• A compact and complete text on the subject. • Deals with the human food choices and eating patterns as well as their impact on the health and well-being. • Provides basic information about individual nutrient of high importance along with the latest recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) and dietary guidelines. • Suggests techniques of planning for nutritionally balanced diet through food pyramid. • Transcends into nutritional and dietary considerations in infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and other special life stages such as pregnancy, lactation, and old age. • Focuses on malnutrition problems through nutritional deficiency disorders and some of the diet-related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity and osteoporosis along with national policies and programs to attain food and nutrition security. • Presents the emerging topics such as fortification, irradiation, biotechnology, functional foods, nutraceuticals, dietary supplements, pre- and probiotic, nanotechnology and nutrigenomics, and role of nutrition in sports persons, astronauts, and mountaineers.