cover image Feed Your Kids Bright

Feed Your Kids Bright

Harold Prince. Simon & Schuster, $17.45 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-671-60522-3

Cerebral allergens, preclinical pellagra, brain ""brown out,'' goitrogens: it's enough to turn any parent's blood cold. Can the ``wrong'' foods hurt a child's brain? Can the ``right'' foods increase an IQ? Readers should proceed with caution through this minefield of sensational, suggestive material aimed at anxious parents who are determined to raise the smartest kid on the block. The Princes (he's a biochemist; they both write diet books) warn that ``your child could become hyperactive'' from salicylates that, purportedly, sharply reduce the amounts of vitamin C as well as other nutrients in children's brains. The authors discuss a child whose violent temper tantrums were traced to a lack of zinc. Does that mean every child's tantrums are caused by zinc deficiency? If children are badly nourished, their IQ rises when they eat proper food, as Head Start and other programs prove, but that doesn't mean a basically healthy child will also gain 35 points with an improved diet, as the authors imply. The Princes present important research, a sensible diet plan and lots of nutritious recipes, all of which are highly commendable. But the premise of their work remains specious and questionable although undoubtedly marketable. Better Homes and Gardens Book Club and Prentice-Hall Book Clubs alternates; author tour. (February)