LibGuides: Nutrition Resources: Web Sites

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Need help finding information on the Internet and interpreting the results? See our study guide.

Finding & Evaluating Information on the Internet

How can you tell if a web site is trustworthy or not? It's not always easy, but there are things that you can look for that will help you decide.

Who is the author? Are they qualified to talk about this subject?
How accurate is the information? You may need to compare what you find with another source to answer this question.
Who is the audience? This can influence how much detail is included.
What point of view is being represented? All sites have a bias, but is it obvious or are they trying to hide something?
How up to date is the site? Older information may no longer be accurate.

General Nutrition and Health Information

Nutrition

Web sites listed here have generally superior nutrition information. Beware when you search the web for nutrition topics. There are many sites trying to sell stuff, including unproven items. Be skeptical.

Photo by Erica Marshall of muddyboots.org

Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease
This is a print book, not an online resource. It is highly recommended by the ACC Nutrition faculty. It is available at most campuses. The latest edition is at several campuses and others have the earlier edition for checkout.
Health Source - Consumer Edition
An online database with reference material, articles, news updates on health, including nutrition. Restricted to ACC students and staff.
Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition
Huge amount of information on many aspects of food safety, including allergies, produce safety, pesticides, etc. Also many links to related topics. Good place to look for ideas for research topics. From the US Food & Drug Administration.

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences This link opens in a new window
Articles about biochemistry and physiology, developmental biology, ecology, evolution, genetics, microbiology and plant science.

Nutrition.gov
Aimed at everyday consumers. All sorts of information about what's in food, weight control, vegetarianism, food preparation, dietary supplements, etc. From the US Dept. of Agriculture.
Nutrition Source
From the Harvard School of Public Health. Reliable, practical info on a wide variety of nutrition topics.
USDA's MyPlate
The Department of Agriculture's recommendations on a balanced diet. Introduced June 2011 to replace the "food pyramid."
Eat Right - American Dietetic Association
The organization for professional nutritionists. The sections "For the Public" and "For Health Professionals" are both good for research.
Nutrition & Healthy Eating
From the Mayo Clinic. Lots of brief info on a wide variety of nutrition topics from a respected source.
World's Food
Basic information on the major food groups. Includes how different cultures' consumption habits. From a museum in France.
Food Insight
From the International Food Information Council Foundation, a collection of trustworthy organizations. This may be most useful for news on hot topics in nutrition. The search option is hidden away at the top of the opening screen. Solid nonbiased information.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Detailed information on various nutritional factors. From the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.
Dietary Supplements - National Library of Medicine
Information on vitamins, minerals, herbs and other supplements from the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.
About Herbs, Botanicals & Other Products - Sloan-Kettering
Evidence-based information on use of supplements, especially as they relate to cancer treatments. From a leading medical research hospital.
Organic Center
Promotes organic food. The "State of Science" section is probably the most useful for research. They aim for "credible, peer-reviewed scientific information."
Nutrient Data Laboratory
Calculates the nutritional values of specific foods. Searches can be limited to various food groups, such as fast foods, vegetables, etc.
Vegetarian Nutrition
From the American Dietetic Association. Research information on vegetarianism. Frequently updated.
20 Questions on Genetically Modified Foods
From the World Health Organization (part of the United Nations). Good nonpartisan information on the common questions.

News in Context

5 Quick Tips: Putting Health News in Context

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/nutrition-news/media/

Whenever reading or watching a news story on nutrition and health, keep these questions in mind:

1. Is the story simply reporting the results of a single study?

Only very rarely would a single study be influential enough for people to change their behaviors based on the results. So it is important to see how that study fits in with other studies on the topic. Some articles provide this background; other times, you may need to do more digging on your own.

2. How large is the study?

Large studies often provide more reliable results than small studies.

3. Was the study done in animals or humans?

Mice, rats, and monkeys are not people, To best understand how food (or some other factor) affects human health, it must almost always be studied in humans.

4. Did the study look at real disease endpoints, like heart disease or osteoporosis?

Chronic diseases, like heart disease and osteoporosis, often take many decades to develop. To get around waiting that long, researchers will sometimes look at markers for these diseases, like narrowing of the arteries or bone density. These markers, though, don't always develop into the disease.

5. How was diet assessed?

Some methods of dietary assessment are better than others. Good studies will have evidence that the methods have validity.