Martial Artists are generally interested in any information about nutritional requirements that may make us feel and be better. But where do we get our information, and is it reliable? According to the American Dietetic Association’s Nutrition and You: Trends 2000 survey, the media are the consumers’ leading source of nutrition information. Television, magazines, and newspapers are the three primary information sources. Only 11% and 1% cited physicians and dietitians respectively as their source for nutrition guidance. And now the internet has become the overwhelming source for those seeking nutrition information. But how reliable is the information being presented on the internet? The reliability of the information presented on an internet site is largely determined by what the site actually is. Who are the authors? What are their credentials? Who do they work for? Do they have anything to gain by “selling” you on their point of view? Keep in mind that the information presented on the internet is not governed by ANY regulatory agency. This means that anyone can say anything they like. So if someone on the internet is trying to sell you a supplement, it is best not to rely on their site for information regarding it. They may just be trying to sell their product and may be misinterpreting scientific studies (either intentionally or due to lack of knowledge) or they may not be relying on any type of scientific evidence at all. Do a little research of your own. Rely on information from known medical/nutritional/scientific organizations or government agencies; such as the American Medical Association, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, National Institutes of Health, National Academies of Science, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Here are two extremely reputable sites that have valuable information on supplement use (to get you started): American Dietetic Association U.S. Food & Drug Administration The Food Guide Pyramid Various Food & Nutrition Links Links from MAP members (compiled from past threads): Nutrition Data ("Kat") Principal Health News (" pknox") Diet & Nutition and The Nutrition Guide ("KC" ) USDA Nutrition Database Online Health Calculators Please feel free to post your own nutrition links that you have found helpful (... and please no personal advice!)
http://www.ajjcommack.cmasdirect.com/site/view/NutritionInformationfactorfiction.pml This website has a few articles on this topic. http://www.ajjcommack.cmasdirect.com/site/view/FoodandFitness.pml http://www.ajjcommack.cmasdirect.com/site/view/NutritiousBreakfastduringtheHolidaySeason.pml http://www.ajjcommack.cmasdirect.com/site/view/PowerFoods.pml Others: http://www.buddha-fist.com/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=100 http://www.villageherbals.com/VH_Recommended_Links.html with a link to: http://www.healthshaman.com/linkdir/links.htm
Wanna know your foods? Here is something that is truly useful. It's a database set up by the USDA that gives the breakdown of A LOT of foods. It's not perfect, but it's prob the best site I've seen to find nutrients out there. You can either look what you need up individually or dl it so that you don't have to have an internet link. As someone else said, this is at least something you can say that tax dollars were well spent on (at least in my opinion). http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/srch/search.htm