Your fitness, health, and well-being depend on food and proper nutrition. Yet, knowing what is in the foods we eat, understanding the differences between good and bad fat, learning which foods are good sources of vitamins, keeping up on the latest scientific discoveries, or discerning the effectiveness of different diets can be challenging. To help answer these questions there's The Handy Nutrition Answer Book. Additionally, the book scrutinizes the pros, cons, and effectiveness of the biggest, most popular, and trendiest diets on the market today.

This handy reference examines, explains, and traces the basics of nutrition, the value of vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, the science behind food-processing and the modern food industry. It traces nutrition—and nutritional misconceptions—throughout history. It explains how to read food labels and what to watch for in food additives. From the newsworthy to the practical and from the medical to the historical, this entertaining and informative book brings the complexity of food and healthy nutrition into focus through the well-researched answers to nearly 900 common questions, such as …

How do our muscles obtain energy?
What is a calorie in terms of nutrition?
How are calories measured?
Why do vegetarians need to know about complementary proteins?
How does a person interpret how much fat to eat based on the daily calories they want to consume?
What is omega-9?
How have trans fats in foods changed in the past—and how might they change in the future?
Can dense carbohydrates that are high in fat and calories affect our sleep?
What are some “healthier” natural sweeteners?
What recent study indicated that red wine and dark chocolate are not as healthy as we think?
What are some of the worst ways to cook vegetables that destroy nutrients?
What is the Maillard reaction?
What recent study showed how beer can help grilled foods?
How does human taste work?
Does the percent of water in our system change as we age?
What’s the difference between gluten sensitivity, celiac disease, and wheat intolerance?
What “sugar” can act like a laxative?
What did the ancient Roman soldiers eat?
Why did so many men die from starvation during the American Civil War?
What does the word “natural” mean on a label?
Why will food labels change in the near future?
What are genetically modified organisms (GMOs)?
Is there a controversy concerning farmed fish versus wild-caught fish?
What is irradiation of food?
Why is high fructose corn syrup so controversial?
How can diet help with premenopausal symptoms in women?
Can soy products lower my cholesterol?
Why do some people seem to eat whatever they want—and still lose or maintain their weight?