Shopping for Health

"Attention, Bob's Grocery shoppers, we have an eat-right special located on the perimeter of our store." Health-conscious shoppers have long known that the healthiest food is not found in the center aisle of their local human fuel center. Hosted by Suzanne Havala, author of Shopping for Health (the book), this brief program is not aimed at practicing vegetarians, but rather at the junk-food junkies, the fast-food addicts, and the TV-dinner gourmands; in other words, the rest of us. Havala shares a handful of guidelines: viewers should eat a diet primarily based on fruits, veggies, grains, and beans; choose a variety of foods (variety does not mean "Wendy's for lunch and McDonald's for dinner"); cut back on fat, sugar, and sodium (i.e., everything with actual taste...oops); get plenty of good exercise, and not drink (alcohol) like a fish. Overall, the video offers a good, common-sense introduction to healthy eating. However, it is definitely on the pricey side, especially for information which is a) pretty general and b) liable to be seen on the Lifetime channel for free about a zillion times during any given week. Don't Eat Your Heart Out (VL-3/96) is a better, more comprehensive, and less expensive choice at $19.95 and also covers some of the same information as the other tapes in this series, which are: Shopping for Heart Health, Shopping for Women's Health, and Shopping for Health: Weight Management (all 4 tapes are available at a series price of $239). Libraries may still want to consider these well-done programs, but they are a bit overpriced for the subject matter. Aud: J, H, P. (R. Pitman)