educational materials in review

Edited by Hope Wilson, Editorial Assistant,GEMs and Reviews

Books, curricula, audiovisuals, and other re-sources that nutrition professionals may use forreference, continuing education, or in a formal orinformal education setting are designated “pro-fessional.” Books, handouts, diet plans, and otherresources specified by authors as being written forgeneral audiences are categorized as “consumer.”Inclusion of any material in this section does notimply endorsement by the Society for NutritionEducation.Evaluative comments contained in thereviews reflect the views of the authors. Pricesquoted are those provided by the publishers at thetime materials were submitted. They may nolonger be current when the review is published.( J Nutr Educ Behav. 2003;35:217-224.)

ProfessionalDietary Risk Assessment in the WICProgram. Institute of Medicine, 2002.From National Academy Press, 2101 Con-stitution Ave NW, Box 285, Washington,DC 20418, (202) 334-3313, softcover,$34.00, 167 pp, ISBN 0-309-08284-6.

The Food and Nutrition Board, Institute ofMedicine (IOM) report Dietary Risk As-sessment in the WIC Program was createdto provide scientific guidance on how to assess theeligibility of clients in the Special SupplementalNutrition Program for Women, Infants and Chil-dren (WIC) based on dietary risk, describedspecifically as “failure to meet Dietary Guide-lines” or “inadequate diet.”

The assessment of diet is a challenge inresearch and programs. In WIC, the criteriaof dietary risk are used extensively. Thecommittee organized the discussion of thistopic in 9 chapters, beginning with a reviewof the WIC program and dietary assessmenttools already used in the program in Chap-ters 1 and 2. Chapter 3 discusses using theDietary Guidelines for Americans as the ba-sis for the dietary risk criteria, which wasrecommended in the 1996 FNS/IOM re-port WIC Nutrition Risk Criteria.1 Chapter 4is the centerpiece of the report, with a listand discussion of 8 desirable characteristicsof a dietary risk assessment tool. Chapters 5,6, and 7 discuss food-based assessment, phys-ical activity assessment, and behavioral indi-cators of diet and physical activity. Chapter8 presents the evidence of dietary riskamong low-income women and children,and Chapter 9 presents the findings and rec-ommendations. The report is a welcomecontribution to the WIC program and thedietary assessment literature.

In the discussion of the framework forevaluating assessment tools, the authors pre-sent 5 desirable characteristics of a tool and,in Table 4-1, they list and define the stan-dard terms used in evaluating the perfor-mance of an assessment tool.The 13 termsinclude the familiar terms, validity and reli-ability, and the less familiar, random error,between-individual variability, and positivepredictive value. Using these terms system-atically in evaluations of dietary assessmenttools will bring precision to our discussionsabout assessment tools.

Chapter 5 provides an evaluation frame-work and compares performance and oper-ational constraints of selected dietary assess-ment methods specific to the WIC setting.The methods that are compared are diet his-tory, 24-hour diet recall, food record, andfood frequency questionnaire. The charac-teristics outlined for each method are defi-nition, ability to estimate usual food or nu-trient intake, validity, reliability, and issuesrelevant to the WIC population.

The authors remind the reader that ex-isting dietary assessment tools are adequatefor epidemiologic studies with diet vari-ables because their objective is to place sub-jects into dietary categories, which the ex-isting tools accomplish. In addition, thecurrent dietary assessment tools used inWIC for the purpose of nutrition educa-tion are also adequate to begin a dialogueon dietary change. However, the informa-tion from these tools is too imprecise toscreen and refer individuals with a dietarydeficiency, so the authors conclude that theguideline “Let the Pyramid guide your foodchoices” is the best option, while acknowl-edging disadvantages such as the incom-plete guidance for physical activity in theGuidelines. If anyone doubts the impor-tance of the Dietary Guidelines for Ameri-cans as national nutrition policy, they needonly read this succinct text to see how itprovides background for the best criteria todefine diets that put one at dietary risk, theFood Guide Pyramid.

The report concludes by summarizingthe 5 findings and making the recommenda-tion that “presumes that all women and chil-dren ages 2-5 who meet the eligibilityrequirements of income, categorical, and res-idency status also meet the requirement ofnutrition risk through the category of dietaryrisk based on failure to meet Dietary Guidelines,where failure to meet Dietary Guidelines is de-fined as consuming fewer than the recom-

217

BOOKS

EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS IN REVIEW

BooksDietary Risk Assessment in the

WIC Program . . . . . . . . . . . .217Nutritional Assessment of

Athletes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218Chemical Food Safety:

A Scientist’s Perspective . . . . . .218Bright Futures in Practice:

Nutrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219Snacktivities!: 50 Edible Activities

for Parents and Children . . . . .220Audiovisuals

Eater Beware: From Chemical Stews to Organic Gardens . . . .220

What Should We Eat? The Vegetarian Debate . . . . . . . . .221

Your Nutrition Style: New Dietary Guidelines . . . . . . . . .222

Web SitesChoose To Move: Energy For A

Better Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223National Kidney Disease

Education Program . . . . . . . . .223Recent Arrivals . . . . . . . . . . . . .224

TABLE OF CONTENTS

mended number of servings from one ormore of the five basic food groups (grains,fruits, vegetables, milk products, and meat orbeans) based on an individual’s estimated en-ergy needs.”Dietary information, as it is cur-rently collected, is useful in determining nu-trition education plans and in describing thegroups of WIC clients with dietary patternsthat need to be changed and to monitorchange over time or measure the effect ofnutrition education interventions. This re-port will be useful to WIC directors, teach-ers of nutritionists and dietitians, investigatorsof dietary intake, and policy makers in ma-ternal and child nutrition.

