Jamie Pope
Popular nutrition book updated
The newest revision of the pocket-sized “T-Factor Fat Gram Counter,” written by two Vanderbilt University faculty members, is hitting bookstores this week. The original version was released in 1989 and has sold more than 6 million copies and educated millions of people about healthy eating and smart food choices.
Authors Jamie Pope, a registered dietitian and nutrition instructor at Vanderbilt University's School of Nursing, and Martin Katahn, Ph.D., author of “The Rotation Diet” and “The T-Factor Diet” and a Vanderbilt University professor emeritus of Psychology, thought it was time to update the last edition of their popular book to remind people that fat intake is still a major concern.
“There's a lot of emphasis in our culture about losing weight, but it's difficult to do unless you have accurate information at your fingertips,” said Pope. “The key to successful weight loss or from keeping those pounds from creeping on is to make healthy food choices and keep portion sizes reasonable. Not many people realize that the highest fat foods are the highest calorie foods and that by substituting lower fat, healthier alternatives they can lose weight, improve overall nutrition, and reduce disease risk.”
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 60 million Americans, or 30 percent of the population, are obese. An even greater number are overweight, with two-thirds of adult Americans above a healthy weight range. Even a small weight loss may help reduce the risk of chronic disease.
The new book features listings of more than 2,000 foods with updated information, including total fat, saturated fat, calories, fiber and sodium in the everyday foods, and, for the first time, grams of carbohydrates for each food.
“Our book is about helping people learn how to make healthy food choices for themselves and their loved ones as a way to improve overall health,” she said.