An A-Z Guide to Food Additives, by Deanna M. Minich - Large Print Reviews

Large Print Reviews

An A-Z Guide to Food Additives
By Deanna M. Minich

An A-Z Guide to Food Additives
Never Eat What You Can't Pronounce
By Deanna M. Minich
Read How You Want, (2010)
EasyRead Large Print, in 16 Point Font
(Originally Published in Standard Print by Conari Press, and imprint of Red Wheel / Weiser)
ISBN: 9781458779434
Genre: Health, Cooking

Reviewed by Auggie Moore - April 22, 2011

Every once in a while you come across a book that, after reading, you don't understand how you survived without, so you run out and buy a dozen or two to distribute to all your friends and family members. The An A-Z Guide to Food Additives by Deanna M. Minich, is one such book. So what is this must-have book? Simply put, as the title suggests, it is an A-Z guide to food additives. In addition listing the names of more than 300 additives, Minich also describes what the additives are used for, the various names that they might be listed under, and she provides a safety rating (using an A+ to F grading scale). This rating system lets you know at a glance just how healthy or harmful some of these items can be for your health. In addition, within the definition of the additive, she explains how and/or why a given ingredient is healthy, harmful, or borderline. She also points out when segments of the population, such as individuals with particular allergies should avoid some of these additives. She doesn't go into great depth in her explanations, just provides the basics, which is all that most people really need. However, if you want to learn more about the various additives mentioned in this book you can do some research online or use the bibliography at the end of the book to do some library centered research.

While this guidebook is essential reading for anyone who buys and consumes processed foods (which is basically everyone), this book is especially significant for individuals with food or environmental allergies, or who cooks for anyone that has them. Dr. Minich is a nutritionist, educator, and author who has worked in the field of nutrition for more than fifteen-years. Within the pages of this handy guidebook you'll not only discover what exactly evaporated cane juice or Cochineal extract is, but also what is meant by such terms as Polyvinypyrrolidone (PVP), Sodium stearoyl lactylate, Acesulfame-potassium, or Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). In addition to the dictionary styled entries in this guidebook, you'll also find a host of handy charts and lists, including one that details what additives should be avoided by individuals with various allergies or who have specific dietary or medical considerations such as those that are lactose-intolerant, gluten-intolerant, or are sodium-sensitive.

In the realm of allergies the list is very generalized and only lists a few additives, and they are not divided by allergen. Such a list would have been extremely helpful to those with food allergies. However, as you go through the actual listings in the book, those who are allergy savvy will find information that will help you to decide if a given item is safe for your particular allergy. Other lists and charts cover such additives as artificial sweeteners, food colorings (a very informative chart), and one that lists the mercury levels commonly found in various types of fish. Minich also lists twelve common additives that should be avoided if possible, and why, as well as providing a list that defines some of the 'lingo' that you'll find on food labels.

Once you get this book, read it. Then go into your pantry and check out the ingredients listed on some of the items that you already have. Beware, after reading this book, and looking at labels in your pantry, you might be prompted to do a through clean-out! Then, next time you go shopping, take this book with you, and check out what you are buying before you spend your hard earned dollars on food items that have no nutritional value, or worse, could harm you or those in your family. This is a must have book that should be in the hands of everyone who goes grocery shopping or who simply eats!

An A-Z Guide to Food Additives is available from Read How You Want, an on-demand publisher that makes books available in a variety of formats including Braille, DAISY, and five different large print formats. This range of formats makes this, and other books, available not only to visually impaired individuals, but also anyone with a reading or physical disability that makes reading standard print books difficult.

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Related Reviews:

Probiotic Foods for Good Health, by Beatrice Trum Hunter.
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The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan.
In this book Pollan takes an in-depth look at how the three main food-chains: industrial, organic, and hunter-gather, which contribute to the American diet work - following our food from field to table.

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