Jan Dodds, EdD, RD, Professor of Nutritionand Maternal and Child Health,CB# 7461,School of Public Health, University of NorthCarolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7461

REFERENCE

1. WIC Nutrition Risk Criteria: A ScientificAssessment.Washington, DC: Institute ofMedicine,National Academy Press;1996.

ProfessionalNutritional Assessment of Athletes.Driskell JA, Wolinsky I, eds., 2002. FromCRC Press LLC, 2000 NW CorporateBlvd, Boca Raton, FL 33431, hardcover,$89.95, 410 pp, ISBN 0-8493-0927-1.

Does your clientele consist of active individu-als or competitive athletes? If yes, you may findthis reference useful to your daily practice.As partof a series of books offered by CRC Press, this text

presents well-researched information and guide-lines for the nutritional assessment of athletes.

Editors Driskell and Wolinsky invitedinternational and national experts to pro-vide comprehensive guidelines, specificallyfor the nutritional assessment of athletes.Within 6 sections and 16 chapters, the au-thors discuss related research and includetools for the anthropometric, biochemical,clinical, and dietary assessment of this pop-ulation. From the standard growth charts in“Assessment of Growth in Adolescent Ath-letes” to tables of biochemical indices in“Assessment of Vitamin Status in Athletes,”the tables and graphs lend greater under-standing of the text and list standards to useduring a nutritional assessment.

In the section on dietary assessment, onefinds commonly used methods, plus stan-dard guides for choosing software andintake evaluation. One chapter has a partic-ularly helpful section addressing the peri-odicity of sports, fluid intake, supplements,and other sport-related issues. A chapteron assessment of eating disorders providesdiagnostic criteria specific to athletes, forexample, anorexia athletica and exercisedependence.

For practitioners and researchers work-ing with individuals of all ages, section 3provides guidelines and challenges in assess-ing anthropometry in child, adolescent, andadult athletes. In the chapter on adult ath-letes, sections on specific sports would bevery helpful to the practitioner workingwith athletes from several sports. Section 3ends with a particularly interesting chapteron gender differences in body compositionand performance.

Section 4 provides laboratory and fieldmethods to assess the energy needs of ath-letes. From definitions and equations toquestionnaires, one can find informationthat could be used in practice and for re-search purposes.To easily comprehend thissection, some acquaintance with exercisescience terminology would be helpful tothe reader.

In section 5,with chapters on assessmentof lipid, protein, vitamin, and mineral status,the reader will find in-depth and well-re-searched discussion on the particular nutri-ents as they relate to exercise and athletes.This section is recommended for a rigorousperspective of nutriture assessment.

The last section of the text lists guide-lines to assess medical status. This chapterwould be helpful to nutrition or dieteticprofessionals working in a hospital or out-patient clinic. Some information is coveredin previous chapters, but information about

the clinical conditions associated with ath-letic activities could be helpful. One issueaddressed under the physical examinationguidelines that may not be accepted bysports nutritionists is use of the body massindex (BMI) for athletes.The simple assess-ment is inappropriate for heavily muscledathletes, who possess a very low percentageof body fat. The BMI would incorrectlyidentify these individuals as overweight orpossibly obese.

Overall, one would find this text usefulas a reference in practice or as a recom-mended text in a graduate-level sports nu-trition course.Well-researched and writtenchapters provide organized and currentinformation for readers interested in nutri-tion and exercise science. Sports nutrition-ists, athletic trainers with a nutrition back-ground, practitioners working with theexercising public, graduate students, re-searchers, and university professors couldbenefit from reading this text. In fact, grad-uate students taking my graduate-levelsports nutrition course will be required touse the text as a starting point for discussionand laboratory experiences.

Kathe A.Gabel,PhD,RD,LD,Professor andDirector, Coordinated Program of Dietetics,Family and Consumer Sciences, Universityof Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-3183

ProfessionalChemical Food Safety: A Scientist’sPerspective. Riviere J, 2002. From IowaState Press, 2121 State Ave, Ames, IA50014-8300, (515) 292-0140, hardcover,$59.99, 231 pp, ISBN 0-8138-0254-7.

Chemical Food Safety introduces read-ers to the science of risk assessment as applied tofood safety and offers relevant, current informa-tion on research and statistics, chemicals, biotech-nology issues, and emerging disease.

Chemical Food Safety was written by adistinguished toxicologist, who presents apassionate case for his thesis that societalconcerns about pesticides and biotechnol-ogy result from chemophobia and an irra-tional fear of the unknown.The central the-sis of Chemical Food Safety is that “theevidence is clear that we have created a so-ciety that is healthier and lives longer thanany other society in history.”The book ex-amines the benefits of technological ad-vances in food production with a focus onpesticides, bovine somatotropin (BST), andgenetically modified foods. Dr. Rivierestates that he wrote the book to refute cur-rent public misconceptions that modernscience and technology created an unsafefood supply through widespread contami-

218 EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS IN REVIEW ( J Nutr Educ Behav. 2003;35:217-224.)

nation with pesticides or unbridled bio-technology. The book is written for thoseworking in food safety, risk assessment, andtoxicology.

