Pack Your Tool Belt! Online Tools and Resources for the Savvy Health Fanatics

Today, I flew by helicopter to one of the offshore platforms for the weekend. I periodically get the fantastic opportunity to provide dietitian services to the employees out here for work. As I am sitting in the gym, I hear a news report on a 30-yr old woman who ingested 2 gallons of Coke a day died from a heart attack. (Read the full article). It’s a very sad thing as it appears she didn’t take very good care of herself. What concerns me about this, besides her untimely death, is the media frenzy that comes with such news. Coke has already issued a statement attempting to dispel any notion that they are responsible. Buried within the article in one sentence is the fact that she ate very little and smoked 30 cigarettes a day. But now Coke must answer if their product is lethal. I can already hear the conversations at work going something like, “Well that one woman died from drinking coke.”

There is a lot of false and twisted information out there. The media doesn’t help by sensationalizing it. Truth is nutrition guidelines have remained relatively consistent for the last 30 years. It's just whatever the hottest topic is at the moment becomes the prevailing thought on the “healthiest” thing to do. To avoid this we should be pursuant to resources that provide accurate scientific information.

As a follower of Christ, we must be armed and prepared for the work of God. “Therefore put on the full armor of God. So that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13). Many spend hours studying resources preparing for the task. In the same way, we need to be prepared with accurate information about our health so our efforts to maintain or improve are not done in vain. Failure to learn correct information can send us down a wrong path of action.

How to find reliable information on the internet

• Avoid Wikipedia. This can be useful for some things, but remember anyone can write anything.
• Avoid websites promoting products or selling books. They have an obvious agenda.
• Read websites ending in .edu, .gov., or .org.
• When reading an article, look for listed sources to verify those sources quoted are reputable. If no sources are listed at all, avoid the website.
• Check several sources to verify information.
• Check the age of information and the last time the site was updated.
• Read the About page to gain insight on the overall website’s objective.

Check out my new Resources page. It’s a start but needs more build out. What resources do you use online?

Today’s Verse:  "Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it." Ecc 7:12.

Next blog: The Battlefield in the Grocery Store