Public and private organizations have mounted ongoing efforts to change Americans' behavior toward nutrition and exercise. Sound, logical arguments pervade media and public service outlets, encouraging moderation, application of food planning systems old and new, and endorsing any type of physical activity.

• Nutrition

• Dietary Guidelines for Americans

  Find out what the U.S. government suggests Americans should -- and shouldn't -- be eating.

• The Nutrition Source

  Comprehensive nutrition information from the Harvard School of Public Health includes "Ask the Expert" and an FAQ addressing commonly asked questions.

• Small Bites

  This blog from NYU Master's Degree candidate Andy Bellatti, breaks down the latest nutrition news and information, free from "fillers, additives, preservatives and corporate sponsorships."

• USDA National Nutrient Database

  Look up nutrition stats for all kinds of foods and brand name products with this vast and easy-to-use database.

Back To Top ^

• Diets and Meal Plans

• Frontline: Diet Wars

  Low fat or low carb? Atkins, Pritikin or South Beach? The PBS series Frontline examines the great diet debate.

• Healthy Eating Pyramid

  Harvard School of Public Health proposes this pyramid as an alternative to the USDA's ubiquitous Food Guide Pyramid.

• MyPyramid Plan

  Working with the Food Guide Pyramid, the USDA offers a free personalized eating plan based on age, height, weight, gender and level of activity.

• The Portion Teller

  Read excerpts and interviews with nutrition consultant Lisa Young, whose book, The Portion Teller Plan, offers the antidote to supersizing.

• Revolution Health: Food and Nutrition Basics

  Tips, food facts, shopping strategies, recipes and discussion boards are just part of the numerous options available at this healthy living site.

• Traditional Diet Pyramids

  Find out about alternatives to the USDA pyramid plan including vegetarian, Mediterranean, Latin American and Asian diet pyramids.

Back To Top ^

• Exercise

• America on the Move

  Getting in shape is a matter of steps. Chart the number of steps you take each day on your choice of interactive trails. Get an online "challenge buddy" to stay motivated.

• Fitness Online

  Weider Publications hosts this portal leading to online articles from their many magazines including Shape, Men's Fitness and Natural Health.

• The President's Challenge

  The Web site for the President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program provides personal activity logs and fitness calculators for all age groups, from kids to seniors.

• The Walking Site

  This site "for walkers...by walkers," is a resource for all fitness levels, especially those just getting started on a walking program.

• YMCA

  With 2,663 facilities across the country, chances are there's a Y near you. All facilities offer financial assistance and programs for all ages.

Back To Top ^

• Obesity and Other Health Concerns

• American Cancer Society: Common Questions About Diet and Cancer

  From alcohol to vegetarian diets, find answers on how foods, nutrients or lifestyle factors can affect the likelihood of certain cancers.

• Diabesity:
  The Obesity-Diabetes Epidemic That Threatens America - And What We Must Do to Stop It

  By Francine Kaufman. Bantam, 2005.

• Don't Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America

  By Morgan Spurlock. Berkley Trade, 2006.

• Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World

  By Greg Critser. Mariner Books, 2004.

• MyHeartCentral.com: News

  Keep up with the latest news and research on heart health at this physician-reviewed site.

• Weight-Control Information Network: Understanding Adult Obesity

  Learn about the causes and consequences of obesity with research provided by the National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

• The National Weight Control Registry

  Established in 1994, this online registry invites individuals who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for one year or more to join. Read success stories, articles and research findings.

• NOVA Science Now: Obesity

  Watch the segment online and examine the biology behind the compulsion to eat. Learn more about obesity and what future medical treatments might look like.

• World Health Organization: Obesity

  Get a global perspective on the obesity epidemic, or "globesity". See how different countries compare and get the facts on related diseases.

Back To Top ^

• Children's Nutrition and Health Concerns

• Center for Ecoliteracy: Rethinking School Lunch

  This site challenges you to "think outside the lunchbox" and includes a 175-page downloadable guide to revamping school lunch programs.

• Fed Up!: Winning the War Against Childhood Obesity

  By Susan Okie. Joseph Henry Press, 2006.

• The New England Journal Of Medicine: Childhood Obesity - The Shape of Things to Come

  December 2007 studies show that the consequences of childhood obesity may haunt us for decades to come.

• National Diabetes Education Program: Resources on Children and Adolescents

  These resources for parents and schools can be implemented to help children manage and lower their risk for diabetes.

• New York Times: P.E. Classes Turn to Video Game That Works Legs

  The popular video game Dance Dance Revolution is making its way into schools in the fight against childhood obesity.

• The Sacramento Bee: The Weight

  Overweight teenagers shed pounds and unhealthy lifestyles at a weight loss boarding school. Experience the multimedia story of their year.

