Seems like everyone today has an opinion about what constitutes a healthy lifestyle, and there’s certainly no shortage of websites claiming authority on what, when, and how much to eat. Finding credible resources and programs online can be especially difficult, particularly when you want to eat natural foods, ditch the pills, and get healthy the right way. Increasingly, though, websites are popping up that help you do just that. Here are a few of the better ones.
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30-Day Nutrition Challenge
The Living Kitchen Wellness Group’s 30-Day Nutrition Challenge isn’t a diet; it’s a series of challenges meant to transform a person’s emotional health alongside their physical health. And it’s refreshingly simple: Pick from four challenges (The Original, Going Gluten Free, Sugar Detox, or The Alkaline Life). Next, pick a price level that meets your budgetary needs. All choices include meal plans, recipes, and grocery lists to help you on your path toward holistic health. Intermediate and advanced plans add on daily tips, informative handouts, inspiring recordings, and even meditations.
Visitors to WhatsOnMyFood.org, which is published by the Pesticide Action Network, can search the site’s database by type of food (everything from blueberries to beef liver) or by pesticide. The site uses data from the USDA’s Pesticide Data Program, cross-referenced with toxicology data from the EPA and other authoritative listings. Smartphone users can even download a free app to stay informed while they’re out and about. Without a doubt, this is the Internet home for all things pesticide-related.
This site is exactly what it sounds like: a comprehensive list of 127 of the healthiest things we can eat, complete with nutrition information. Other helpful resources on the site include tips on essential nutrients and seasonal eating, over 100 recipes, an in-home cooking class, and a huge online community board. One of the most helpful tools, though, is the Food Advisor. Readers fill out a simple questionnaire, and factoring in the person’s health information, geographical location, age, and current diet, the Food Advisor makes personalized dietary recommendations.
As free online nutrition logs go, FitDay.com is one of the slickest around. Its versatility is its main selling point; the tool works for anyone from a mom who wants to shed 10 pounds to a teenager hoping to run a sub-20-minute 5K. Utilizing the site’s attractive, intuitive interface, users (over six million already) can set their physical goals, track their physical activity, and log their food and caloric intake at the click of a button on a home computer or iPhone app. ($1.99) A premium account, at $4.16 per month, removes ads, simplifies the diet interface, offers quick-view nutritional information, and creates colorful reports that analyze a user’s progress.
Fret no more about what’s for dinner: eMeals.com is here. The subscription-based meal-planning program includes everything the stretched-thin family cook could want. Users receive a monthly meal plan and shopping list based on pre-set preferences like “clean eating,” low-fat, low-carb, portion control, and vegetarian. Specify the number of people eating and even the store where you shop, and a customized menu is created. It’s not free, but if meal planning is a constant source of stress in your household, it’s a bargain: a three-month subscription is priced at $21; a 12-month subscription is $58.
