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Books

My goal in publishing Environmental Nutrition: Understanding the Link Between Environment, Food Quality, and Disease was to take the principles of environmental science and hold them up as a framework for understanding nutrition. I wrote the 304-page text with special attention to the scientific research; the book ended up containing more than 800 research references from indexed journals and more than 100 original charts and diagrams (most of them involving chemistry).

My premise in the book is that our standards in nutritional practice are non-environmental in nature, and that these non-environmental standards have had a negative impact on the practice of nutrition and on public health recommendations about diet. Included in the book are in-depth explorations of controversial topics like food irradiation and pesticide use, evaluations of over 100 toxic substances commonly found in food, and a detailed cell-level analysis of potential health problems. Strategies for the establishment of environmental standards in nutrition are outlined, including sustainable agriculture and organic food production. In addition to being sold on a stand-along basis, the book has served as the basis for a very well-received continuing education course completed by hundreds of registered dietitians and approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration.

In 2010, in response to requests from a large number of dietitians, I published a 37-page supplement to the book entitled "Environmental Nutrition: 2010 Updates." These updates were designed to provide a more practical, "hands-on" approach to many of the scientific issues raised in the book. Included in the updates are:

• extensive new section on carbon footprinting of food
• comprehensive new section on genetic engineering of food
• 32 pages of new information
• over 60 new research citations
• a dozen new charts and graphs
• "What You Can Do" sections that include both personal health and community action steps
• more than two dozen website resources focused on information about nutrition and the environment

The price of the book (including the 304-page book itself and the 37-page 2010 Updates supplement) is $24.95, plus $5.95 for U.S. Priority Mail Shipping. To purchase the book, click the PayPal button below:

If you would like to see a highly detailed table of contents for the book, please scroll down to the end of this page.

Other Books

I teamed up with primary author Dr. Elson M. Haas, MD to draft new content for the 21st-century edition of his book, Staying Healthy with Nutrition: The Complete Guide to Diet and Nutritional Medicine. My role was to weave in the latest scientific research. Over fours years of work, we ended up adding nearly 2,000 citations to the book's 927 pages. It was exciting to work with Elson and take such a broad-based look at nutrition and health. I am not aware of any other science-based book on nutrition that includes research on U.S. groundwater status, tap water toxins, water filter selection, and human water requirements all within one chapter. To see my message to readers in the book's opening pages, please click on the Staying Healthy book cover to your right. If you would like to order Staying Healthy directly from Amazon, please click here.

ENVIRONMENTAL NUTRITION TEXTBOOK (304 pages)

Contents in Full:

Preface

How to Use this Book

CHAPTER 1: RE-ESTABLISHING ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS IN NUTRITION

Part I: The Environment as an Intrinsic Standard in Nutrition

1. The Experience of Food

2. The Experience of Food in the United States

3. Heightened Awareness Through Media Exposure
3. Self-Reported Lack of Knowledge
3. Low Levels of Agricultural and Household Involvement

2. The Experience of Food in Other Cultures

3. Frequent At-Home Consumption
3. Personalized Involvement Through Ritual Practice

Dietary Laws

1. The Themes of Diversity and Wholeness

2. The Theme of Diversity

3. Geographical Aspects of Diversity
3. Seasonal Aspects of Diversity
3. Interactive Aspects of Diversity

Plant-Microbe Interactions
Animal-Plant Interactions
Animal-Light Cycle Interactions

3. Experiential Aspects of Diversity

2. The Theme of Wholeness

3. Example of a Danish Dairy Farm
3. Experiential Aspects of Wholeness

Part II:The Non-Environmental Nature of Current Standards

1. The Loss of Interaction

2. Nutrient Reference Books
2. Nutrient Databases
2. Clinical Recommendations

3. The Example of Fatty Acid Ratios

Omega 3:6 Ratio and Plant Development
Omega 3:6 Ratio and Human Metabolism
Omega 3:6 Ratio and Human Disease
Neglect of Omega 3:6 Ratio in Dietary Guidelines