The first 2 chapters cover probabilityand dose response, providing useful back-ground information about statistics andtoxicology. Chapters 3 to 7 focus on a vari-ety of topics related to risk assessment ofpesticides, health risks from naturally oc-curring toxins, and the regulatory process ofassessing risks from synthetic chemicals.These also cover topics not related to foodsafety, such as “Sick Building Syndrome,”the “Environmental Estrogen Debate,” andthe nutritional benefits of eating fruits andvegetables. In Chapter 8,“Milk Is Good forYou,” the author states that BST and themilk produced from cows treated with BSTare safe and provides the reasons supportinghis conclusion. Chapters 9 and 10 discussthe benefits of genetically modified foods aswell as ways to assess risks associated withchemical and biological warfare. The clos-ing chapter is titled “The Future” andopines that our resources should be focusedon problems that exist rather than beingwasted on many of the “nonexistentpseudoproblems outlined in this book.”

Chemical Food Safety is permeated withthe author’s belief that human cleverness issufficient to enable us to predict and controlrisks that threaten the safety of foods. If youagree with the author’s thesis, you may findthis book to be a reasonable summary of thesafety of chemicals used in food production.If you are skeptical of humankind’s abilityto anticipate potential harm from scienceand technologies, you may feel that yourconcerns are overlooked or dismissed, andreading some sections of the book willlikely result in frustration and anger.

Several inaccuracies were noted by thereviewers. In Chapter 3, it is claimed thatorganic farmers use urban sewage sludge(followed by a reference to “truth in adver-tising”). Use of sewage sludge is prohibitedby the National Organic Program standards(www.ams.usda.gov/nop/nop/standards/fulltext.html; section 205.203 e(1)). In Chap-ter 8, the statement is made that BST wasdeveloped to replace the administration oflow levels of antibiotics in cows’ feed to de-crease low-grade infections and improvethe efficiency of feed conversion. The USFood and Drug Administration does notallow the administration of antibiotics indairy cattle for the purpose of feed effi-ciency and instead restricts antibiotic use indairy cattle to treatment of infections (seewww.fda.gov/cvm/fsi/JUDairyPR.doc).

Because Dr. Riviere is trained in veterinarymedicine and is co-director of the US De-partment of Agriculture’s Food AnimalResidue Avoidance Databank, we are puz-zled by the author’s statements regardingantibiotic use in dairy cattle.

Chemical Food Safety emphasizes theviewpoint that science and technology havegreatly improved the safety of our food sup-ply. To counteract claims made by somepeople that food is risky, Dr. Riviere makessweeping assurances that food is safe. Riskassessment is unfortunately presented inoversimplified, overgeneralized terms in thebook. In the author’s attempt to expresshow science can easily be misused, he is dis-missive of fears about chemicals used infood production and presents scientific per-spectives narrowly and inappropriately.

Our goal as food safety educators is tobe familiar with a wide variety of opinionsabout food safety topics and then incorpo-rate this information when we teach aboutpotential threats to food safety and ways tocontrol these threats. Chemical Food Safetyrepresents one end of the spectrum of be-liefs about food safety; thus, we found ituseful to read the book even though we donot fully share the author’s opinions aboutfood safety.

Virginia “Val” Hillers, PhD, RD, ExtensionFood Specialist, and Barry G. Swanson,PhD, Professor of Food Science, Departmentof Food Science and Human Nutrition,Washington State University, Pullman,WA99164-6376

ProfessionalBright Futures in Practice:Nutrition.2nded. Story M,Holt K,Sofka D,2002.From theNational Center for Education in Maternaland Child Health, Georgetown University,2000 15th St North, Ste 701, Arlington,VA22201-2617, (703) 524-7802, softcover,$32.00, 292 pp, ISBN 1-57285-071-X.

The second edition of Bright Futures inPractice: Nutrition includes valuable infor-mation concerning nutrition supervision, issues,concerns, and tools regarding children’s nutritionfrom infancy through late adolescence.

The Bright Futures in Practice projectbegan in 1995 to provide tools for imple-menting the Bright Futures health supervi-sion guidelines.The first edition of the nu-trition booklet was published in 2000.Thissecond edition is an update of the first bookand could be used by nutrition profession-als, health professionals, consumers, andprofessionals working with children in aday-care, preschool, or educational setting.

The book is divided into 5 main com-ponents, including an introduction that dis-cusses healthful eating and physical activity,nutrition in the community, and culturalawareness in nutrition services. The keypoints of how to build good cross-culturalcommunication are tangible and practicalfor health professionals in helping people ina way that maintains their dignity.

The second section of the book de-scribes the nutrition supervision of the dif-ferent stages of childhood, starting with in-fancy (0-11 months), leading to earlychildhood (1-4 years) and middle child-hood (5-10 years), and ending with adoles-cence (11-21 years). Each section discussestopics such as growth and physical develop-ment, social and emotional development,healthful lifestyles, and building partner-ships that are for the appropriate age level.Common nutrition concerns for each agegroup are given and discussed.

