Living Without Books: Foodie Grad School

Have you passed the ABCs of label reading—calories, fats, carbs—and moved on to contents —high fructose, malt, casein, soy? If so, maybe it's time to take the next step to understanding food. Deanna Minich makes it easy in An A-Z Guide to Food Additives, Never Eat What You Can't Pronounce (Conari Press). This handy little resource is a textbook on food additives. Which ingredients might be causing headaches, bloating, fatigue or breathing difficulties? What additive is banned in Europe but commonly used in the United States? You can check safety ratings on 300 ingredients, find out substances that can cause cancer or allergic reactions, learn about pesticides and how to avoid ingesting them. Minich grades additives with report-card precision so you can label-shop for healthy winners and ditch the rest.