Reviewed by Barbara Salyer
Assistant Professor
The appealing presentation alone will motivate many adolescents to pick up 101 Questions About Food and Digestion That Have Been Eating at You...Until Now. This comprehensive treatment of important topics in human nutrition and digestion covers topics adolescents need to understand, like vegetarianism, food additives, food cravings, and anorexia. These topics, which are seldom covered in life science books, are addressed in an appealing question-and-answer format.
The writing style is clear and concise; however, knowledge of basic chemistry would facilitate understanding of some of the concepts. Ideally, this book would supplement a core middle school curriculum. Readers learn what food is, how the digestive system works, and what causes certain bodily functions such as constipation, diarrhea, and burping.
The book also addresses the relationship between food and health, covering topics like cholesterol, fiber, fast food, and butter versus margarine. Pathogenic conditions like vomiting, heartburn, gallstones, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia are included, as is food safety. The potential of certain foods for lowering cholesterol and preventing heart attacks and cancer is also discussed.
Tables, charts, line drawings, and photographs add interest to the text. Each chapter is followed by a three-to-four page supplementary discussion of relevant topics such as mad cow disease or the medicinal value of chicken soup. The final sections of the book include documentation for the source notes in each chapter, a glossary, and a list of sources for further information (books, websites, and organizations).
The author's careful documentation of information and inclusion of current research and popular nutritional issues are some of the book's strongest features. This would be a useful resource in a middle or secondary science classroom, either as a supplement to a digestion or nutrition unit or as a tool for increasing understanding of health problems in young people.
Review posted on 2/11/2003
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