Within each section, a nutrition super-vision guideline is given for professionals toimplement interview questions, screeningand assessment, and counseling for the chil-dren in these age groups, along with parentalissues.

The nutrition issues and concerns sec-tion covers vital topics for health profes-sionals regarding children and nutrition.Some topics include breast-feeding, specialhealth care needs, eating disorders, food al-lergies, human immunodeficiency virus,and sports nutrition.

The book is easy to read,well organized,and a valuable tool for professionals inter-ested in children’s nutrition. One uniqueaspect of the book is a condensed pocketguide that is included for the reader. Maintopics are condensed in the easy-to-carryguide that has practical applications for thenutrition professional or health provider forchildren.

The topic of children and nutrition hasalways been a concern. One example of astrong emotional issue is breast-feeding ver-sus bottle-feeding for an infant. The bookcovers both methods of feeding, allowingprofessionals to minimize bias or error whencounseling mothers on choosing a methodof feeding for their infant.

A few concerns are raised by the book.The dietary guideline, “If you drink alco-holic beverages, do so in moderation” isomitted. It is understandable that this is notemphasized in a book about children’s nu-trition, but when dealing with late child-hood (up to 21 years old), there shouldbe a note explaining the omission of thisguideline.

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 35 Number 4 July • August 2003 219

In the referral section, there are wayslisted to find nutrition experts in the com-munity, but the author fails to mention hos-pital dietitians. Hospital dietitians can be avaluable resource for children’s nutrition,especially in a small town, where registereddietitians are scarce.

The last concern with the book involvesan inconsistency in the oral health sectionfor infants. The book states to use a smallsoft toothbrush without toothpaste, but thenext sentence states,“If appropriate refer in-fants to dentist to assess need for fluoridatedtoothpaste.”An explanation of why to referfor fluoridated toothpaste rather than an-other form of fluoride would be helpful.

The strengths of the book include well-designed charts and fairly elementary casestudies.The book was aimed at profession-als but written in lay terms, occasionally us-ing more scientific or in-depth descriptions(ie, DSM categories for eating disorders).

The second edition of the book istimely and put together in an organizedmanner. Professionals working with chil-dren in the area of nutrition could benefitfrom having this book and pocket guide intheir library.

Kari Flom, BA, CFM, Graduate Student,and Mary Murray, MS, RD, CD,AssociateLecturer, Food and Nutrition Department,University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie,WI 54751

ConsumerSnacktivities!: 50 Edible Activities forParents and Children. Kohl M, Potter J,2001. From Robins Lane Press, 10726Tucker St, Beltsville, MD 20704, softcover,102 pp, $9.95, ISBN 1-58904-010-4.

Spark the imaginations of your budding chefswith these 50 simple, delicious “snacktivities”—activities you can eat! You and your child canmake “Monster Face Salads,”“Sail Boat Eggs,”and much more.You will be amazed how you canturn the food that is already in your refrigeratorinto works of art!

Who knew that snack time could besuch fun? Snacktivities!: 50 Edible Activities forParents and Children contains a whirlwind ofentertaining activities for caregivers andchildren. Under the supervision of care-givers, children can create tasty snacks whilebuilding lasting memories through laughterand learning.With recipes such as “Erupt-ing Lava Apple,”“Firecracker Sandwiches,”and “Scary Eyeballs,” children have the op-portunity to prepare and try a variety offoods.Even bashful broccoli eaters will want

to have a taste of “Broccoli Forest.” Kids canwash it all down with “Lemon Lights,” atwist on the classic lemonade.

The simple recipes in Snacktivities! arewritten in an easy-to-read format with abasic level of cooking knowledge assumed.Caregivers will need to read the recipes asthey are not written for little ones. Sketchillustrations are included on each page tospark children’s interests; however, the col-orful pictures are not exact representationsof the finished product. Each snacktivity israted based on its simplicity and estimatedtime of preparation.

Although the nutritional value of eachrecipe is not included, the recipes representa variety of foods from the various foodgroups. The ingredients are items com-monly found in the kitchen, such as choco-late chips, marshmallows, canned fruit, andcheese and tend to be popular with chil-dren. For the snacktivity “Banana Tree,” thebanana is the trunk of the tree, with piecesof apples and grapes as the leaves. Thechunks of fruit are easily manageable for lit-tle hands, and the apples and grapes can besubstituted with other fruits, such as straw-berries, blueberries, and kiwis, or chunks ofcheese.The tower of fruit might entice chil-dren to build an entire forest of “BananaTrees!”

Although the snacktivities are designedfor children’s enjoyment, supervision is nec-essary as some of the snack ideas require theuse of knives and sharp utensils.For example,“Dinosaur Eggs” require children to boileggs and remove the shell. In addition, theoven is also frequently used.The snacktivitiesprovide an excellent opportunity for dia-logue concerning basic food practices, in-cluding food safety and handling techniques.

Nutrition educators and teachers caneasily adapt Snacktivities! to a classroom or

community setting by tailoring quantitiesto accommodate larger groups of students.Educators can use this crafty cookbook asa tool to correlate sound nutrition princi-ples with edible activities conducted in theclassroom.

Snacktivities!: 50 Edible Activities for Par-ents and Children provides children with theopportunity to make edible art, incorporat-ing sound nutrition principles into funlearning experiences. Budding chefs willenjoy making and eating their masterpieces.Snacktivities is sure to be a hit with care-givers, children, and nutrition educators.