3. The Example of Nutrient Synergisms and Antagonisms

Flavonoids and Vitamin C

1. The Loss of Seasonality
1. The Loss of Geographical Uniqueness

Part III:The Energy-Based Origin of Non-Environmental Standards

1. The Concept of Energy in Western Science

3. Energy Theory in Physics
3. Elemental Theory in Chemistry
3. Industrial Applications of Energy Theory

1. Energy-Thinking in Nutrition

2. Caloric Energy
2. Food as Fuel
2. The Historical Value of Energy-Thinking in Nutrition

1. The Problem with Energy-Thinking in Current Nutritional Practice

2. The Example of Dioxins

Part IV:The Return of Environmental Standards Through Information-Based Thinking

1. The Concept of Information in Western Science

3. Information as an Interactive Concept
3. Information as a Unifying Concept
3. Qualitative Aspects of Information

1. The Application of Information-Thinking to Nutrition

2. Information-Thinking About Non-Toxic Aspects of Food

3. Carbohydrate
3. Phytoestrogens

2. Information-Thinking About Toxic Aspects of Food

3. Mercury
3. Pesticides

2. Summary: A Paradigm Shift

CHAPTER 2: THE IMPACT OF NON-ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS ON NUTRITIONAL PRACTICE

Part I: Measuring the Impact on Nutritional Policies and Procedures

1. Narrowed Nutrient Selection

2. DRIs

3. Included and Excluded Nutrients

The Examples of Molybdenum and Boron

2. The Clinical Relevance of Narrowed Selection

1. Loss of Functional Orientation

2. The Neglect of Food-Nutrient Dynamics

3. Agricultural Aspects

The Example of Broccoli and Vitamin C
The Example of Fatty Acids and Time of Harvest
The Example of Garlic and Allicin

3. Food Database Aspects

2. The Neglect of Variability in Human Requirements

3. Inter-Individual Variability
3. Intra-Individual Variability

2. The Clinical Relevance of a Non-Functional Orientation

3. Inattention to the Potential Benefit of High-Dose Supplementation
3. Inattention to the Potential Benefit of Conditionally Essential
Nutrients

Part II: Measuring the Impact in a Sample Diet

1. Macronutrient Analysis

3. Amino Acids

1. Micronutrient Analysis

3. Vitamins

2. Minerals

1. Toxic Analysis

3. Breakfast
3. Lunch
3. Dinner
3. Snacks
3. Summary

BACK TO BASIC CONCEPTS: Bleached, Refined Flour and Forgotten Wholeness HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES: Monocropping and the U.S. Corn Blight of 1970-1971


CHAPTER 3: CLASSIFICATION OF FOOD TOXINS

Part I:Overview

1. Definition of a Toxin
1. Exposure to Toxins: The Example of Arsenic
1. Prevalence of Food Toxins

2. Food Additives
2. Pesticides and Other Substances

Part II:Classification of Toxins by Source of Exposure

1. Indoor Air
1. Outdoor Air
1. Drinking Water

Part III:Classification of Toxins By Chemical Group: Organic Compounds

1. Hydrocarbons

2. Saturated Hydrocarbons

3. Acyclic Alkanes

n-Hexane

3. Cycloalkanes
3. Halogenation of Alkanes

Dichloromethane
Carbon Tetrachloride
EDB and EDC
Chloroform

2. Unsaturated Hydrocarbons

3. Alkenes
3. Polymerized Alkenes
3. Unsubstituted Monocyclic Aromatics

Benzene

3. Substituted Monocyclic Aromatics

Benzoic Acid
BHA and BHT
Phthalic Acid

3. Halogenated Biphenyls

PCBs and PBBs

3. Halogenated Diphenyls

DDT

3. Unsubstituted Polycyclic Aromatics
3. Substituted Polycyclic Aromatics

Dioxin

3. Coal Tar Dyes

2. POPs

3. Biomagnification



1. Summary

Part IV:Classification of Toxins By Chemical Group: Inorganic Molecules

1. Chemical Overview

2. Elements

3. Ions

2. Acids and Bases
2. Salts

1. Metals and Heavy Metals

2. Alkali and Alkaline Earth Metals
2. Heavy Metals
2. Metals, Mining, and Earth's Crust
2. Heavy Metals in the Food Supply

3. Cadmium

Geology
Industrial and Commercial Use
Exposure
Food Contamination

3. Lead

Geology
Industrial and Commercial Use
Exposure
Food Contamination

3. Mercury

Geology
Industrial and Commercial Use
Exposure
Food Contamination

BACK TO BASIC CONCEPTS: Arsenic and Forgotten Wholeness
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES: Petroleum and the Food Supply


CHAPTER 4: TOXINS IN THE U.S. FOOD SUPPLY

Part I: Regulation

1. Government Agencies

2. EPA

3. Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
3. Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA)
3. The Delaney Clause and Units of Measurement

2. USDA

3. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service(APHIS)
3. Federal Grain and Inspection Service (FGIS)
3. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)

2. FDA

3. History
3. General Legal Jurisdiction
3. Specific Jurisdiction Over Food Irradiation

Overview
Regulatory History
Approved Uses
Approved Doses
Consumption-Related Health Risks

