The following article was developed by Amber Carson.

Evaluating Nutrition Information On The Internet

The Internet is a powerful tool for gathering nutrition information, but it can be difficult to tell what information is accurate and unbiased and what is not. As nutrition educators, It is our responsibility to know how to tell the difference between good information and invalid information. It can be very difficult to distinguish the difference between fact and commercial bias.

By answering the following questions, you should be able to identify web sites that contain factual nutrition information.

1. What is the Source of the web site?

The first step in identifying the source of a web site is its address. Addresses ending with .org are sponsored by not-for-profit organizations such as the American Dietetic Association (www.eatright.org). Addresses ending with .edu are sponsored by educational institutions such as universities (www.okstate.edu). Addresses ending with .gov are sponsored by government agencies such as the USDA (www.usda.gov). Addresses ending with .com are either privately sponsored or sponsored by a commercial, for-profit organization such as Mother Nature.com (www.mothernature.com).

Commercially sponsored sites are more likely to contain biased information because they are usually trying to sell a product or service. Government sponsored web sites are more reliable because the information posted is strictly regulated and unbiased. Web sites that are sponsored by educational institutions are usually supported by research.

It is always good to seek out web sites that are supported by well-known and trusted institutions that have been publishing journals long before they posted a web site. Some of these sponsors could be the American Medical Association and the American Dietetic Association.

2. What is the purpose of the site?

Is there a product or service to be bought? If the site is an advertisement for a commercial product or service, or there is something to be bought directly from the web site, the information is likely to be biased toward the product or service. Many commercial web sites appear to be legitimate information sources, but they are really just an elaborate advertisement for a product or service. It is very important to know the source of the web site to help to establish the purpose to the web site.

3. What are the author's credentials?

One of the most important things to look for in a nutrition web site is the author's credentials. A web site that is well founded and has accurate information should have some information about the author and his/her credentials. If there are no credentials, there is no way to know how the author knows what he/she has written is accurate.

The Internet can be an effective tool for gathering information. It can also be a source of misinformation, and bias. It is important to always be sure that the web sites that you use for reference contain accurate information. The following web sites contain accurate and unbiased nutrition information.
On this web page, you will find links to credible sources of nutrition information.

In addition to this website, be sure to visit the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Nutrition Web Page, fcs.okstate.edu/food/nutrition/

• This web site also contains links to a variety of other useful and accurate web sites.