Michele Carey and Sara Dust, GraduateDietetic Interns, Melanie Tracy Burns, PhD,RD, School of Family & Consumer Sciences,Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL61920

VideotapeEater Beware: From Chemical Stewsto Organic Gardens. 2003. From TheLearning Seed, 330 Telser Rd, Lake Zurich,IL 60047, (800) 634-4941, videotape (plusstudy guide), $89.00, ISBN 0-917159-16-2.

Misconceptions abound regarding the safetyof our food supply.The purpose of this videotapeis to build a foundation of credible information tohelp the viewer make food choices with confi-dence. It focuses on misconceptions about chemi-cals and organics and puts these topics in per-spective by addressing the inherent risks of eating.

The general public is increasingly con-cerned about the safety of our food sup-ply and wants to know more about wheretheir food comes from and how it is han-dled through the entire marketing chainof “gate to plate.”At the same time, sales oforganic foods are increasing as more andmore consumers are convinced that theseproducts are superior in some way, whetherit be safety, quality, or their impact on theenvironment.

This live-action, 22-minute videotape,coupled with the exercises in the 16-pagestudy guide, attempts to provide a founda-tion of information to help the viewermake informed food choices.The materialalso attempts to explain and clarify the termorganic as it applies to the growing, process-ing, and marketing of food products.

The package strives to achieve these ob-jectives by presenting several common mis-conceptions about the food supply and theneither verifying, tempering, or dispelling


AUDIOVISUALS

the myths based on scientific and “best-practice” knowledge. A major point of thisvideotape is that there is no such thing asrisk-free eating.

This package of educational materialsdelivers on its promise. It provides evi-dence-based information that can serve as abasis to guide food choices for both profes-sional and public audiences.

The method of raising common mythsearly on and then addressing them one byone through use of discussion questions is avery effective strategy. Each of 7 miscon-ceptions is dealt with individually. Some ofthe misconceptions covered include thenotion that “natural” is better and that theapplication of chemicals in food is notcontrolled.

The arguments are presented with a bal-ance of evidence that represents scientific,government, economic, and social perspec-tives. Reviewers are not told what to be-lieve but are given a broad spectrum ofinformation that lends balance and perspec-tive to what is sometimes confusing andconflicting information. At the same time,the method of delivery respects the viewer’spersonal values, such as the desire to protectthe environment.The material does an ex-cellent job of separating food safety issuesfrom other issues, such as personal values,that influence food choices.

This material serves as a valuable re-source by providing the user with a soundbasis for selecting food.There are, however,

a couple of things that the instructor maywant to consider before using it.The first isthat the target audience is not clearly de-fined.The study guide states that the video-tape “deals with a crucial topic that shouldbe taught in any foods and nutritioncourse,” but it does not specify whetherthis refers to elementary, high school, col-lege, or community classes. Some knowl-edge about food and use of chemicals is as-sumed. For example, the narrator states that“you know that potatoes should be storedin a dark, cool place” and that “you knowthat chemical is a general word for thestuff the world is made of.”

The live action is based on what appearsto be a housewife responsible for foodshopping and preparation. The videotapebegins with her citing a number of con-cerns she has about the safety of food andraising questions about why “they” do notdo something about it.This approach maynot appeal to young audiences, especiallythose who do not cook or prepare foodat home.

One other issue to consider is that afterexplaining the pros and cons of organics,the study guide throws in the concept of“locally grown,” implying that it and or-ganics are the same.The introduction of thelocally grown concept near the end of theprogram may confuse the issues of safetyand food selection that are so skillfully ad-dressed earlier in the videotape.

At 22 minutes, the videotape may be abit long for some audiences, but the pre-sentation is engaging, interesting, and per-suasive. It moves along and can be readilyadapted to a start-stop type of instructionformat.

This is a timely and accurate resourcethat has broad applications. It certainlywould be appropriate for any foods and nu-trition course, as the guide suggests. It mayalso be valuable for community educationactivities.

Monica Theis, MS, RD, CD, SeniorLecturer, Department of Food Science, TheUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison, 1605Linden Dr, 207B Babcock Hall, Madison,WI 53706-1565

VideotapeWhat Should We Eat? The VegetarianDebate. Learning Seed, 2003. From TheLearning Seed, 330 Telser Rd, Lake Zurich,IL 60045, (800) 634-4941, videotape (plusbooklet), $89.00, ISBN 0-917159-10-3.

“What Should We Eat? is not a video-tape for vegetarians or about people who chose to

avoid meat. It is not a video about vegetables.This is a video for everybody who eats. It chal-lenges all eaters to make decisions about food.”

It has become more and more commonto hear the word “vegetarian,”whether it befrom people who consider themselves to bevegetarians or in general reference to thespecific diet. Some people may consider itthe new trend to follow, some may knownothing about it, and some may disagreewith the practice.Whatever the case, WhatShould We Eat? The Vegetarian Debate chal-lenges everyone to analyze why they eat theway they do. This videotape, as well as anaccompanying guidebook, discusses bothsides of the coin and summarizes the prosand cons of eating meat. It reviews how therelationship between humans and animalshas changed, from the beginning of time tothe present, and where it may be headed inthe future.The videotape explains the ori-gins of vegetarianism, some history behindit, and the different types of vegetarianism.It also lists some common meals that every-one eats that are considered to be vegetar-ian, such as breakfast cereal and peanut but-ter and jelly sandwiches.The accompanyingguidebook is very beneficial and should beread first as it provides an overview of thevideotape, as well as discussion questions,activities, and a quiz. Together they wouldbe very appropriate for classroom use asthey generate discussion about the differ-ences between vegans and meat eaters.

