There are a thousand and one yummy food and recipe websites on the web that are helping us to cook right. By ‘right’ I of course mean that we are learning how to dish out palatable stuff. But cooking doesn’t start from the kitchen. It starts from the grocery store or the neighborhood supermarket.

We look at the brands, the product labels, and our grocery list...and start ticking off the items from the list. But are we ticking off the right nutrients to bolster our health and diet plans? Or are we merely swayed by the need to ‘cook something’ quickly?

Nutritional information is crucial for understanding diets especially if you afflicted with lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity etc. Nutritional guides help us to choose healthy foods. So, let these seven online nutritional guides help you cook up (or choose) just the right dish.

Nutrition Data

This site is one of the broadest sources for nutrition data. All the food content information in Nutrition Data's database is sourced from the USDA's National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference and is supported by listings provided by restaurants and food manufacturers. The source for each individual food item is listed in the footnotes of that food's Nutrition Facts page. In addition to food composition data, Nutrition Data also has a set of proprietary nutrition management tools to analyze and understand that data.

USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference

This is the definitive resource that a lot of nutrition websites tap for information. It is a veritable search engine for looking up nutrient information for over 7500 different foods, though it is US specific. You can search using keywords like trade names, company names, food groups etc. The information is constantly updated as new research adds to the data.

Calorie Count

Love bagful of bagels? It could take you a round of jogging just to burn down the 100+ calories from a single large bagel. That’s what this nutritional and health website tells me as I look up Nutrition Facts food labels to find nutrition data for more than 220,000 foods. The site is also a thriving community of the health conscious as they make use of tools like food journals, exercise logs, weight trackers, nutrition data, and diet aids.

Calorie Lab [No Longer Available]

Here’s another nutritional and food database that also covers health news and fitness information. The Calorie Counter covers nutritional content of generic foodstuffs packaged brands, and also a whole lineup of US restaurants and eating joints. You can use the search box to go through 70,000 foods and 500 restaurant menus.

Fatburgr

Just like the above site, this nutritional information website also gives you the inside track on what restaurants are serving us. There’s an iPhone app too if you want to get the nutritional information right from the table. Some familiar names are there, but I am still not sure if they are adding new ones to the list regularly.

What’s On My Food

This ‘alarming’ website is not about nutrients in food, but it’s about something that’s far unhealthier and toxic – pesticides. The site is a searchable information resource on food items and the pesticides associated with them. You can also search by pesticide. In both cases, you can find out the toxic effects on our health. The data on the site is collected from trusted sources such as United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA) Pesticide Data Program (PDP), U.S. EPA and PesticideInfo website.

Two Foods

The above sites all need you to do a little digging. It’s not so with this one where you can face off one food item with another. You can enter two food items to compare and see the calorific and nutrient values for both – side by side. It’s simple enough to settle a few arguments.

Today, thanks to smartphones and web access it has become easier to consciously go for a healthier lifestyle; which usually starts with food. iPhone apps like Fooducate and MealSnap make that decision as easy as a click. Keeping tabs on your health has never been easier. But are you aware?

Image Credit: Shutterstock