Preface<br >Recently， while reading a book on the energy crisis， I found the Chinese<br >meaning of the word cr/s/s. The ideograms used to compose the word<br >are a combination of the symbols for danger and opportunity. This<br >gave me the idea for the thread~hat runs through this reader on nutrition.<br >In teaching a beginning course on nutrition to liberal arts students， I<br >have been confronted continuously in my lectures with the crisis of<br >widely divided viewpoints on the same supposed fact. A problem<br >existed in compiling a list of articles for the students to read which gave<br >the opposing viewpoints on each of the topics in question. The articles<br >were in quite diverse journals， which would make it difficult for<br >students to find. Thus， I felt that it would be helpful to compile a reader<br >of not-too-technical articles which would cover some of the controversial<br >areas in the field of nutrition. A student of mine made it possible since<br >her husband was a publisher.<br >The book covers a wide range of topics. It begins with an explanation<br >of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA)， and a discussion of the<br >nutritional status of the U. S. population with respect to this RDA<br >follows. The malnutrition observed in this country has， in fact， led<br >to a 1974 Senate hearing on nutrition. It has become clear that a<br >danger exists for members of our population who are malnourished，<br >but many opportunities exist to eliminate this crisis.<br >Other danger areas covered include the misuse of vitamins， the<br >unwarranted prejudice against sugar cereals which possibly is depriving<br >some children of breakfast， the misconception that organic foods are<br >better than processed foods， the relation of diet to heart disease， and the<br >interest in fad diets. In each case， an attempt has been made to select<br >articles that present the opposing viewpoints and draw conclusions<br >which would lead to the opportunity of improved health. This<br >controversy is no better related than in the chapter on heart disease<br >and cholesterol.<br >The final articles peer to the future by examining our world status today.<br >Will there be enough food， do we have enough energy to process it， and<br > vii<br ><br >