10 Trustworthy health and nutrition websites

With so much information about health and wellness on the web, how do we identify trustworthy health and nutrition websites? To put things into perspective, if you search for “health and nutrition websites” Google shows “About 257,000,000 results”. This is just now, at the time this blog post is being written. This uncertainty about where to find credible health and nutrition information was one of the reasons why I took nutrition and health courses from WageningenX.  Now, with a wealth of knowledge, I will share with you 10 trustworthy health and nutrition websites. On some of these websites, the scientific community communicates and debates their findings. On others, the medical and healthcare professionals, as well as the general public, find information related to food, nutrition, health and lifestyle.

1 – British Nutrition Foundation

The British Nutrition Foundation is a registered charity, providing “ impartial, evidence-based information, resources and training on food and nutrition.” Furthermore, they claim not to “lobby, endorse any products, engage in food advertising campaigns or allow commercial or political pressure to influence us when publishing or disseminating information.“ Their funding comes from various sources including, but not limited to, membership subscriptions, donation and grants from food producers and manufacturers, governments, publications, trusts and other charities, just to name a few.

2 – Medline Plus

MedlinePlus is a service of the National Library of Medicine, which is part of the North American National Institutes of Health. Their mission is to “to present high-quality, relevant health and wellness information that is trusted, easy to understand, and free of advertising, in both English and Spanish“. The website is separated into Health Topics, Drugs & Supplements and Videos & Tools.

3 – The Nutrition Source (by Harvard University)

The Nutrition Source is based at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Department of Nutrition. They claim to be a “leading authority on food and nutrition knowledge”. Here you will find the latest articles about nutrition, tips for healthy eating, healthy drinking and healthy weight. In addition, it includes information about different foods, as well as healthy recipes and a tool called The Healthy Eating Plate. 

4 – Nutrition.gov

Nutrition.gov is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of the USDA Obesity Intervention Plan. They present themselves as a “gateway to reliable information on nutrition, healthy eating, physical activity, and food safety for consumers”. Nutrition.gov presents information segmented for different audiences, ranging from infants to older individuals. It covers topics such as Basic Nutrition, Diet and Healthy Conditions, Dietary Supplements, Food Assistance Programs and Healthy Weight. Also, we can find the categories Shopping, Cooking and Food Safety, as well as What’s in Food. This last one presents extensive information about macro and micronutrients.

5 – FoodData Central

FoodData Central, also part of the USDA, “is an integrated data system that provides expanded nutrient profile data and links to related agricultural and experimental research”. Furthermore, their objective is to “meet the needs of diverse users, including researchers, policymakers, nutrition and health professionals, and product developers.” This website presents food profile information (nutrients and other food components) in five different types of data. Two of these are the primary focus of the USDA, namely, Foundation Foods, Experimental Foods. The other three types of data system integrate information from the previous two and include : – Standard Reference Legacy Release (SR Legacy) presents a list of nutrient and food component values based on analyses, calculations, and published literature. – Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies 2013-2014 presents nutrient and food component values for the foods and beverages reported in a U.S. survey called the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.  – USDA Global Branded Food Products Database (Branded Foods) includes nutrient data from branded and private label foods. This information is provided by the food industry.

6 – EUROFIR 

EuroFIR is an international non-profit providing food information in Europe.

 “Its purpose is to develop, publish and exploit food composition information, and promote international cooperation and harmonisation of standards to improve data quality, storage and access”.

EuroFIR compiles the best available information about food from international organizations in Europe (26 countries), USA, Canada, New Zealand and Japan and information about bioactive compounds. This website is abundant in information, tools and resources, however, being a non-profit, they do require payment to access information. There is however a 7-day free trial. More information about fees here.

7 – World Cancer Research Fund

The World Cancer Research Fund is a non-profit organization unifying cancer prevention charities from the US, UK, the Netherlands and Hong Kong. They are “a leading authority on cancer prevention research related to diet, nutrition and physical activity”. Their website includes cancer-related information on diet, nutrition and physical activity, integrated into the Continuous Update Project (CUP). The World Cancer Research Fund website provides free information related to cancer and exposures, types of cancer, and Cancer Prevention Recommendations.

8 – International DIabetes Federation

“The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is an umbrella organization of over 230 national diabetes associations in 170 countries and territories. It represents the interests of the growing number of people with diabetes and those at risk. The Federation has been leading the global diabetes community since 1950.” Their website is a reliable resource to learn what is diabetes and the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. It also explains the possible health complications that may develop as a consequence of diabetes. IDF ‘s website in a very complete resource, proving vast information for care, prevention and cure of diabetes. 

9 – AMERICAN HEARTH ASSOCIATION

The American Heart Association provides information about diseases, but also about the effect of nutrition on those diseases. The American Heart Association was founded in 1924 by six cardiologists who joined efforts to learn about heart disease. With an impressive “lifesaving History”, today, the AHA’s website provides abundant information about heart disease and promotes healthy living through the Healthy for GoodTM movement. This movement was created to inspire people to adopt a healthier lifestyle.  “The approach is simple: Eat smart. Add colour. Move more. Be well.”

10 – PUBMED

PubMed Health is intended for advanced readers. Pubmed is a public database for the scientific literature in the fields of biomedicine and health that also covers portions of the life sciences, behavioral sciences, chemical sciences and bioengineering.  Pubmed is a free resource that is developed and maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), located at the National Institute of Health (NIH).  When using PubMed and other databases, the inclusion of search terms such as “review” and “meta-analysis” is recommended. These are the terms used for certain types of articles that provide a broad overview of a topic. For instance, if you are interested in overview articles about the relation between dietary fiber and colon cancer, enter the search terms “colon cancer” (or “colorectal cancer”), “dietary fiber” (or “dietary fibre”) and “meta-analysis” or “review” using the advanced search tool in PubMed.

BONUS HEALTH RESOURSE FOR VEGANS: NUTRITIONNFACTS.ORG  

Nutrition Facts.org is a vital resource of science-based information for anyone, especially for vegans. It is a non-profit service provided by Dr Michael Greger, a renowned doctor and New Your Times best-selling author.  The website is updated daily, providing free valuable information on the latest nutrition-related research. This information is provided in video , podcasts and written form. 

I hope this list of trustworthy health and nutrition websites helps you clarify your health and nutrition-related doubts and contributes to your healthier choices. Now tell me, where do you usually look for nutrition information?
Do you know other trustworthy health and nutrition websites not listed here? Please let me know in the comments below, as I would like to build a resource page dedicated to health and nutrition.