While following a plant-based diet can provide many health and environmental benefits, vegetarians and vegans are at greater risk for certain nutritional deficiencies. They may also face challenges when grocery shopping, dining out, and interacting with friends and family. More and more Americans are reducing or completely eliminating meat and other animal products from their diet. Some are motivated by concerns surrounding animal welfare and the environmental impact of meat, while others hope to improve their health by following a plant-based diet. Although a vegetarian or vegan diet can provide many benefits, it can also pose unique challenges and health risks. Part of Greenwood's Q&A Health Guides series, Vegetarian and Vegan Diets: Your Questions Answered follows a reader-friendly question-and-answer format that anticipates readers' needs and concerns. Prevalent myths and misconceptions are identified and dispelled, and a collection of case studies illustrates key concepts and issues through relatable stories and insightful recommendations. Each book in the series also includes a section on health literacy, equipping teens and young adults with practical tools and strategies for finding, evaluating, and using credible sources of health information both on and off the internet—important skills that contribute to a lifetime of healthy decision-making.

Most people take eating for granted - but for some, eating can be downright dangerous. Thirty thousand Americans are hospitalized each year due to an allergic food reaction and peanut allergies in American children doubled from 1997 to 2002. Between two and ten percent of children are affected by food allergies worldwide and adverse food reactions increased hospital admissions by five hundred percent in the United Kingdom during the past two decades. Asthma cases, a reliable indicator of food allergy susceptibility, increased one hundred percent during the last thirty years. While most people assume they have a food allergy, only a very small percentage of cases are a true food allergy. For reasons still unknown, the human immune system reacts abnormally to certain foods. However, medical disorders, increased globalization of the food supply, and an upsurge of processed and convenience foods that contain food additives may also cause adverse food reactions as well. Accurate diagnosis can be extremely tricky and many sufferers never learn what causes their symptoms.

Why are adverse food reactions on the rise? How can an accurate diagnosis be made? Is it even possible to enjoy foods and stay safe and healthy? These are just some of the questions this book will answer while helping the reader to learn all they can about why adverse food reactions happen, distinguish between a true food allergy and a food hypersensitivity, and outline strategies to successfully manage and live with them.

Current scientific theory presumes free radicals--unstable by-products produced by normal human metabolic processes-- damage the body, resulting in chronic health problems and degenerative changes associated with aging. Nutritional products on the market today promise that antioxidants can reduce--possibly even reverse--damage caused by these free radicals. If true, that would mean less chronic disease and premature aging, at the very least. But are antioxidants indeed the new Fountain of Youth? Media reports extol antioxidants as the solution to disease and aging, and some studies to seem to back up those reports. Yet the studies that have been completed are far from conclusive, and taking antioxidant supplements can, at times, be dangerous. This book explores current thinking, analyzes the studies, and answers the questions: What are antioxidants? What do they do? Is there any real benefit to taking them as supplements? Are there any real dangers for me? Media report preliminary and conflicting scientific studies on antioxidants, notwithstanding the fact that the final analysis about their effectiveness and safety is incomplete. The result is increasing sales of dietary supplements and so-called functional foods or "nutraceuticals" that are not regulated, nor proven, and a possible public safety crisis from "hypersupplementation." Milbury and Richer bring us up to date, sharing nuances and emerging news regarding antioxidants--and their dangers. Understanding the Antioxidant Controversy is an educated consumers' and health professionals' guide to this controversial topic.

An easy-to-understand introduction to food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances-unique but related conditions affecting many children and adults. The information, guidance, and resources offered make this a valuable tool for anyone struggling with negative reactions to certain foods. While many people think that any negative reaction after eating a food indicates an allergy, that's not the case. True food allergies, along with more common food intolerances and sensitivities, can produce a wide range of symptoms, from unpleasant bloating to life-threatening anaphylactic shock. What causes these conditions, and how can they be treated or managed? Why are certain foods, like peanuts and milk, more problematic than others? Why are food allergies on the rise, and is this only a problem in the industrialized world? Food Allergies and Sensitivities: Your Questions Answered, a part of Greenwood's Q&A Health Guides series, answers these and other questions related to this fascinating topic. Each book in this series follows a reader-friendly question-and-answer format that anticipates readers' needs and concerns. Prevalent myths and misconceptions are identified and dispelled, and a collection of case studies illustrates key concepts and issues through relatable stories and insightful recommendations. The book also includes a section on health literacy, equipping teens and young adults with practical tools and strategies for finding, evaluating, and using credible sources of health information both on and off the internet-important skills that contribute to a lifetime of healthy decision-making. Makes the subject accessible to readers by means of a simple Q&A format Helps readers hone their research and critical thinking skills in a Guide to Health Literacy section Provides real-world examples of concepts discussed in the book through case studies Dispels popular misconceptions in a Common Myths section and directs readers towards accurate information Points readers towards additional books, organizations, and websites for further study and research in an annotated directory of resources