Nutrition books make fine gifts

Still need a gift for the health-minded members of your family? Here are some new books that they might appreciate:

¢ “Cooking Healthy Across America,” (American Dietetic Assn., 2005). Very smart cookbook co-written by registered dietitians and culinary professionals. Features 350 healthful recipes that also taste good from various regions of the United States. Nutrition information and cooking tips are given for each recipe.

¢ “Your Child’s Weight: Helping Without Harming,” by Ellyn Satter, R.D. (Kelcy Press, 2005). One of my favorite authors on child-feeding, this book focuses on how to “provide rather than deprive” what children need to make healthful decisions about food and manage their weight.

¢ “Tell Me What to Eat if I have Headaches and Migraines,” by registered dietitian (R.D.) Elaine Magee (Career Press, 2005). With one chapter titled “Everything you ever wanted to ask a dietitian about headaches and migraines,” this book includes proven nutrition strategies for various types of headaches and 21 recipes that may help ease your aching head.

¢ “Diabetes-Free Kids,” by Sheri Colberg, Ph.D., and Mary Friesz, Ph.D., R.D. (Avery/Penguin Group, 2005). Twenty years ago, type 2 diabetes was called “adult-onset” diabetes because it mostly occurred in grownups who looked like Santa. This book addresses how type 2 diabetes is now common in children and teens and what we can do to prevent and treat it. Written by diabetes and nutrition experts, this book combines proven strategies for physical activity with common-sense eating guidelines.

¢ “How to Live with a Nut Allergy,” by Dr. Chad Oh (McGraw-Hill, 2005). The author of this book is the chief of allergy/immunology at the UCLA School of Medicine. There’s timely, accurate and practical advice for parents of children.

¢ “The Healthy Beef Cookbook,” by the American Dietetic Assn. and the National Cattleman’s Beef Assn. (John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2005). Perfect gift for your meat-and-potatoes guy, this book features 130 nutrient-analyzed recipes with the newest, leanest cuts of beef.

¢ “The DASH Diet Action Plan,” by Marla Heller, R.D. (Amidon Press, 2005). Has nothing to do with what reindeer do through the snow and everything about “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.” Based on clinically proven nutrition techniques to lower blood pressure, this book features a month of menus at fixed calorie levels.