Despite the generally droll nature of thevideotape, the information was adequatelypresented and thought provoking. Eachscene was carefully chosen to best capturethe idea being presented. Both sides of thedebate are presented in a neutral, nonoffen-sive manner so as not to promote one sideover the other, although it must be notedthat the vegan side did receive more em-phasis. The narrator stressed that the deci-sion is up to each individual, and everyoneshould consciously decide what their pref-erence is,while not letting old habits dictatetheir choice. In explaining his preference,the narrator slipped in the bias that onlycage-free chickens and free-range, organic,grain-free cows should be eaten.

Nutritionally, the videotape does notcover much as it was meant to providebackground information so that viewerscan make an educated decision on whetherto be a vegan. It briefly mentions that vita-min B12 is limited in a vegan diet. Fat, cho-lesterol, and heart disease are also brieflymentioned as being lower in the vegan diet.Careful planning on a vegan diet is men-


tioned so that complete proteins will beeaten everyday. However, it would havebeen helpful to have complementary pro-teins explained as they are an integral partof being a vegan.

The different types of vegetarians, suchas vegans, ovovegetarians, and lactovegetar-ians, are explained well, along with severaltypes of meat substitutes from which a veg-etarian can choose. The videotape pointsout the difficulty in totally avoiding all an-imals and animal products, such as honeyfrom bees, silk from silkworms, and someshampoos that use parts of the cow. Theseare products about which most of us wouldnot think twice.

The videotape begins slightly slowly andcondescendingly toward those who do eatmeat, but it quickly redeems itself by offer-ing other viewpoints.The fairly neutral ap-proach was refreshingly original, providingaccurate information. The graphics aresomewhat inane but do get the point across.The spectrum described in the videotapebetween being a vegan or a meat eater is anexcellent picture illustrating that one doesnot have to be extreme on either side. Oneidea for improvement would be to tonedown Chad the Vegan’s flamboyant insis-tence. His thoughts may be better receivedwithout the aggressiveness behind them. Itis unclear who the technical advisors werefor the videotape, although the AmericanDietetic Association’s recommendations forvegetarians are listed on the back of theguidebook, along with a list of Internetand book resources. Several of the Web sitesare sponsored by professional organiza-tions, whereas individuals or suppliers ofdietary supplements sponsor the others.Overall, the material is easy to understandand would be very appropriate in a highschool or college classroom setting, wheredebates and other activities can be set up touse the information.

Susan Harms, Dietetic Intern, MaricopaCounty Department of Public Health, 1500E Broadway Rd,# 1068,Tempe,AZ 85281

VideotapeYour Nutrition Style: New DietaryGuidelines. Learning Seed, 2002. FromThe Learning Seed, 330 Telser Rd, LakeZurich, IL 60045, (800) 634-4941, video-tape (plus booklet), $89.00, ISBN 0-917159-88-7.

Your Nutrition Style: New DietaryGuidelines explains the year 2000 edition ofthe Dietary Guidelines for Americans.The Di-etary Guidelines are the “gold standard” of de-

pendable nutrition information. The videotapeencourages viewers to use the Dietary Guidelinesto evaluate their own eating habits. From this,viewers will be able to develop a personalizedeating plan. Viewers learn how to create theirown nutrition style by watching “nutritionalmakeovers” by 4 young adults with very differ-ent eating styles.

The prevalence of adolescent and teenobesity is on the rise and has nearly tripledover the past 20 years.1 Prevention througheducation is the key to slowing this obesitytrend.Teaching the teen population to usethe Dietary Guidelines to evaluate theirown lifestyle and eating habits is a great wayto slow this increasing rate of obesity.Thisvideotape teaches them to take charge oftheir own life by making wise choices re-garding their nutrition and exercise habits.

Each Dietary Guideline is discussed inan orderly fashion and uses examples to re-lay the intended message.Aim for a healthyweight is the first guideline discussed, andusing your body mass index (BMI) andyour waist circumference are both exam-ples of assessing weight.A waist circumfer-ence is a great way for people to assess theirweight, whereas the BMI is easily misusedand inaccurate because it does not take intoconsideration the actual body compositionof an individual. For this particular popula-tion, the BMI may not be the best measureto assess weight. Another way to assess ahealthy body weight is to actually measurebody composition.This can be done by us-ing calipers or underwater weighing.These

assessments will be more accurate and givea true assessment of an individual’s bodyweight. Understandably, body compositionmeasures may not be available, so simplyteaching this population to use clothing sizeas a measure of a healthy body weight mightbe best. For those who are overweight,teach them that a decrease in clothing sizeby one could greatly improve their healthand increase longevity.

