cover image The High Blood Pressure Relief Diet

The High Blood Pressure Relief Diet

James Scala. Dutton Books, $18.95 (324pp) ISBN 978-0-453-00630-9

Scala, a nutritionist and biochemist, serves up a smorgasbord of technical and practical dietary information that promises to obviate the hypertensive's need for lifestyle-limiting drugs. With a nutritionist's fervor, he offers a complete menuthe complex biochemical peculiarities of hypertension, dietary guidelines and case historiesbut in the form provided, this is difficult to digest. The technical sections, though lucidly and knowledgeably presented, may be lost on even the savvy and inspiredthere are no clarifying diagrams. The diet tips, scattered throughout and culminating in a few sample menus, serve more as seasoning than substance. Scala's tone of voice vacillates; in subheadings he may wax instructive (``Dilute Sodium''), waver toward whimsy (``The Tale of Two Type A's'') or offer bland support (``Putting All This Together: You're in Control''). This seems evidence of underlying organizational malaise: the reader doesn't know what to expect next. By the time we reach the last page, we've had our fill of information, yet aren't satisfied. (Jan.)