Cyberdiet

Part of the Medeiconsult health network, this is one of the internet's most respected health sites and is full of sound advice on achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. It is as relevant to underweight as overweight people. The jam-packed homepage features seasonal and community features at the centre of the page, with tools and main channels listed down the side in coloured panels.



SPECIAL FEATURES



Self Assessment offers several tools to help analyseand monitor your health. It covers nutrition profiles as well as body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio and risk assessment.



Diet & Nutrition covers various aspects of eating, such as recipe makeovers or how to dine out without too much damage to your waistline. It also assesses which diet books have sound theories and which are the cons. The recipes have a strong American bias, although British visitors can still gain a lot from visiting. The easy-to-use daily food planner allows you to choose recipes and dishes to fit in with your calorie requirements (which you would have analysed in the self-assessment section).



Exercise & Fitness offers motivational tips, advice on choosing the right exercise for you, and a tool for assessing how much activity you are doing.



Support & Motivation is based very much on contributions from other site visitors. In many respects this section works well - success stories are always a popular feature in magazines and newspapers and this is true on the web too. However, it's not all jolly: indeed, it can be quite heart-breaking to read about the terrible extremes some visitors have felt driven to. Impressively, many of the support facilities are broken down into categories such as dicussion groups for teenagers, people with more than 100lbs to lose, or people who are trying to give up smoking without putting weight on. Also here is a fun Meditation Room that allows you to download relaxation exercises - after all, stress is a common cause of over eating.



Resource Centre branches out from food and exercise to cover other health issues such as depression and diet, treating diabetes, pregnancy, HIV, cancer and digestive disorders.



Newsletter gives regular updates of additions to the site, plus notification of live chats from the Cyberdiet hosts. Links are provided to articles which cover a broad remit: typical features might include a cheery piece on seasonal produce, news analysis of the latest dietary recommendations, advice on seeking psychiatric help for children, and the pros and cons of particular dieting products.



OTHER FEATURES



Ask the Experts, Polls.