The purpose of the Food Guide Pyra-mid is to guide individuals when makingfood choices. During the discussion of let-ting the Pyramid guide food choices(guideline 3), the Pyramid and foods fromeach food group are shown. Foods from allfood groups were well chosen, with the ex-ception of grains. Foods such as croissants,white rolls, and muffins are shown in thevideotape for this group.These are not trulyhealthful choices and should not be eatenevery day. Showing these food items con-tradicts guideline 4, which says to choose avariety of grains, especially whole grains.Thefoods mentioned above are all refined grainswith added sugar and fat. Showing foods inthe videotape such as 9-grain bread, whole-wheat rolls, and whole-grain cereals such asoatmeal would be better choices. Portionsizes are also discussed under this guideline.Using a tennis ball or a deck of cards is agreat way for individuals to visualize a trueportion size. However, using the heel of ashoe to visualize a slice of bread is not thebest comparison. Everyone has a differentshoe size, and some women’s shoes wouldonly compare to a half of slice of bread. Us-ing a compact disc would be more repre-sentative of a slice of bread than would bethe heel of a shoe.

Keeping food safe to eat is a growingconcern, but it is easily attainable.The dis-cussion of this guideline (6) shows properways to cut meat and clean the utensils,which are both very important in the pre-vention of foodborne illnesses. However,in the videotape, the meat is put into therefrigerator on top of some other product,which should be avoided. Meat itemsshould always be put on the bottom shelf,where the juices cannot drip onto otheritems.

Discussion of guidelines 2, 4, 5, 7, 8 and9 are all well organized and concise, and nofurther improvements need to be made.

Your Nutrition Style: New Dietary Guide-lines will be an excellent teaching tool forthe teen population, with a few improve-ments.The videotape is easily understood,concise, and well organized, and the infor-


mation is accurate.The videotape is viewerfriendly and uses great graphics and exam-ples to depict the overall message.The 4 in-dividuals with these particular eating habitswere well chosen.They reflect typical eatingstyles of many American teenagers.

Laura Poly, Dietetic Intern, 1297 W. King-bird Dr, Chandler,AZ 85248

REFERENCE

1. Dausch J.The obesity epidemic: what’sbeing done? J Am Diet Assoc. 2002;102:68-639.

Choose To Move: Energy For A BetterLife. 2001. The American Heart Associa-tion, 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX75231-4596, http://choosetomove.org.Accessed October 28, 2002, free.

Choose To Move is a self-paced, 12-weekphysical activity program designed with womenin mind (and heart)! Any individual (male orfemale) over the age of 18 is encouraged to par-ticipate, even heart attack and stroke survivorsafter a consultation with their health care provider.Health professionals are urged to become involvedas team leaders.Nutrition and fitness informationpresented in the Web site serves as a supportivesupplement to the Choose to Move program.

Are you looking for a Web site createdfor busy women (or men) who are search-ing for a way to become more physicallyactive? Choose To Move, developed by theAmerican Heart Association (AHA) andthe Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research,achieves this purpose.The program focuseson the AHA’s recommendation to accumu-late 30 minutes of physical activity per dayon 5 or more days per week to improve car-diovascular health. No fee is required forregistration. A free handbook, containingthe 12-week physical activity guide, is sentto the participant.Web site features includeweekly guides, fitness and nutrition tips, anda monthly newsletter filled with ideas tostay motivated.

Choose To Move topics provide excellentinformation for the adult consumer inter-ested in the prevention of heart attacks andstrokes. The site is organized into mainheadings followed by a brief overview ofeach topic.The main menu features infor-mation related to the warning signs forheart attacks and strokes as well as currentresearch. The “Healthy Lifestyle” sectionprovides a nutritionally sound eating plan,

advice for men, and strategies for loweringcholesterol levels, whereas the “Exercise andFitness” section includes age-appropriateexercise tips that can be incorporated intomany lifestyles.Although the numerous ex-amples are bulleted in this section, the fontsize may be small for older Americans.

Several interesting features are foundwithin the subtopics of the site that wouldbe of benefit to many. A printable activitylog sheet is a simple way to track daily phys-ical activity.The heart attack risk assessmentis a quick tool to determine your 10-yearrisk for a heart attack.The risk is immedi-ately calculated, and the score is explainedusing easily understandable terminology.

Health professionals such as doctors, re-habilitation therapists, and dietitians are en-couraged to use the Choose To Move fitnessprogram to promote the benefits of physicalactivity.As team leaders, health professionalsare equipped with the program and variousevaluation components—a definite bonusfor professionals with limited time or fund-ing for program development. Within theWeb site, a health professional may find thecomprehensive reference section a valuableasset as it includes links to journal articlesand statistics.

Overall, the Web site Choose To Move isuser friendly, with appropriate informationfor health professionals and consumers in-terested in promoting cardiovascular healthand participating in daily physical activity.The Web site would be an appropriate siteto recommend to those looking for ways tolead a more heart-healthful lifestyle.

Lisa Kasten, BS, Graduate Dietetic Intern,and Melanie Tracy Burns, PhD, RD, Schoolof Family and Consumer Sciences, EasternIllinois University, Charleston, IL 61920

National Kidney Disease EducationProgram. www.nkdep.nih.gov. AccessedDecember 7, 2002.

The National Kidney Disease Edu-cation Program works to reduce the morbid-ity and mortality associated with kidney diseaseby raising awareness about the epidemic andstressing the importance of prevention, early di-agnosis, and appropriate management of kidneydisease.The Web site is aimed to assist the scien-tific and health care community by offering a va-riety of information about kidney disease.

