New author Staci Nix brings this market-leading textbook a fresh perspective and a wider scope. Nix keeps the appealing style and content of earlier editions but brings in new ideas plus a healthy portion of practical insight gained from years of clinical experience. The book follows a logical organization, presenting basic concepts in Part 1, applying that content to specific demographic groups in Part 2, exploring the more specific roles of community nutrition and health promotion in Part 3, and finally focusing on nutrition as related to selected disease processes in Part 4. Engaging design is a hallmark of this popular text, with colorful openers, illustrations, boxes, tables, and textual presentations. Clinical Applications and For Further Focus boxes highlight hot topics, and analyze a particular concept or trend in depth. Clinical Applications boxes provide case studies to focus attention on related patient care problems. Key Concepts and Key Terms condense critical information into easy-to-find boxes. Each chapter in Part 4 includes diet therapy guidelines that include various recommendations, restrictions, and sample diets for major clinical conditions. Chapter summaries put content into perspective the big picture of nutrition. Challenge Questions use true/false, multiple-choice, and matching formats to test students understanding of chapter content. Critical Thinking Questions challenge students to analyze, apply, and combine various concepts. Content threads features shared with other Elsevier titles help to streamline the learning process. These include a reader-friendly approach, attractive cover design, Key Concepts, Critical Thinking questions, Chapter Challenge Questions, Key Terms boxes, and boxes devoted to special content. Cultural Considerations boxes point out the influence of a patients background on his or her dietary intake. The most up-to-date Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) information has been integrated throughout the text, including the newest data concerning energy, carbohydrates, fiber, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, and amino acids, as well as the brand NEW 2004 DRIs for water and electrolytes. Coverage of hot topics and trends is expanded, including genetics, syndrome X, high-protein/low-carbohydrate diets, the increased incidence of type 2 diabetes, and antioxidants. Key websites and resources are recommended for further study and research, offering access to in-depth information and updated content. Up-to-date information enhances discussions in many chapters, including content on the role of nutrition during pregnancy and childhood, the resulting effects on population and age distribution, alternative means of agriculture, weight management, drug interactions, and much more. The Cultural Dietary Patterns and Religious Dietary Practices appendix is extensively revised to include key food sources for a wide variety of cultural, ethnic, and religious groups.