• Tavis Smiley - The Road to Health: Interview with Dr. Francine Kaufman

  Today, one in three children is expected to develop diabetes. Dr. Kaufman of L.A. Children Hospital's Center for Diabetes explains why.

Back To Top ^

• Just for Kids

• America on the Move Kids

  Challenge yourself to get out and walk! Track your progress along interactive trails or bend your brain with quizzes and puzzles. Sign up as an individual or a group.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: BAM! Food and Nutrition

  Get recipes, learn fascinating facts and play the Dining Decisions game. Also check out BAM!'s Physical Activity page while you're there.

• The American Diabetes Association: Planet D

  Kids with diabetes can get information about living with their disease, read blogs from other kids and share experiences on message boards.

• USDA: MyPyramid for Kids

  Nutrition games, posters and classroom materials for kids age six to 11.

Back To Top ^

• Food Politics

• Center for Science in the Public Interest

  Publishers of the Nutrition Action Healthletter, the Center for Science promotes policies for better nutrition and conducts critical studies on everything from vitamins to "food porn."

• The Coalition for Community Food Security

  This North American coalition works to build sustainable, local and regional food systems to ensure equal access to affordable, healthy food.

• The Cultural Politics of Food and Eating

  Editors Watson, James L. and Melissa L. Caldwell. Wiley, 2005.

• The Ethicurean

  Do you seek out tasty things that are also sustainable, organic, local and/or ethical? Then you're an "ethicurean," and this blog is for you.

• Fast Food Nation

  By Eric Schlosser. Harper Perennial, 2005.

• Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World

  By Greg Critser. Houghton Mifflin, 2003.

• Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health

  By Marion Nestle. University of California Press 2002, 2003.

• Hungry Planet

  By Peter Menzel. Ten Speed Press, 2007.

• King Corn

  This documentary tracks two recent college grads as they plant an acre of corn, following the crop from seed to dinner plate. The film site includes information on the farm bill and how to get involved.

• The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

  By Michael Pollan. Penguin Paperbacks, 2007.

• The Politics of Obesity: Confronting Our National Eating Disorder (Webcast)

  Moderated by Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, this panel convened top experts in nutrition and food policy.

• The Real Dirt on Farmer John

  This crowd-pleasing doc follows John Peterson, who abandons conventional chemical farming and fights local hysteria to build a thriving organic farm and community. PBS's Independent Lens site offers an American family farm timeline, info on community supported agriculture, sustainability and more.

• Super Size Me

  Popular Academy Award-nominated doc follows filmmaker Morgan Spurlock for 30 days during which he subsists entirely on food and items purchased exclusively from McDonald's.

• What to Eat: A Blog by Marion Nestle

  The renowned nutritionist and author keeps up with the latest research, policies and current events in the world of food.

Back To Top ^

• Sources

• Critser, Greg. | Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World
  New York: Houghton MIfflin, 2003.
• Counihan, Carole M. | Food in the USA
  London and New York: Routledge, 2002.
• Gabaccia, Donna | We Are What We Eat: Ethnic Food and the Making of Americans
  Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000.
• Levenstein, Harvey | Paradox of Plenty: A Social History of Eating in Modern America
  Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2003.
• Nestle, Marion | Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition, and Health
  Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2002, revised 2007.
• Lang, Tim and Michael Heasman | Food Wars: Public Health and the Battle for Mouths Minds and Markets
  London: Earthscan Publications, 2003.
• Levenstein, Harvey | Revolution at the Table: The Transformation of the American Diet
  Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2003.
• Lien, Marianne E. and Brigitte Nerlich, eds. | The Politics of Food
  Oxford: Berg, 2004.
• Okie, Susan | Fed Up!: Winning the War Against Childhood Obesity
  Washington DC: Joseph Henry Press, 2006.
• Oliver, J. Eric | Fat Politics: The Real Story behind America's Obesity Epidemic
  New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.
• Rappoport, Leon | How We Eat: Appetite, Culture, and the Psychology of Food
  Toronto: ECW Press, 2003.
• Schlosser, Eric | Fast Food Nation
  New York: Harper, 2001.
• Signer, Peter and Jim Mason | The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter
  Emmaus, PA: Rodale Books, 2006.
• Simon, Michele | Appetite for Profit: How the food industry undermines our health and how to fight back
  New York: Nation Books, 2006.
• Spurlock, Morgan | Don't Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America
  New York: Putnam, 2006.
• Watson, James L. and Melissa L. Caldwell, eds. | The Cultural Politics of Food and Eating
  New York: Wiley, 2005.

Back To Top ^

We created FATWORLD to bring awareness to the complex issues surrounding food, politics, health and obesity.
We hope you enjoy this unorthodox approach.