Superfoods have come to the forefront of the public imagination due to a combination of presumed health benefits and cultural mystique. Much of the literature on these foods, however, is based upon rostrums and diet plans that accept the health claims of superfoods without subjecting them to rigorous scrutiny.

Superfoods: Cultural and Scientific Perspectives examines these food products from a blended science and cultural viewpoint, presenting a balanced, evidence-based view of each food item. Following a discussion of “superfoods” as a category, the book’s...

This Open Access book covers the concept of umami, the unique taste imparted by the amino acid glutamate, was first described in 1908 by Dr. Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo University. Over the past century, hundreds of studies have explored the mechanistic underpinnings of the taste, leading to the characterization of the umami taste receptor in 2002. How this fifth basic taste figures into nutrition and health, however, remains underexplored.

While the importance of food to health and well-being is clear, the specific ways in which food systems contribute to individual and community health are not well understood. This is a complex issue, which requires improving food systems as well as changing mindsets and behaviors of individuals within the food system. Many of the food-related health problems in the US disproportionately affect children, women, ethnic minorities, and low-income people.