Are there reliable websites I can visit for nutrition information?

The USDA “ChooseMyPlate.gov” website (http://www.choosemyplate.gov/) is an excellent source of nutrition education. The website provides information on the basic food groups (grains, vegetable, fruit, dairy, and protein foods), number of servings needed per day (depending on your sex, age group, and level of physical activity) and also guidelines as to what constitutes a serving for each food group.

The site also includes information on the health benefits of nutrients, tips to help you increase consumption of healthy foods as well as recipes.

Under the interactive tools section of the website, you can develop your personal “daily food plan”; track your food intake and activity level, and take advantage of the “food planner” to help you plan the foods to eat in order to meet your personal health/weight change goals.

Aside from providing information for the general population, the website addresses the needs of special groups such as pregnant and breastfeeding females, preschoolers, children, and visitors interested in weight loss.

From this site, you can easily explore other informative sites such as those listed below.

• Dietary Guidelines for Americans -- www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-PolicyDocument.htm
• Nutrition Fact Labels -- www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html
• Food Safety Information -- www.fsis.usda.gov/Food_Safety_Education/Food_Safety_Education_Programs/index.asp
• Physical Activity -- www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical/index.htm

The “ChooseMyPlate.gov” website is your portal to food and nutrition information.

Yes, there are a number that offer reliable nutrition information. (And some distinctly unreliable ones as well, so beware!) My list isn’t comprehensive; these are sites I frequent.

• Eatright.org, from American Dietetic Association’s. In addition to their “For the Public” section, also especially useful is the “find a registered dietitian” service.
• www.nutrition.gov, jointly run by the USDA and DHHS, provides nutrition information as well as links to other government sites offering nutrition info.
• nccam.nih.gov is from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. These are fields prone to misinformation, so this site is an important first step in your search for reliable info in this area.
• ods.od.nih.gov, from NIH’a Office of Dietary Supplements, provides comprehensive info on vitamins, minerals and other supplements.
• lpi.oregonstate.edu -- it’s the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University; also with terrific information on vitamins and minerals. 
• heart.org is the American Heart Association’s website which covers a lot of the dietary links to heart disease, including recommendations on omega-3 fats.
• http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/ from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute has good information on diet and heart disease. 
• http://www2.niddk.nih.gov/ is the website of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), with obesity treatment info on their “WIN” network: http://win.niddk.nih.gov
• www.mayoclinic.com, sponsored by the world-famous Mayo Clinic covers the health gamut, including nutrition. 
• TheBestLife.com. I can’t resist tooting my own horn; I contribute to this paid site which offers an un-gimmicky, science-based program to losing weight through exercise and a balanced diet. Subscribers can also switch over to the diabetes/pre-diabetes version of the program.
• cspinet.org -- the site of the influential consumer watchdog organization Center for Science in the Public Interest. The very useful “Chemical Cuisine” section rates food dyes and additives in terms of safety.
• www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed  A search engine for scientific journals where you can research most any health-related subject.

The Internet is full of nutrition and health information. Some of it good and some of it not so good. When looking for reliable health and nutrition information on the Internet, ask yourself the following questions. Who or what organization is providing the information? Is the source reputable? Is the information provided based on fact or biased by individual opinion? Is the information balanced, providing both sides of an issue? Is the organization or author trying to sell you a product? When was the information posted? Can the information be verified by other sources? Does it simply sound to good to be true?

Here are a few websites I recommend for finding reliable nutrition information:

• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics www.eatright.org
• American Heart Assocition www.heart.org
• American Diabetes Association www.diabetes.org/
• National Institutes of Health health.nih.gov/
• American Cancer Society www.cancer.org
• American Institute for Cancer Research www.aicr.org

Some wonderful, credible internet resources for nutrition information include the following:

• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics -- www.eatright.org
• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 800/342-2383, www.diabetes.org
• American Heart Association, 800/242-8721, www.americanheart.org
• American Institute for Cancer Research, 800/843-8114, www.aicr.org
• American Cancer Society, 800/ACS-2345, www.cancer.org
• Food Allergy Network, 800/929-4040, www.foodallergy.org
• CDC -- www.cdc.gov
• NIH Office of Dietary Supplements -- http://ods.od.nih.gov/
• NIH National heart Lung and Blood Institute -- http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/

Yes, there are quite a few reliable websites for nutrition information. Below are just a few of my favorites:

• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics eatright.org
• Kidseatright.org
• foodallergy.org
• choosemyplate.gov
• pcrm.org
• heart.org
• diabetes.org
• cancer.org