2. Congressional Legislation Affecting Multiple Agencies

1. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

Part II:Levels of Toxicity

1. Toxins in Grains, Flours and Pastas

3. Agriculturally-Related Contaminants
3. Processing and Packaging-Related Contaminants
3. Summary

1. Toxins in Oils, Nuts and Seeds

3. Agriculturally-Related Contaminants
3. Processing and Packaging-Related Contaminants
3. Summary

1. Toxins in Vegetables

3. Agriculturally-Related Contaminants
3. Processing and Packaging-Related Contaminants
3. Summary

1. Toxins in Fruits

3. Agriculturally-Related Contaminants
3. Processing and Packaging-Related Contaminants
3. Summary

1. Toxins in Soft Drinks and Other Beverages

3. Processing and Packaging
3. Summary

1. Toxins in Eggs and Dairy

3. Agriculturally-Related Contaminants
3. Processing and Packaging-Related Contaminants
3. Summary

1. Toxins in Meat and Poultry

3. Agriculturally-Related Contaminants
3. Livestock Handling-Related Contaminants
3. Processing and Packaging-Related Contaminants
3. Summary

1. Toxins in Drinking Water
1. Toxins in Fish
1. Estimated Total Intake of Dietary Toxins

BACK TO BASIC CONCEPTS: Irradiated Beef and Forgotten Wholeness
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES: Radioactivity in Science and Industry


CHAPTER 5: IMPACT OF FOOD TOXINS ON THE BODY

Part I: Toxic Exposure

1. Governmental Surveillance
1. Tissue and Body Fluid Estimates

Part II: Methodological Issues in Food Toxicity Research

1. Food Versus Non-Food Toxins
1. Functional Level of Toxic Impact
1. Organ-Specific Mechanisms of Toxicity

Part III: Toxic Disruption of Informational Processes

1. Information and Genetics

2. Genotoxicity

3. Strand Breaks, Cross-Linking, and Sister Chromatid Exchanges

Pentachlorophenol
Benzoyl Peroxide
Sodium Bisulfite
Heavy Metals

3. Toxic Disruption of Transcription Factor Activity

NF-Kappa B Induction by Heavy Metals

3. Toxic Promotion of Polyploidy

Pesticides and Packaging

1. Information and Cell Signaling

2. The Signal Transduction Model

3. G-Protein-Coupled Reactions (GPCRs)
3. Adenylate Cyclase and Protein Kinases
3. cAMP Phosphodiesterase

Phosphodiesterase Inhibition by Methylxanthines

3. Growth Factors in Signal Transduction

2. Toxic Disruption of Cell Signaling

3. Protein Kinase Disrupters
3. Adenylate Cyclase Disrupters

1. Information and the Apoptosis Model

2. Laboratory Detection of Apoptosis
2. Whole-Body Perspectives on Apoptosis
2. Toxic Disruption of Apoptosis

3. General Inducers
3. AHR-Binding Agents

Part IV: Toxic Damage to Tissues and Cell Structures

1. Oxidative Chemistry and Physiology

2. Free Radicals

3. Molecular Oxygen

2. Radical and Non-Radical Forms of Oxygen
2. Oxygen Metabolism

1. Direct Damage Caused By Oxidative Stress

2. Air Pollution and Oxidative Stress

3. Common Air Pollutants

2. Oxidative Stress in the Body

3. Damage to Plasma Membranes

Peroxidation of Membrane Lipids

3. Damage to Mitochondrial Membranes
3. Other Types of Direct Damage Caused by Oxidative Stress

Induction of Apoptosis
Adrenochrome Production

1. Oxidative Stress and Chronic Disease
1. Toxin-Related Aspects of Excessive Inflammation

2. Overview of Inflammatory Response
2. Type 1 Hypersensitivity

3. Function and Tissue Distribution of Mast Cells
3. Mast Cell Degranulation (MCD)

Fc Receptors
Cross-Linking by Dietary Lectins and Antigens
Other Food-Related MCD Triggers

3. Basic Consequences of Mast Cell Degranulation

Release of Inflammatory Mediators
Activation of the Arachidonic Acid (AA) Pathway

3. Oxidative Aspects of the Arachidonic Acid Pathway

Metabolic Overview
Eicosanoid Production
Cyclo-oxygenase (COX) and Lipoxygenase (LPX)

1. Toxin-Related Aspects of Imbalanced Detoxication

2. Overview of Cellular Detoxication

3. Basic Function of Detoxication
3. Tissue Distribution of Detoxicating Enzymes
3. Metabolic Phases in Detoxication

2. Toxin-Related Aspects of Phase I Metabolism

3. Functional Overview of Phase I
3. The Cytochrome P450 System
3. P450 Gene Families
3. P450 Substrate
3. Toxic Induction of P450 Enzymes
3. Phase I Overactivity and Underactivity

