Ever wondered what those new food labels mean? Or prehaps you're wondering what exactly a serving size is, anyway? The following is a list of United States government sites that will answer those and a bevy of other questions relating to food and nutrition.
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
This site provides information on cholesterol, how to maintain a healthy weight, heart-healthy recipies, how to shop for healthy food and guides to physical activity and behavior change.
Online publications from the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders
This site contains online publications on nutrition and obesity.
What Does it Take to be Healthy?
This site contains guides to eating health and exercising. It includes printable charts to help monitor eating and exercise habits.
Healthfinder
This searchable database is dedicated to providing reliable information and resources about health from government and nongovernment sources.
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
The Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion is designed to provide quality information to Americans about food and nutrition.
This site includes information on the food pyramid and current research and studies on food and nutrition.
Nutrition Insights
Nutrition Insights is a publication of the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. Each issue focuses on a specific topic, such as sodium intake.
The issues are in pdf format, which requires an Adobe Acrobat Reader to read. If you do not have an Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download it for free here.
Publications on Health from the Consumer Information Catalog
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, published in 1995, is produced by the USDA and provides recomendations on what is required for a healthy diet.
Interactive Food Guide Pyramid
This site explains the food guide pyramid, including what types of food are in each category and how much food counts as a serving.
International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements
This is a searchable database of published international scientific literature on dietary supplements including vitamins, minerals, and botanicals.
A Food and Drug Administraion Guide to Dietary Supplements
Food Additives
This site provides information on food additives, food irrigation and Olestra.
Consumer Protection--Diet, Health and Fitness
This site from the Federal Trade Commission provides consumer information on exercise, health spas, weight loss claims, and other health related topics.
Consumer Advice from the Food and Drug Administration
This site contains information on food safety, food labeling, nutrition, weight loss and other health-related topics.
Food and Nutrition Research Briefs
This site provides up-to-date information on research in food and nutrition.
Food Surveys Research Groups
This site provides information on what Americans eat and what they know about health and nutrition.
Calcium Intake for Children and Adults
This document from the National Institute of Health contains information on how much calcium adults and children need and what food sources that are high in calcium.
Food Allergies and Food Intollerances
This site from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases explains allergies, intollerances and aversions to food.
Food Labeling and Nutrition
This site explains how to read the new food labels and how they can help you eat healthily.
Food Safety
This site by a fellow library science student is an excellent guide to internet government sources on food safety.
Nutrition and Cancer Prevention
This site from the National Cancer Institute contains information on how a healthy diet may prevent cancer.
Older Americans
This site provides information on wellness, nutrition and exercise for older Americans.
Weight-control Information Network (WIN)
This site provides health professionals and consumers with science-based information on obesity, weight control and nutrition.