ALA Booklist (Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2008)

This title in the new Food and Fitness series offers an in-depth look at issues related to body weight. Chapters, organized topically, discuss determining one's ideal weight; health risks associated with weight, from diabetes to anorexia; nutrition and wellness; teen dietary requirements and meal planning; and weight-loss strategies, with possible dangers highlighted. Throughout, Favor advocates consulting a health professional and emphasizes that ideal weights and nutritional needs vary from person to person. Supportive in tone but occasionally dense, the narrative incorporates statistics, charts, and diagrams in the main text and in sidebars. Visuals include photos of teens and adults in everyday activities, conveying both healthful and less healthful scenarios. Teens will find this a useful, often thought-provoking resource for personal or class research, buttressed by appended source notes, a glossary, books and Web sites, and a lengthy bibliography. Pair this with the At Issue: Health series' Can Diets Be Harmful?

Voice of Youth Advocates

The four books in this series are clearly written guides to the role of food and nutrition, with a particular emphasis on teenagers. In Body Fuel, the author explains about how the body uses fat, protein, and carbohydrates; lets readers know which foods are healthier; and discusses vitamins and minerals. Shryer discusses the amounts and proportions people-particularly growing adolescents-need to keep healthy. Weighing In covers some of the same ground with an eye toward getting to and maintaining a healthy weight by eating healthy and getting enough exercise. The author warns readers away from fad diets with sound information about their effects on the body and why these methods do not keep the weight off. Both books take information than can be found easily on the Web and put it together into book form. There are helpful tips given throughout each title. Appendixes include charts for recommended intakes, as well as helpful further information (like some of those free Web sites from reputable agencies). Photos are stock. If the budget allows, these books, which also include titles on sports nutrition and eating disorders, will be useful for students who need everything laid out for them in very simple language.-Alice F. Stern.

School Library Journal (Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

SHRYER, Donna . Peak Performance: Sports Nutrition . 142p. ISBN 978-0-7614-2554-0 . LC 2007002271. ea vol: (Food and Fitness Series). charts. diags. illus. photos. appendix. bibliog. further reading. glossary. index. notes. Web sites. CIP. Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark . 2007. PLB $25.95. Gr 6 Up Weighing In helps teens understand what a healthy weight is and how to attain it. Favor explains that nutritional needs depend on one's age and activity level, and she presents ways to burn calories through activities that teens will find appealing. Rich in facts about foods, wellness, and methods of "dieting," this book is extremely informative. Peak Performance looks at the nutritional needs of athletes, specifically what teenage bodies need to perform at their highest levels. Entire chapters are devoted to different food groups, such as proteins and carbohydrates. In both books, pictures of teens and colorful graphs and charts make the presentations visually appealing. Appendixes include charts on body mass index ( Weighing In ) and caloric intake ( Peak Performance ). These volumes try to empower teenagers to live a healthy lifestyle by taking a positive approach and looking at what can be done to change eating and exercise habits. Kristen M. Todd, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY