Subject Guide for Nutrition

Contents:

Introduction

Nutrition is the identification and study of the chemical compounds (whether from food or supplements) needed by organisms to survive, grow, and reproduce. This guide focuses on human nutrition with an emphasis on the role nutrition plays in health and illness.

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Contact Information

Ellie Dworak is the SDSU Library & Information Access's subject specialist in nutrition. Her contact information is:

At San Diego State University, nutrition is studied in the Exercise and Nutritional Sciences Department.

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Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Encyclopedias and fundamental textbooks in nutrition provide both an overview of a topic and suggested starting points into the research literature. Listed below are a few to get you started. There are many more which can be in found in the reference book stacks on the 1st Floor of the Library Addition. They are located in several different call number areas: QP 141 for basic nutrition and its physiological aspects, RM 216-218 for the health and clinical aspects of nutrition, TP 368-577 for food science,and TX 349-500 for information about food, its composition, and cooking.

CRC Desk Reference for Nutrition. Carolyn D. Berdanier
QP 141 B523 2005 Reference
In-between a dictionary and an encyclopedia. Lengthy definitions, diagrams of metabolic pathways, tables of conversion factors, sweetening agents, hormones, and lots more. A good first stop to locate basic information.

The Cambridge World History of Food. Kenneth F. Kiple, Kriemhild Coneè Ornelas, editors.
TX 353 C255 2000 Reference
Presents information on historical and contemporary diets around the world; history of various foods and drinks (e.g. rabbits, rice, kola nuts); nutritional diseases, and current policy issues in food. Extensive bibliographies accompany each article.

Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. Solomon H. Katz, editor in chief ; William Woys Weaver, associate editor.
GT 2850 E 53 2003 Reference and Online
Much broader in scope than the title indicates. Covers the history of food from the general (bread) to the specific (the cocktail party). Includes both historical and contemporary cultures, individual foods and feasts. Looks at anthropological, health, psychological, and sociological aspects of food. Good bibliographies and indexing.

Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition. 2nd edition. Benjamin Caballero, editor-in-chief.
TX 349 E47 2003 Reference
Comprehensive multivolume encyclopedia covering food from its origin and production through its storage and consumption. Detailed articles with lots of statistics and references.

Encyclopedia of Food Science and Technology. 2nd edition. Frederick J. Francis, editor.
TP 368.2 E62 2000 Reference
Some nutritional information, but major focus is on food science in this multivolume set. Numerous detailed articles on food processing, testing, and regulations. Bibliographies with all articles.

Krause's Food, Nutrition and Diet Therapy. 11th edition. L. Kathleen Mahan, Sylvia Escott-Stump, editors.
RM 216 M285 2004 Reference
Covers nutrition basics, nutrition across the life cycle, nutrition for health and fitness, and medical nutrition therapy. Appendices include a guide to laboratory tests used in nutritional assessment and the 1995 ADA Food Exchange Lists.

Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. 10th edition. Maurice E. Shils, senior editor.
QP 141 M64 2006 Reference
Comprehensive textbook aimed at "students and practitioners in the fields of nutrition, medicine, dentistry, and public health." Covers all aspects of nutrition. Extensive bibliographies and appendices.

Nutrition and Diet Therapy Reference Dictionary. 5th edition. Rosalinda T. Lagua, Virginia S. Claudio.
RM 217 L34 2004 Reference
A good recent dictionary. Includes organizations, brand names, diseases. Numerous appendices including the USDA food pyramid.

The Nutrition and Health Dictionary. Percy J. Russell, Anita Williams.
QP 141 R93 1995 Reference
Lengthy definitions of nutrients, enzymes, drugs, food products, and anatomical terms as they relate to nutrition.
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Finding books

General tips

The PAC is the online tool used for finding books and reports in the SDSU Library. Books can be searched by author, title, or subject. The PAC is interlinked with two union catalogs. Circuit is a joint catalog of SDSU, UCSD, USD, and CSUSM. Link+ is a joint catalog for many of the CSU campuses plus a number of private California universities. Books may be borrowed from any of these libraries via the catalogs. Books from the Circuit are generally delivered overnight; Link+ items take 3-5 days.

LC headings

The subject heading Nutrition is used for books with broad scope. More specific headings are available, such as

Additionally Nutrition is used as a subheading under various groups,

or as the subheading Nutritional aspects in association with diseases and conditions,

To locate books about a food, use the name of a particular food. To find books about the cooking of that food, use the term Cookery followed by the name of the food.

To locate cookbooks or books about the food of a particular culture, use the term Cookery and the adjectival form of the culture's name.

To located theses produced by students at San Diego State University, search by the subject

Call number areas

Books about nutrition and food are found in several areas on the 5th floor.

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Finding articles

The major databases for nutrition are found on the Nutrition Periodical Indexes and Databases page. Most of these databases will have links to the full text of the journal articles, a link to the PAC to find out the location of the print, or a link to our Interlibrary Loan services.