2. Toxin-Related Aspects of Phase II Metabolism

3. Functional Overview of Phase II
3. Phase II Conjugation Reactions
3. Unique Aspects of Phase II Sulfur Metabolism

Sulfotransferases
Glutathione Conjugation
Clinical Research on Sulfur Supplementation

3. Unique Aspects of Phase II Methyl Metabolism

COMT Enzymes
HIOMT Enzymes
SAM Cycle Interactions
Methyl Regulation of Gene Expression

3. Phase II Overactivity and Underactivity
3. Toxin Classification and Phase II Conversions

2. Imbalanced Detoxication in the GI Tract

3. GI Sensitivity to Toxic Overload

Imbalances in the Small Intestine
Imbalances in the Large Intestine

Part V: Toxic Disruption of Energetic Processes

1. Overview of Mitochondrial Function

2. Tissue Distribution of Mitochondria

3. Cardiocytes
3. Hepatocytes

2. ATP Recycling

3. Membrane Transport
3. Krebs Cycle Activity
3. Electron Transport Chain Activity
3. Re-Phosphorylation of ADP

1. Toxic Disruption of Mitochondrial Function

2. Altered Membrane Permeability
2. Uncoupling

1. Mitochondrial Disruption and Chronic Disease

Part VI:Toxic Impact: Summary of Concepts

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES: Hormones and Intercellular Communication
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES: Differences Between Hormonal and Signal Transduction Concepts
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES: Mechanisms of Toxic Action in a Cancer Model



CHAPTER 6: THE CHALLENGE OF FOOD TOXICITY

Part I: Taking Stock of Current Resources

1. Clinical Resources
1. Policy-Related Resources

2. Reasons for Policy-Related Inactivity

Part II: Dynamics of the U.S. Food Supply

1. Economic Aspects

2. Gross Revenue
2. Rates of Return
2. Total Domestic Expenditure

1. Political Aspects

2. Farming Operations
2. Factory Operations

1. Philosophical Aspects

2. Food as a Commodity: The Example of Beef

3. Beyond Efficient Use of Resources

Invisibility of Origins
De-Publicizing of Food Production Processes

2. Non-Food Orientation of Food Companies: The Example of Borden

Part III: Medical Philosophies and Food-Related Toxicity

1. The Symptom-Diagnosis-Disease Model

2. Definition of Terms
2. Rheumatoid Arthritis from a Symptom-Based Perspective

1. Philosophical Implications of the Disease Model

2. Disconnecting Purpose From Disease
2. Illness as a Potentially Incongruous Event
2. Inconsistency with an Environmental Approach

1. Philosophical Alternatives to a Disease Model

2. Rheumatoid Arthritis Revisited

3. The Role of Oxidative Stress

Lack of Motion and Hypoxic-Reperfusion Injury
Inflammatory Messengers and Collagen Instability
Estradiol and Decreased Nitric Oxide Production
Oxidation of Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs)

3. The Congruity and Purpose of Diet

Dietary Antioxidants as Preventive Factors in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Fasting and Vegetarian Diets as Treatment Factors in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Food Toxicity and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Part IV: Biogeochemical Cycles and Sustainabilitynt Cycles

1. Basic Types of Nutrient Cycles

2. The Hydrology Cycle

3. Groundwater and Runoff
3. Deforestation
3. Waste Disposal
3. Dams and Irrigation

2. Gaseous Cycles

3. Carbon

Respiration and Photosynthesis
The "Greenhouse Effect"

3. Nitrogen

Manure and Fertilizer
Eutrophication

2. Sedimentary Cycles

3. Sulfur

Acid Rain

3. Phosphorus

Fertilizer

1. Food Production as Biogeochemically Disruptive
1. Sustainable Agriculture

2. The Concept of Sustainability
2. Organically-Grown Food

3. Organic Food Sales
3. The Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA)
3. Limitations of Organic Production

2. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)



1. Summary: The Challenge of Food Toxicity

Appendix A: National Primary Drinking Water Standards
Appendix B: CERCLA Priority List of Hazardous Substances

Index

The price of the book (including the 304-page book itself and the 37-page 2010 Updates supplement) is $24.95, plus $5.95 for U.S. Priority Mail Shipping. To purchase the book, click the PayPal button below:

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Copyright 2018 by Buck Levin, PhD, RD. All Rights Reserved.