Allison, D., ed.: Handbook of Assessment Methods for Eating Behaviors and Weight Related Problems: Measures, Theory, and Research. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA, 1995. Technical, but an important contribution to the diagnosis and psychology of eating disorders.

American Dietetic Association: "Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets," Journal of the American Dietetic Association, vol. 93, November 1993, pages 1317-19. Nothing’s Wrong with a good vegetarian diet—the operative word being good.

Blaser, M.J.: "The Bacteria Behind Ulcers," Scientific American, February 1996, page 104. This article presents a clear description of the association between gastrointestinal bacteria and peptic ulcers.

Brown, L. and E. Pollitt: "Malnutrition, Poverty, and Intellectual Development," Scientific American, February 1996, pages 38–43. A poor diet influences mental development in many unexpected ways.

Cohen, L.A.: "Diet and Cancer," Scientific American, vol. 257, November, 1987, page 42. Summary of evidence for an association between high-fat, low-fiber diets and certain cancers.

Diamond, J.: "Dining with Snakes," Discover, vol. 15, April 1994, pages 49ff. Not the kind of table manners espoused by, say, your parents, but an interesting look nonetheless at snake feeding and digestion.

Gibbs, W.: "More Fun than a Root Canal," Scientific American, vol. 269, November 1993, page 106. Well, what isn’t? A new synthetic molecule may stimulate regrowth of dentin in infected teeth.

Natural History: The entire issue, vol. 103 (April 1994), is dedicated to the evolution of mammals, including discussions of dentitior, carnivory and herbibory, exotic tooth morphology (fossils and extant).

Pain, S.: "Beating Bacterial with a Taste for Teeth," New Scientist, vol. 137, February 27, 1993, page 11. The Actinomycetes are the bacteria responsible for plaque formation and subsequent decay. What strategies (besides conventional oral hygiene) can fight these bacteria?

Service, R.: "Stalking the Start of Colon Cancer," Science, vol. 263, March 1994, pages 1559–60. Colon cancer is one of the deadliest varieties there is—and it’s a disease that’s strongly heritable.

Sokolov, R.: "Pyramid Power: The USDA Has Abandoned the Four Basic Food Groups, and Confusion Reigns," Natural History, vol. 103, January 1994, pages 72-78. Remember what you learned in grade school about the four food groups? Well, you can forget about it. There are at least six of them now. This is a good summary of the most recent attempt by the USDA to define dietary guidelines.