Source guide

The best nutrition websites, and what each one is actually for

No single nutrition website answers everything well. Government portals hold the official numbers, universities explain the reasoning, professional bodies translate it into advice, and commercial publishers move fastest. Here is what we read and cite when we write, judged on what each source does well and where it runs out.

How to judge any nutrition or diet website

Before the list, the test we apply to every source — including this one. A nutrition website worth reading will cite what it claims with links you can follow, name the writer and the reviewer, show a review date, and disclose how it earns money. Miracle foods, detox language and confident numbers with no source attached are the reliable warning signs.

Government portal (USDA)

Nutrition.gov

A US government gateway that routes you to federal dietary guidance, the FoodData Central nutrient database and agency fact sheets.

Best for
Checking an official position or looking up the nutrient content of a specific food.

Where it runs out
It is a directory more than a publication, so answers often sit a click or two away and read like policy documents.
Academic public-health resource

The Nutrition Source — Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Nutrition science explained by a school of public health, including the Healthy Eating Plate and detailed food and nutrient profiles.

Best for
Understanding the reasoning and the research behind a dietary recommendation.

Where it runs out
Depth over speed: pages are long, and it reflects one respected institution’s reading of the evidence.
International health agency

World Health Organization — Nutrition

Global guidance and fact sheets covering sodium, free sugars, trans fats, infant feeding and undernutrition.

Best for
Population-level targets and the internationally agreed numbers behind them.

Where it runs out
Written for policymakers and health systems rather than for someone planning dinner.
Professional dietetics body

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (eatright.org)

Consumer articles written and reviewed by registered dietitians, plus a directory for finding a dietitian near you.

Best for
Practical, profession-backed advice and a route to one-to-one care.

Where it runs out
Coverage is broad but shallow in places, and it is the voice of a membership organisation.
Research society

American Society for Nutrition (nutrition.org)

News and journal coverage from the society that publishes The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Advances in Nutrition.

Best for
Following what nutrition research is actually finding, close to the source.

Where it runs out
Aimed at researchers and clinicians; single studies get attention before the wider evidence settles.
Commercial health publisher

Healthline Nutrition

One of the largest consumer nutrition libraries on the web, with a citation-heavy house style and a medical review process.

Best for
Fast, readable answers to almost any common nutrition question.

Where it runs out
It is an advertising and affiliate business at scale, and article quality varies more than the uniform layout suggests.
National health service

NHS — Eatwell and Food Guidelines

The UK’s plain-language healthy eating guidance, built around the Eatwell Guide.

Best for
Clear, uncomplicated national guidance with no commercial interest attached.

Where it runs out
Deliberately conservative and UK-specific, with little detail on training or performance nutrition.
Independent evidence database

Examine.com

Systematic summaries of supplement and nutrient research, graded by strength of evidence.

Best for
Deciding whether a supplement has real support behind it.

Where it runs out
Most of the depth sits behind a paid subscription, and its focus is supplements rather than meals.
Product seller

Herbalife and similar supplement brands

Branded meal-replacement and supplement products, with nutrition content published alongside them.

Best for
Product specifications, if you already use the products.

Where it runs out
The publisher sells what the content discusses. Treat it as marketing and verify claims against an independent source.

Where Truly Nutri fits

Between the official numbers and the weeknight decision

We are not a government agency and we do not publish original research. What we do is take the guidance those sources produce and turn it into something you can act on tonight — with the source linked, the uncertainty stated, and a clinician’s read on any health claim before it publishes. Every calculator shows the equation it used and what that equation cannot tell you.

Read the nutrition guides How we source and review

Sources included Clinician reviewed No products sold

Where to start by topic

If you arrived looking for a specific answer rather than a source list, these are the parts of the site people use most:

Gym nutrition — pre-workout meals, post-workout protein, recovery and hydration.
Weight loss and weight gain — gradual, health-centred guidance without crash diets.
Nutrition calculators — BMI, TDEE, protein, macros, hydration, each showing its formula.
Healthy recipes — flexible whole-food meals with nutrition notes and substitutions.
Meal planning — balanced plates, weekly shopping and safe leftovers.

Common questions

What makes a nutrition website trustworthy?

Four things: it names its sources and links them, it says who wrote and reviewed the page, it shows when the page was last checked, and it discloses how it makes money. A site that does all four can be argued with. A site that does none cannot be checked at all.

Are government and university nutrition sites better than commercial ones?

They are more independent, which matters, but they are also slower to update and written for a different reader. The practical approach is to use official sources for the numbers and consumer publications for the day-to-day application.

Which nutrition website is best for gym and training nutrition?

Government portals cover this thinly. For protein targets, pre- and post-workout meals and supplement evidence, use a research-led source such as the American Society for Nutrition or Examine.com, alongside practical guides like our gym nutrition section.

Should I trust a diet website that sells the diet?

Be careful. When the publisher earns from the conclusion, the conclusion is not independent. That does not make it wrong, but it does mean the claim needs confirming somewhere that has nothing to sell.