Some other databases / indexes to consider are:

International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements (IBIDS) Database Bethesda, MD: Office of Dietary Supplements, N.I.H. and Food and Nutrition Information Center, USDA, 1986-to date.
Indexes journal articles on nutritional and dietary supplements, whether mineral, vitamin, or herb. Records are pulled from Medline, Agricola, and AGRIS, a database produced by the Food and Agricultural Organization.

Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews. Series A: Human and Experimental. Wallingford, UK: CAB International, 1931-canceled in 1992.
RM 214 N8 (5th Floor Periodicals 1931-1985, 1st Floor Periodicals 1986-1992)
Indexes by subject and author articles appearing in nutrition and nutrition-related journals as well as pertinent EU/Commonwealth government reports.
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Dietary Reference Intakes and Food Composition Tables

The long standing RDAs (Recommended Dietary Allowances) have been replaced by the DRIs (Dietary Reference Intakes). The DRIs have been issued in a series of reports published by the National Academy of Sciences. Those published so far are:

Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrates, Fiber, Fat, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients).
Online
Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride.
Online and TX 551 D541 1997 Reference and 5th Floor Books
Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic acid, Biotin, and Choline.
Online and TX 551 D545 1998 Reference and 5th Floor Books
Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids.
Online and TX 551 D546 2000 Reference and 5th Floor Books
Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc.
Online and QP 534 D54 2001 5th Floor Books
DRI, Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate.
Online and TX551 I59 2005 5th Floor Books

Nutrient Requirements of Laboratory Animals. 4th revised edition.
Online and SF 406.2 N88 1995 Reference
Dietary needs for rats, mice, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, and voles.

USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, latest release.
More detail than you can imagine. Nutrient values are based on the variety of the food product as well as the cooking method used (e.g. cooked garbanzo beans). Also available in print as Agriculture Handbook No. 8, Composition of Foods: Raw, Processed, Prepared. (A 1.76:8 Gov Pubs / US). An online version with a slightly friendlier interface is available at the Nutrition Analysis Tool.

Bowes and Church's Food Values of Portions Commonly Used. 18th edition.
TX 551 P385 2005 Reference
Includes both raw and processed foods (with brand names) as well as a section on fast foods. (Now you can find out how much vitamin A an Egg McMuffin has.)

McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods. 6th summary edition.
TX 551 M13 2002 Reference
The British equivalent of the USDA's Composition of Foods.

Food Composition and Nutrition Tables. 6th revised and completed edition.
TX 551 F6856 2000 Reference
A German publication, but international in scope. Includes tropical fruits and vegetables and many unusual items such as rose hip jam and sea buckthorn juice.
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Diet Manuals

Manual of Clinical Dietetics. 6th edition. Chicago Dietetic Association, South Suburban Dietetic Association (IL), Dietitians of Canada.
RM 216 M29 2000 Reference
Focus is on therapeutic rather than normal diets. However guidelines are included for basic omnivorous and vegetarian diets. Each diet described includes purpose and effect of the diet, indications for use, possible adverse effects, assessment procedures, menu planning, and references. Sample menus as well as patient and consumer material is included. The 6th edition is on order.

Simplified Diet Manual. 8th edition. Iowa Dietetic Association.
RM 216 R63 2002 Reference
A listing of diet principles and suggested meal plans for over 30 different diets including "normal," liquid, soft, diabetic, fat-restricted, and purine-restricted diets.

Mayo Clinic Diet Manual: A Handbook of Nutrition Practices. 7th edition.
RM 217.2 M38 1994 Reference
"The goal of the seventh edition of the ... Manual is to integrate the major developments in nutrition science and food technology with application of quality nutrition practices with its health care settings." These guidelines from and for the Mayo Clinic cover a wide variety of medical conditions. Includes references for each diet plan.
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Other web resources

Gateways / Subject Directories

Nutrition.gov
A site lining together the US Government various resources on nutrition. Major areas include Food facts, Food safety, Lifecycle issues, Health management, Food assistance, Research, and Resources.

Hardin MetaDirectory for Nutrition, Diet, and Food
The Hardin MetaDirectory provides subject arranged lists of lists of websites. It covers all areas of health and medicine. This link goes directly to the list of nutrition lists. Several of the lists or gateways included on this page are discussed in more detailed below. Maintained at the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, University of Iowa.

"Virtual" Nutrition Center - Martindale's Health Science Guide
An overwhelming, if slightly confusing, list of resources. It is especially good in its coverage of online tutorials and classes, and calculators (i.e. how much calcium do I need?). Produced by James Martindale.

Organizations

American Dietetic Association
The website for the largest professional nutrition association.

American Society for Nutrition
Publishers of the Journal of Nutrition, and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition., this group serves the needs of nutrition research scientists in academia, industry, and government.

Dietary Managers Association
An organization serving the needs of dietary managers in schools, hospitals, and other food service settings.

Institute of Food Technologists
This is the largest organization for food science and technology. Its members come from industry, academia, and government. The website includes daily news items related to food science and technology as well as education and career information. They publish Food Technology and the Journal of Food Science.
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