Eatright.org

While we're taking a lunch break from the series of LI Conference posts, I'm going to catch up with some of the news about nutrition and products that I've been missing the past couple of weeks.

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) is an important source of good, solid information about dietary issues. They've updated their website, which can be found at www.eatright.org/Public/.

They put out a press release that touted the new features.

1. Diet reviews» This section looks at popular diets (South Beach, the 4-Day Diet, the Flat-Belly Diet, among others) and reviews them from a medical standpoint. A member of the ADA summarizes the diet's claims and strategies, lays out its nutritional pros and cons, and offers a bottom-line critique on whether it's a sound dietetic choice.

2. Question of the day» What is the shelf life of canned vegetables? Is lactose-intolerance the same as a milk allergy? Can pizza be healthy? A new query is posed and answered every one to two days, often with a link to other resources if you're looking for even more information.

3. Find a dietitian» Enter your ZIP code and specialty needs (e.g., celiac disease, weight control), and the site will provide a list of qualified dietitians and their contact information.

4. "Weigh In" blog» Registered dietitians blog about tackling a loved one's eating habits, helping kids navigate snack time, the earthquake in Haiti and other timely topics. The comment section - often the most fun part of blog reading - is sparse at this point, but that might improve as the site attracts more readers.

5. Disease management and prevention» It can be hard to get your general practitioner to discuss diet's role in various diseases, so this section - with information on autism, cancers, kidney disease and others - is a great place to turn for answers.