The health food industry is a billion-dollar business in the United States today and is thriving worldwide. However, despite the widespread consumption of these foods, little information on these products is available to validate their actual therapeutic and nutritional value.

The Oxford Book of Health Foods is a comprehensive, up-to-date, and scientifically based guide to a variety of foods associated with good health. From fruits, herbs, and grains to vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements, this new resource offers not only the claims associated with each food, but also the scientific truths behind these claims.

Written in elegant and accessible prose by two leading experts in botany and nutrition, the books begins with an account of modern concepts of human nutrition, followed by a series of over one hundred entries on individual health foods and dietary supplements. Each entry for each type of food provides full information on its origins, a thorough description, the claims and myths associated with it, and the scientific evidence to support--or refute--these claims. Beautifully illustrated throughout with botanical drawings, electron micrograph scans, and photographs (all in full color), the text is further supplemented by a glossary explaining the more technical terms and a bibliography listing sources for further reading. A straightforward and authoritative reference, The Oxford Book of Health Foods is a must-have for all who are interested in general health and nutrition.