A favorite for more than three decades among nursing and allied health instructors and students, Williams' Essentials of Nutrition & Diet Therapy provides focused nutrition coverage in an easy-to-read style presented in an attractive and colorful layout. Formerly known as Essentials of Nutrition & Diet Therapy, the ninth edition strives to both improve and enhance the book's reputation for solid core nutrition content, ensuring that the most up-to-date information and topics in this ever-changing field are addressed throughout. Wellness and health promotion are stressed, as are global nutrition issues and the ever-increasing recognition of the vital roles that culture and religion play in everyday dietary patterns, practices, and overall health. Content follows a logical progression of nutrition, separated into chapters organized by the basic principles of human nutrition, community nutrition throughout the life cycle,and an introduction to clinical nutrition related to a number of common disease states. Solid, up-to-date content is presented in an easy-to-read style. Hot topics in nutrition and diet are addressed including the low-carbohydrate/high-protein diet, the glycemic index and diabetes, food processing and labeling, genetics, and more. A new author team brings a wealth of nutrition know-how culled from years of classroom and clinical experience. A completely revamped art program uses color to illustrate complex nutrition concepts and highlight food sources of various nutrients. A new chapter on the complexity of obesity, contributed by well-respected obesity expert Dr. George Bray, uses an epidemiological model of the interactions between the environment and the human host to explain obesity as a disease. The new USDA food guidelines are incorporated throughout the book and uses artwork where appropriate. Each chapter now features a Health Promotion section devoted solely to health and wellness, part of an effort to stress healthy lifestyle choices and prevention as the best "medicine.". New Focus on Culture boxes detail cultural issues related to the topic at hand to help increase reader awareness of the critical, yet often overlooked, role culture plays in nutrition. New case studies include authentic, real-life scenarios to help illustrate key concepts that reinforce learning and promote critical thinking. Diet-Medications Interactions, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and Focus on Food Safety sidebars spotlight newsworthy issues related to the chapter topic.