University of FloridaSolutions for Your Life

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Publication #FCS8587-Eng.

Healthy Living: Reliable Web Sites1

Linda B. Bobroff and Leigh Ann Martin2

Did you know that the Internet now has over two billion 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.

Table 1. 

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 ware 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, USDA:
http://nutrition.gov
(Nutrition and health information and resources)

National Library of Medicine:

http://medlineplus.gov
(Drug information, medical terms, provider directories, and more)

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA):

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
(Print materials in English and Spanish)

U.S. Department of Agriculture:

http://www.foodsafety.gov
(Tips for keeping meat and poultry safe)

Food and Drug Administration:

http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/seniors.html
(Food safety for seniors; 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)
Of General Interest for Older Adults
Florida Department of Elder Affairs:
http://elderaffairs.state.fl.us
National Institute on Aging:
http://www.nih.gov/nia
Food and Drug Administration:
http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/advice.html
FirstGov for Seniors:
http://www.firstgov.gov/Topics/Seniors.shtml
Administration on Aging:
http://www.aoa.gov

Footnotes

1.

This document is FCS8587, one of a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, IFAS, University of Florida. First published: March 2000. Last revised: June 2008. La versión en español de este volante es Vida Saludable: INFORMACIÓN CONFIABLE EN EL INTERNET. Please visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Linda B. Bobroff, professor, Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611; Leigh Ann Martin, former ENAFS Project Coordinator.

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. Larry Arrington, Dean.