Quick Check Food Facts

By Carolyn E. Moore Ph.D. R.D. L.D. C.N.S.D.

Expanded and updated, this pocket-size book is a reliable guide to healthful eating for weight watchers, cholesterol watchers, and everybody else who wants to stay fit. Authoritative charts compiled... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• ISBN: B0093MO3QS
• ISBN13: 9780764134517
• Release Date: July 2006
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series
• Length: 256 Pages
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.2" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Useful tool for weight watching

I bought an earlier edition of this book in 1999 and have gotten a lot of use from it. I initially used it for calorie counting (I lost the 35 pounds I needed to lose and have kept it off), and when I turned vegetarian I was able to look up protein amounts to make sure I was getting adequate nutrition. The lists break down foods by the amounts of Calories, Fat Calories, Protein, Fat, Cholesterol, Sodium and Fiber in each serving. An item such as an apple will get multiple listings: 1cup, slices: canned, sweetened, sliced. drained, unheated; 1cup, slices: raw, with skin; 1 cup, slices: raw, without skin, cooked, boiled, and two other listings for apples because the nutrients vary according to the way the things are prepared. Sometimes the amounts are hard to figure (Tofu, 1 piece, 13 g) and I have to do a little arithmetic or consult an online source for an easier way to measure the food. Overall, though, I've found it to be fairly comprehensive (the newer edition may be more so), and the counts jibe with other sources. For foods that don't already have nutrition labels on packaging -- fresh vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, and so on -- this guide is handy to have around the kitchen, saving trips to the computer to find out how calorific some food might be. (If I were a complete health nut I'd also be watching my sodium and fat intake, but being mostly vegan, that's probably unnecessary.) Most people don't seem to have the anal determination to calorie count, or the curiosity to find out if their nutritive requirements are being met, but if you are concerned or curious about your health in regard to the foods you eat, this is a helpful guide for the basics. An ideal book of this type would also list minerals and vitamins per food item. I have to check other sources to make sure I'm getting enough calcium and iron, for instance. But I still use this book almost daily to check calorie amounts. Handy!