• Topics: Family Youth and Community Sciences  |  Healthy Living for Elders series  |  Information Resources for Elders  |  Bobroff, Linda B  | Martin, Leigh Ann  |  Elder Nutrition and Food Safety Program (ENAFS) 

Healthy Living: Reliable Web Sites¹

Did you know that the Internet now has over 185 million Web sites? It may be hard to imagine, but it’s true, and the number of Web sites is growing every day. Unfortunately, there are no regulations to ensure that the information you find on Web sites is accurate. In fact, there are many Web sites that do NOT provide reliable information.

So how can you choose Web sites wisely?

Focus on government and education sites—look for Web site addresses (URLs) that end in .gov or .edu. Many organizations (.org sites) also provide sound information. Be aware that commercial (.com) sites may promote products or services, and their information may or may not be reliable or unbiased.

Here is a list of a few trustworthy Internet sources related to nutrition, health, food safety, and resources for older persons. Many of them provide links to additional Web sites.

Nutrition and Health

National Agricultural Library/U.S. Department of Agriculture:

http://www.nutrition.gov

(Nutrition and health resources, including food assistance; link to government nutrition and health Web sites)

National Library of Medicine:

http://medlineplus.gov

(Health, drugs, supplements, medical terms, provider directories; information in over 40 languages)

U.S. Department of Agriculture:

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/

(Nutrition education for adults and children/youth, including MyPyramid, Dietary Guidelines, nutrient content of foods, and more)

Food Safety

National Food Safety Database:

http://foodsafety.ifas.ufl.edu/indexNFSDB.htm

(Consumer, food industry, and educator resources)

U.S. Government:

http://www.foodsafety.gov

(Food Safety news, advice, regulations, gateway to government food safety information)

U.S. Food and Drug Administration:

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety

(Food safety materials in English and Spanish)

Disease Management and Reducing Risk

National Diabetes Education Program:

http://ndep.nih.gov

(Prevention, treatment and research; materials in English and Spanish)

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute:

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov

(High blood pressure, cholesterol, sleep concerns, healthy recipes and more)

The National Osteoporosis Foundation:

http://www.nof.org

(Prevention, treatment and research)

General Interest for Older Adults

National Institute on Aging:

http://www.nih.gov/nia

(Publications related to care giving, healthy aging, medications, and more; in English and Spanish)

FirstGov for Seniors:

http://www.firstgov.gov/Topics/Seniors.shtml

(Resources, laws and regulations, consumer information, and more; English and Spanish)

Administration on Aging:

http://www.aoa.gov

(Statistics, programs, benefits, and more)

Florida Department of Elder Affairs:

http://elderaffairs.state.fl.us

(Information, resources, programs in Florida; English and Spanish)

To see if programs of interest to you are being offered in your county, call your county Extension office. Check the blue pages of your telephone book for the number. In Florida, you can find your local Extension office online: http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/map/index.html.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Millie Ferrer-Chancy, Interim Dean.

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