Students of nursing, students in many of the allied health fields, and the public need a simple and concise source for learning the basic principles of nutrition, diet therapy, and selection of food. This text questions some current ideas which are based on practice rather than research. These are rapidly changing times, and what was considered good therapeutic practice last year may be considered obsolete next year. Although some material published several years ago still provides good basic information, text, journals, and pamphlets published within the past five years should be used for reference reading when possible.