variety of audi­ences and teaching situations, people without a basic nutrition background have difficulty translating nutrient RDAs into foods and foods into meals without some general, positive, food-oriented guidelines. Including something along those lines or even including some sample menu plans using the recipes in the book would immensely improve its usefulness to the ~eneral public.

In its present form the book may be a helpful reference for menu planners who need to check RDA amounts. The com­puter analysis will save a trip to food com­position books. Any real value to nutri­tionists would be in their enjoyment of using the recipes, many of which appear very good, and are of course nutritious.

Jane Abbott, M.S., Nutrition Instruc­tor, Portland Community Cof/ege, Port­land, OR 97219.

INFANT NUTRITION

The Baby Food Book, Payne, A., Little, Brown & Co., 34 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02106,1977,178 pp., softcover, $3 .95.

This book attempts to present informa­tion on food selection and preparation for infants . In addition, advice on when and how to introduce solid foods to infants is included.

The author, an instructor in English and journalism, sought material from qualified nutritionists and dietitians. The manner in which the information is pre­sented sometimes is confusing and lacks insight into developmental stages of readi­ness to progress in feeding behavior. Many terms used need definition . Early and late introduction of solid foods is fre­quently mentioned, yet no definition of early or late is given. The author repeated­ly urges the use of only "straight" foods, referring to unmixed foods, yet many recipes included are for mixed items such as corned beef hash and baby pizza.

The discussion on digestive problems leaves many wrong impressions . It is stated that celiac disease is caused by an inability of the intestine to handle fats and

starches. Gluten is not mentioned, and corn and rice products are not indicated as being acceptable to celiac children. It is stated that allergies to specific foods are prevalent, and eczema as a symptom is given considerable emphasis while other allergic symptoms are ignored.

The recommendation to "place the food welI back in the mouth rather than on the tip of the tongue" might cause a gag reflex and cause the child to become fearful when eating. Permitting an infant to suckle food from the spoon to encourage oral motor control is not mentioned. It is also suggested that juice be offered from a dribble cup with a spout and lid "to lay the foundation for drinking from a cup" while it is well known that infants suck from spouts just as they have learned to suck from a nipple. Infants learn to drink from cups that permit messiness.

Professionals will not find this book useful. Parents will find the text confusing and the recipes unnecessary.

Peggy Pipes, M.P.H. , R.D., Assistant Chief Nutritionist, Child Development and Mental Retardation Center, WJ-IO, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195.

Making Your Own Baby Food, Turner, M. D., and J. Turner, Workman Publish­ing Co., 231 E. 51st St., New York, NY 10022,1976,192 pp. , softcover, $2.95.

Those interested in the home prepara­tion of foods for infants will find portions of this revised edition useful. About one­quarter of the book is devoted to a dis­cussion of available equipment, proc­essing and storage techniques, and recipes. The lengthy discussion on prenatal diet and the benefits of breastfeeding is note­worthy, but presumably of peripheral in­terest to those primarily concerned with learning how to make their own baby food.

A sizeable portion of the book is de­voted to a condemnation of the baby food industry. Many of the commercially pre­pared strained and junior foods currently manufactured differ remarkably in com­position from those sold 10 years ago. In a book of this type, no useful purpose is served by continued discussion of the motives of company executives, recipe formulations which no longer exist, or comments of individuals that are no longer relevant to current practice in the baby food industry. Since this second edition was published, all baby food manufacturers have discontinued the ad­dition of salt to their products, do not add sugar to fruit juice and certain fruits, and some have discontinued the use of ether­crosslinked modified food starches.

The authors are to be commended for suggesting that the introduction of solid foods be delayed until the infant is de­velopmentally ready to accept them (4-6 months of age). However, iron-fortifIed infant cereals have a definite place in the diet of infants this age and were not for-

84 Journal of Nutrition Education Vol. IO No.2 April-June 1978

mulated " ... to fill up baby's stomach while providing very little nourishment."

Further revision of this book would benefit from the inclusion of some guid­ance regarding appropriate choices of baby foods. Nutrient composition of solid foods must be considered in the context of the total diet. For example, a mother who is breast feeding her infant should be ad­vised to select solid foods with a higher protein content than those solid foods fed to an infant receiving whole milk.

Home preparation of baby foods should be encouraged. All infants born prior to the early 1930s were raised in the absence of commercially prepared strained foods. There was nothing esoteric about home preparation of baby foods. Those unsure of how to go about it will find this book of value.

Thomas A. Anderson, Ph.D., Profes­sor, Department of Pediatrics, Univer­sity of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242.

I NTERNA TIONAL PROGRAMS

Teaching Nutrition in Developing Coun­tries, or the joys of eating dark green leaves, Shack, K., Ed., Meals for Millions Foundation, P.O. Box 680, Santa Monica, CA 90406, 1977, 193 pp., softcover, $4.00.

Would you like to take part in an ex­change of nutrition teaching experiences for semi-literate or illiterate people in a variety of cultures around the world? This book may be one way of doing so. People from many disciplines, all involved in practical nutrition programs, were brought together in June 1977 by Meals for Millions Foundation for just such an exchange. This book is a compilation from that workshop.

The presentations, like the nutrition programs themselves, range in quality and complexity from integrated country-wide programs of considerable depth and sophistication to one- or two-person ef­forts. Several thought-provoking concepts of nutrition education are presented and most programs include some attempt at evaluation. This is not just a collection of "success" stories.

The section on the use of mass media in nutrition education programs was especially interesting to this reviewer. Another provocative section discussing the application of Paulo Freire's theories may cause the reader to question the role of education and that of the educator in low income societies. Finally, the section on evaluation could be read with profit by many nutrition educators. For students and beginning and experienced nutrition educators, this book may help to gain some perspective on one's own program and suggest ways to improve one's teach­ing effectiveness.

Mary E. Haff, M.S., Nutrition Specialist, Cooperative Extension, Uni­versity of California, Berkeley, CA 94720.