Fundamentals of Foods, Nutrition and Diet Therapy

FOODS AND NUTRITION are essential for maintaining good health and to prevent disease. Although
food occupies the first position in the hierarchical needs of man, ignorance of many basic facts relating
to foods and nutrition is still widespread. Consequently, various nutritional disorders for which there
are simple remedies such as blindness caused by vitamin A deficiency persist. Good nutrition is a
function of both economics and education. In our country, the most serious form of nutritional disorder
is undernutrition arising from inadequate purchasing power. However, even when purchasing power is
adequate to access balanced nutrition, various forms of imbalance in dietary intake occur due to lack of
knowledge.
The culinary art of which we are justifiably proud, has placed organoleptic considerations as the
sole criteria of excellence. The various opportunities for accomplishing balanced nutrition through
synergistic interaction within the components of diet have not received the consideration they deserve.
I am, therefore, happy that Dr. Sumati R. Mudambi and Dr. M.V. Rajagopal have taken the trouble of
revising their excellent book Fundamentals of Foods and Nutrition and added Diet Therapy in the fifth
edition of the book. The book covers all the important areas which ought to be taken into consideration
while promoting good nutrition in health and disease.
The knowledge of foods and nutrition is essential for teachers, health professionals, students of
home sciences and health sciences and civil society organizations engaged in fighting endemic and
hidden hunger.
The revised edition with the addition of diet therapy will be a valuable book for the use of dietetics
and nursing students. It will also be a valuable guide and reference book for physicians and other health
professionals. The book of Dr. Mudambi and Dr. Rajagopal will make an important contribution to
accelerating the pace of achieving good nutrition in health and disease.
The publication of the revised version is timely