Just the facts...

Not a book, but this is a good place to start your 'investigation'.

http://alanaragon.com/

There are a number of people here who can give you the basics, but be aware that nutrition is a highly complex field and once you keep digging into it, it can get quite technical, detailed and often quite contentious.

There is a page/group on here called FAQ, I'll see if I can dig up a link for you to that, In the mean time, have a look on Alan's site, and feel free to ask some questions on here if there are some specific things you want to know. You might want to do a search through old forum posts on here too.

edit: here's the link to the unofficial FAQ group, it's a gold mine of information for newbies!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/474-unofficial-mfp-faq

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/you-are-not-different.html

http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/

These are two of my favorite links to give to people when they are looking for information like this. Give them a read. They're lengthy, but worthwhile.

Try Nutrition textbooks, I have taken a nutrition course and it will break everything down for you from sources of energy (fats, proteins, carbs) and how many calories they yield and how they work throughout the body, how they are digested, etc. It will also tell you about fitness such as the best meals to eat before long endurance exercise or vice versa. Try amazon, buy a cheap used one. Its the best book to give you facts and not objective opinions. Its important to understand how your body works with nutrition and exercise to make healthier decisions for yourself.

My favorite "Diet" book was "You, on a Diet". It's really just a big science book, with some recipes at the end. It's by Dr Oz. I didn't buy it because of the author, though. I honestly hadn't heard of him at the time. But it does give you a nice science lesson on how the body works, which actually gave me a better idea of what I actually needed to do when looking at the foods I ate.

Edit: I just went to Amazon and looked up the book. They also have You, Losing Weight, which seemed promising. But I've read the first one and definitely recommend it, if you are just looking for "facts"

Have never read these books myself, but I know a lot of people who swear by them, people who are not into fad diets but are more into health and understanding your body better. Dr. Oz, although he is somewhat of a celebrity now, is (IMO) a reputable source of information.

Dr. Oz, although he is somewhat of a celebrity now, is (IMO) a reputable source of information.

I can't comment on his books but his information about nutrition and dieting on his show is absolutely NOT reputable and I would suggest people avoid him as a source of info.

Is there a book out there that will give me just the facts in nutrition? Not the latest greatest fad or trend. Just straight facts on eating healthy and fueling your body?

This is something I got from Weight Watchers and in general is a good place to start. The program lists its "Healthy Guidelines" for minimums that you should eat daily for good nutrition and it's served me very well both in weight loss and overall health:

Minimum of 5 fruits and/or vegetables a day
Water, of course
2 dairy servings (for calcium, zinc, vitamin D, protein, etc.)
2 tsp of a healthy oil
Whole grains instead of refined grains
Lean protein
Avoid alcohol and processed sugar (for the most part -- a little is OK)

bump for later

Dr. Oz, although he is somewhat of a celebrity now, is (IMO) a reputable source of information.

I can't comment on his books but his information about nutrition and dieting on his show is absolutely NOT reputable and I would suggest people avoid him as a source of info.

I've looked at the first (original) book and for the most part , it's comprised of decent common-sense nutrition and health information. There are some things that sound good but aren't necessarily true (I think frequent meal eating to keep metabolism boosted and must eat breakfast are mentioned) but it was done before his celebrity status and covers a lot of general ground.

I'd read a graduate level nutrition textbook printed in the last few years. That way it would at least be up to date with the "accepted truth" from about the mid 2000's.

I'd read a graduate level nutrition textbook printed in the last few years. That way it would at least be up to date with the "accepted truth" from about the mid 2000's.

I agree, definitely make sure it is an up to date one.