This book is not for use by those ethnic groups and lower income dieters who eat huge quantities of complex carbohydrates which the author stresses throughout as being not restricted. The foods suggested are not those to which these dieters are accustomed or can afford. This book is recommended to dieters who would like a useful, comprehensive, nonfaddist diet primer to consult, in which they can find delicious, low-energy menus. I hope that it will soon be in a less-expensive paperback edition.

Elizabeth Gaman, M.A., M.S., Nutri­tion Consultant, 67 Los Trancos Rd., Portola Valley, CA 94025.

The Prevention of Alcoholism through Nutrition, Williams, R. J., 1981. From the Christopher D. Smithers Foundation, Box 67, Mill Neck, NY 11765, 160 pp., soft­cover, $2.50 plus postage and handling.

This collection of one man's opinions and "old-time" philosophy provides neither'sound nutritional advice (other than eat well and in moderation) nor pre­ventive measures (other than care for your body and it will care for you). The author's simplistic answer to alcoholism, arthritis, mental illness, and most other ailments is to maintain a proper internal environment for the cells. How is this maintenance ac­complished? Williams gives six rules: 1) "Treat yourself as the individual you really are, 2) eat high quality foods, 3) avoid low quality foods, 4) exercise to promote inter­nal nutrition, 5) cultivate moderation­and inner peace, 6) use nutritional supple­me<nts, and 7) use glutamine as a supple­mentary food."

How does one go about eating high quality foods? Most importantly, the author's advise is to "eat like a responsible individual." He suggests "eating the tissues of plants and animals and the products derived from them without emasculation: meats, fish, shellfish, cheeses, vegetables (peas, beans, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, corn, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, mush­rooms), fruits (oranges, apples, bananas, melons, berries), and whole cereal prod­ucts derived from rice, wheat, corn, oats, buckwheat, etc." He continues: "If eggs and milk agree with you and you like them, they are highly recommended foods. Some nutritionists object to eggs as a human food because they contain substantial amounts of cholesterol. This objection is invalid, however, because cholesterol is an essential substance, particularly in brain

VOLUME 15 NUMBER 2 1983

BOOKS

tissue, and it is only when cholesterol blocks vessels that it is damaging. This problem is by no means a simple one." The author states that one avoids low quality foods by consuming only high quality foods: "Avoid excess sugar, white rice and flour, refined fats, alcohol and foreign chemicals in the food."

Williams believes the diet that will help prevent alcoholism is one supplemented with vitamins and minerals according to his own regular or fortified formulations available from various pharmaceutical companies. Of particular help with alcohol problems is supplementation with gluta­mine.

Although there is an extensive bibliog­raphy available in the appendix, the book has little documentation for the claims made other than testimonials from satis­fied users.

This paperback has no value for the health care professional or the general public. For some individuals with alcohol problems, the work may even encourage inappropriate interventions.

George Jackson, M.D., Clinical Associ­ate Professor, Department of Commu­nity and Family Medicine, Box 2914, Durham, NC 27710.

The Psychobiology of Human Food Selec­tion, Barker, L., ed., 1982. From Avi Pub­lishing Co., 250 Post Rd. East, Box 831, Westport, CT 06881,262 pp., $27.50.

Why are some people catholic in their food choices while others are very paro­chial? Do our selections of food change predictably with the climate, season, ad­vances in food technology, and economic conditions or with the developmental se­quences of our lives? Such questions con­stitute the grist for the mill of this volume. The contents consist of the contributions of 16 prominent investigators from the dis­ciplines of anthropology, biology, psy­chology, physiology, nutrition, and geog­raphy. The focus for their presentations was to address themselves to answering six questions, for example, why do we choose particular foods; to what degree are our food choices fixed; what are the evolu­tionary origins of our appetites; and are sweet and salty flavor preferences innate or acquired? The reader should not expect simple or complete answers to these ques­tions, since our knowledge in these areas is fragmentary.

The presentations vary considerably in content, depth, and information, even

though they share a common goal, name­ly, a search for the basic factors and me­chanisms mediating human food selection. Among the topics the reader will encounter is Rozin's interesting concluding section that attempts to integrate biological, cul­tural, and individual experiences in human food selection. Astrands deals with diet and performance, Rolls has a chapter on brain mechanisms, Barker discusses the importance of memory, Simoon speculates on geographic and genetic factors in hu­man food selection, E. Rozin elaborates on the role of cuisine in food choice, and Booth discusses the role of learning and conditioning in satiety. All the presenta­tions highlight the state of knowledge in the area as well as the pockets of ignor­ance. Some ideas and information in the book have appeared in various forms in scientific journals and other conferences. However, this text offers these exciting papers on the psychobiology of human food selection under a single cover.

One of the values of any interdisciplin­ary conference is the discussion at the end of the presentations in which conferees raise critical questions, propose hypothe­ses, and exchange information. This type of interchange is absent from the book. Most of the articles are an admixture of reviews, with published and unpublished studies of work from the conferees' lab­oratories. However, good bibliographies are at the end of each chapter.

This book is recommended to the gen­eral reader and would serve well as a source of supplementary readings in intro­ductory courses in psychology and nutri­tion that cover the area of food selection.

Owen Maller, Ph.D., Head, Food Ac­ceptance and Food Senses Group, Be­havioral Sciences Division, Science & Advanced Technology Laboratory, U. S. Army Natick Research and Devel­opment Laboratories, Kansas St., Nat­ick, MA 01760.

Thin and Fit: Your personal lifestyle, Dusek, D. E., 1982. From Wadsworth Publishing Co., 10 Davis Dr., Belmont, CA 94002, 278 pp., $9.95.

This factual, no-nonsense, well-written book is the answer for the average, well­educated American who is in need of a total body overhaul. Intended primarily for those who are moderately obese, the book provides a comprehensive program to reshape the lifestyle of the reader. Using a holistic approach, the author stresses

JOURNAL OF NUTRITION EDUCATION 79