With more than 8 million Americanshaving seriously reduced kidney functionand approximately 350,000 needing dialysisor a kidney transplant to stay alive, healthcare professionals will continue to seek

more information related to renal disease.The National Institute of Diabetes and Di-gestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) ofthe National Institutes of Health haslaunched the National Kidney Disease Ed-ucation Program (NKDEP) Web site. Thegoal is to provide health care professionalswith vital information on kidney disease,prevention, diagnosis, and management.Health professionals are presented withtools for calculating the glomerular fil-tration rate (GFR) and body mass index(BMI). For educational purposes, theNKDEP Web site provides a chronic kidneydisease slide show, clinical practice guide-lines, and statistics.Fact sheets and brochures,in English or Spanish, are available. In addi-tion, the Web site features the NIDDK’smeeting reports, upcoming events, links toother organizations, and contact informa-tion. The Web site carries the Web accesssymbol, thus ensuring that the site is avail-able for those with disabilities and variouscomputer systems.

The site is very well organized, with in-formation available for health professionalsand their patients and their families. Healthprofessionals can certainly look to theNKDEP Web site as a comprehensive re-source on kidney disease.The NKDEP Website offers valuable treatment tools, guide-lines, and education materials, creating a“one-stop” resource for health professionals.In addition, professionals can access links toposition statements and clinical practiceguidelines for renal disease. Further updatesto the Web site could include a briefsummary statement of kidney disease treat-ment strategies with links to more extensiveguidelines.

Although the patient and family sectionis still under development, viewers may or-der publications from the National Kidneyand Urologic Diseases Information Clear-inghouse. The available publications arecopyright free and contain clear, colorful il-lustrations. The GFR and BMI calculatorsare simple to use and enhance the site.However, if individuals with renal diseaseuse the calculators, a short explanation ofthe results would be beneficial.

In summary, the NKDEPWeb site fulfillsits goals of raising awareness about kidneydisease, the importance of prevention, earlydiagnosis, and proper management. Thecontent, as separated for professionals andfamilies, assists in the navigation of the site.

Jennifer Cramer, BS, Graduate DieteticIntern, and Melanie Tracy Burns, PhD, RD,


WEB SITES

School of Family and Consumer Sciences,Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL61920

The materials listed below were recently receivedin the JNEB editorial office. Materials that ap-pear to be of particular interest to our readers willbe reviewed in upcoming JNEB issues as spaceallows.

Professional/Consumer BookDimensions of Food. 5th ed.Vaclavik V,Pimentel M, Devine M, 2002. From CRCPress, 2000 NW Corporate Blvd, Boca Ra-ton, FL 33431, textbook, $50.00, 303 pp,ISBN 0-8493-1425-9.

The Down Syndrome Nutrition Hand-book: A Guide to Promoting Healthy

Lifestyles. Guthrie-Medlen JE, 2002. FromWoodbine House, 6510 Bells Mill Rd,Bethesda,MD 20817, (301) 897-3570,book,430 pp, $19.95, ISBN 1-890627-23-2.

Metal Contamination of Food: Its Sig-nificance for Food Quality and Hu-man Health. Conor R, 2002. From Black-well Publishing, Ltd, Osney Mead, Oxford,OX2 0EL, UK, book, 266 pp, $129.99,ISBN 0-632-05927-3.

AudiovisualBrave New Foods:The Biotech Revo-lution.The Learning Seed, 2002. From TheLearning Seed, 330 Telser Rd, Lake Zurich,IL 60047, (800) 634-4941, videotape, 24minutes, $89.00, ISBN 0-917159-19-5.

Global Eating: Learning From OtherCultures. The Learning Seed, 2003. FromThe Learning Seed, 330 Telser Rd, Lake

Zurich, IL 60047, (800) 634-4941, video-tape, 22 minutes, $89.00, ISBN 0-917159-05-1.

Resource PacketsChildren and Weight:What Communi-ties Can Do. University of CaliforniaAgriculture and Natural Resources. 2002.From the University of California,Agricul-ture Natural Resources, CommunicationServices, 6701 San Pablo Ave, 2nd Floor,Oakland, CA 94608-1239, (800) 994-8849,resource kit, 255 pp, $100.00, ISBN 1-879906-60-0.

Media Guide on Food Safety & Nutri-tion. International Food Information Coun-cil (IFIC) Foundation, 2002. From Inter-national Food Information Council (IFIC)Foundation, 1100 Connecticut Ave., NW,Ste 430,Washington, DC 20036, (202) 296-6540, resource guide, 263 pp, $50.00.


RECENT ARRIVALS

CORRECTION

Table of Contents Journal of Nutrition Education and BehaviorVolume 35, Number 2, March • April 2003

In Journal of Nutrition Education and BehaviorVolume 35, Number 2, March · April 2003 page A1, there were some errorsin the listing of the author names for the following entry.The corrected information is provided below; please note thiscorrection in your copy.

69 Selecting Items for a Food Behavior Checklist for a Limited-Resource Audience Marilyn S.Townsend, PhD, RD;Lucia L. Kaiser, PhD, RD; Lindsay H.Allen, PhD, RD;Amy Block Joy, PhD; Suzanne P. Murphy, PhD, RD

educational materials in review

Documents