Book excerpt: In this Second Edition of the introductory text in the acclaimed Nutrition Society Textbook Series, Introduction to Human Nutrition has been revised and updated to meet the needs of the contemporary student. Groundbreaking in their scope and approach, the titles in the series: Provide students with the required scientific basics of nutrition in the context of a systems and health approach Enable teachers and students to explore the core principles of nutrition, to apply these throughout their training, and to foster critical thinking at all times. Throughout, key areas of knowledge are identified Are fully peer reviewed, to ensure completeness and clarity of content, as well as to ensure that each book takes a global perspective Introduction to Human Nutrition is an essential purchase for undergraduate and postgraduate students of nutrition/nutrition and dietetics degrees, and also for those students who major in other subjects that have a nutrition component, such as food science, medicine, pharmacy and nursing. Professionals in nutrition, dietetics, food science, medicine, health sciences and many related areas will also find much of great value within this book.