Nutrition

The goal of the National 5 A Day for Better Health Program is to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables in the United States to 5 to 9 servings every day. In addition to this goal, the program seeks to inform Americans that eating fruits and vegetables can improve their health and reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases, including heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and macular degeneration. The 5 A Day Program also provides consumers with practical and easy ways to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their daily eating patterns. www.5aday.gov/

The American Institute for Cancer Research believes that foods that are good for you are foods that taste good. That's what you'll find here in the AICR Recipe Corner. There's no reason eating for better health can't be exciting, fun and scrumptious. We've put together a wide range of recipes, from old favorites to interesting new dishes, to help you put tasty, healthy meals on the table.www.aicr.org/information/recipe/index.lasso

How many calories do you need each day? Find out the number of calories you should eat each day to maintain your current weight. If you're overweight, use the average healthy weight recommended for your height.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans is published jointly every 5 years by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Guidelines provide authoritative advice for people two years and older about how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases.www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/

Check here weekly for nutritional information on your favorite fast food restaurant - calories, carbs and fat.

The NEW Food Guide Pyramid, a widely recognized nutrition education tool, translates nutritional recommendations into the kinds and amounts of food to eat each day. The "My Pyramid Plan" can help you choose the foods and amounts that are right for you. For a quick estimate of what and how much you need to eat, enter your age, sex, and activity level in the MyPyramid Plan box.www.mypyramid.gov

California~ Project~ LEAN's Food on the Run program is dedicated to increasing healthy eating and physical activity among adolescents. They focus on educating young people, but also work to change and create policies to promote health. www.californiaprojectlean.org/programs/foodrun/

Foodfit.com focuses on healthy eating and active living by providing up-to-date information on good food and good health. We work closely with an unparalleled network of food, fitness and nutrition partners to provide the personalized tools and reliable content that has set us apart. Among our most popular features are: the FoodFit Tools: four proprietary, interactive tools to assess your current health habits, the FoodFit Plan, which includes an additional set of six tools, a delicious database of 2,500 healthy, customizable recipes with in-depth nutritional analysis, hundreds of suggestions for celebrating the foods of the season with our guide to seasonal foods and our "Season's Pick," and a fitness section to help you get motivated, keep up on fitness trends and get information to help you create your own workouts.www.foodfit.com/

The IHEI is an online dietary assessment tool that provides information on your diet quality, related nutrition messages and links to nutrient information. The Physical Activity Tool, an addition to the IHEI, assesses your physical activity status and provides related energy expenditure information and educational messages. Use of this tool enhances the link between good nutrition and the health benefits of regular physical activity. Record your score and Go here to register and get a better picture of your eating habits or physical activity lifestyle over time.Healthy Eating Index

The Maine Nutrition Network (MNN) is a collaboration of public and private partners that coordinate nutrition activities to create an environment that supports the health of Maine people. The MNN web site has everything from recipes to where to buy Maine produce. Read their Maine-ly Newsletters or check out their school and children's programs.www.maine-nutrition.org/homepage.htm

NutritionData (ND) generates nutrition facts labels and provides simplified nutritional analyses for all foods and recipes. ND tells you what is good and bad about the foods you eat, and helps you select foods that best meet your dietary needs. Use the Search Tool to create lists of foods that are lowest in carbohydrates, highest in protein, or that match any other dietary restrictions or goals. Use ND's Caloric Ratio Explorer to find foods that have a specific ratio of carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Use ND's 5-Star Search Tool to see the foods that ND rates the highest, to analyze foods that aren't in ND's database, to translate confusing ingredient labels with ND's Food Additive Identifier, examine ND's list of the 50 Most Popular Foods and more.

This site provides easy access to all online federal government information on nutrition. The website also links to information about nutrition and food assistance programs such as the Food Stamp Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, and the School Lunch and Breakfast programs and to federally supported research, reports, and brochures as well as funding opportunities in the federal government. Users can find information on healthy eating, the food guide pyramid, the dietary guidelines for Americans, dietary supplements, fitness and how to keep food safe.www.nutrition.gov/

The Nutrition Source will cut through all of the confusing information about nutrition, and provide clear tips for healthy eating and will dispel a few nutrition myths along the way. And you won't just find out what you should eat, but why you should eat it.. The web site is maintained by the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/index.htm