LibGuides: Human Nutrition Resources: Recommended Resources

Books

A selection of key references and electronic textbook platforms for finding nutrition information.

AccessMedicine This link opens in a new window
A searchable collection of more than 60 standard medical textbooks.
ClinicalKey This link opens in a new window
Includes a searchable collection of medical books, journals, videos, images and patient education materials.

CRC Desk Reference for Nutrition by Berdanier, C. D.
2011, 3rd edition
A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition by Bender, D. A.
2014, 4th edition
eNCPT Reference Manual by Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics
Provides standardized terminology for use by nutrition and dietetics practitioners in electronic health records to ensure that they can clearly document their work in nutrition assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring, and evaluation.
Encyclopedia of Food and Health
Spans food production and processing from distribution and consumption to health effects.
Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition by Caballero, B.
2023, 4th edition
Food Environment Atlas by USDA/ERS
Compiles statistics on community characteristics and indicators of food choices and health and well being.
Handbook of Nutrition and Food by Berdanier, C. D. et al.
2014, 3rd edition
One simultaneous user only
Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease
A comprehensive text and reference source for topics in basic and clinical nutrition.
Nutrition Care Manual by Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Research-based nutrition information and clinical tools for dietitians, dietetic technicians, and other health care professionals.

Databases

Below are a number of databases that are used in human nutrition and dietetics. Use these to search for journal articles related to your topic. If you need assistance with searching and using these resources please contact Andrea Kepsel, Food Science and Human Nutrition Librarian, at akepsel@msu.edu.

PubMed (Medline) This link opens in a new window
The premier resource for searching the world's scholarly and professional biomedical and health sciences literature (including human nutrition).
Food Science and Technology Abstracts (FSTA) This link opens in a new window
1969-
FSTA covers all areas of food science, food technology, and human nutrition, including basic food science, biotechnology, toxicology, packaging, and engineering. Some 1800 publications in over 40 languages are scanned regularly, including journals, reviews, standards, legislation, patents, books, theses, and conference proceedings.

IFIS has developed a helpful tutorial to using FSTA on the Web of Science platform. It is designed to give you an overview of FSTA content and the essential skills to search the FSTA database and find quality literature successfully.

CAB Abstracts This link opens in a new window
The world's leading agricultural research database, covering agriculture in the very broadest sense and including food science and human nutrition.
Gale Health and Wellness This link opens in a new window
Provides access to an integrated collection of general interest and fitness magazines, medical and professional periodicals, reference books and pamphlets. Includes information on alternative and complimentary therapies. Many of the articles are available full-text.
Biological Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive database for the life sciences, including biochemistry, physiology, nutrition, and microbiology.
AGRICOLA This link opens in a new window
U.S. National Agricultural Library's index to the scholarly and trade agricultural literature, including food science and human nutrition. Re-scoped to focus primarily on U.S. Department of Agriculture publications and articles/chapters authored by USDA personnel.
Web of Science This link opens in a new window
Includes the Institute for Scientific Information Citation Indexes - Arts and Humanities, Social Science, and Science. It indexes science, social sciences, and arts and humanities information from nearly 9,300 of the most prestigious, high impact research journals in the world.
Scopus This link opens in a new window
Find citations for a broad range of scientific literature (including patents) and track, analyze and visualize citations by document, author, zip code, or institution.

Systematic Reviews

Systematic reviews can be a good starting point because they synthesize the evidence for a particular treatment or therapy, typically from randomized controlled trials.

Cochrane Library This link opens in a new window
Key resource for evidence based practice and finding systematic reviews. The included databases are: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, Cochrane Review Methodology Database, and the Cochrane Collaboration.
Essential Evidence Plus This link opens in a new window
Database of filtered, synopsized, evidence-based information, allowing you to simultaneously search multiple databases across all subjects or by browsing categories such as "Endocrine/Nutritional/Metabolic."
Evidence Analysis Library This link opens in a new window
This resource provides systematic reviews for evidence-based clinical nutrition practice.
2 user license

Guides and Resources

Guidelines for Creating Systematic and Advanced Reviews
Guide created by the MSU Libraries to provide information and resources for researchers performing systematic reviews.
Good Review Practice: A Researcher Guide to Systematic Review Methodology in the Sciences of Food and Health
This practical guidance document, created by FSTA, aims to address recent quality issues of systematic reviews reported from food related topics by encouraging comprehensive searching, clear and unbiased reporting, following of standard methodology practices, and using appropriate tools and technologies.

Herbs/Supplements/CAM

The resources listed here provide evidence-based information about dietary supplements, natural medicines, and complementary and alternative therapies.

About Herbs, Botanicals & Other Products
From Memorial Sloan Kettering Integrative Medicine Service, evidence-based information about herbs, botanicals, and supplements.

Natural Medicines This link opens in a new window
A merger of Natural Standard and Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. Provides evidence-based information about complementary and alternative medicine, including dietary supplements and integrative therapies. Grades reflect the level of available scientific data for or against the use of each therapy for a specific medical condition.

NIH National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
The U.S. government's lead agency for scientific research on the diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine.
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
Offers Evidence Reports and Fact Sheets.

Food Composition and Nutrient Analysis

Resources for examining the make-up of foods and analyzing nutrients.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015-2020
Released every 5 years by the USDA/DHHS.
Interactive DRI Calculator for Healthcare Professionals
Online tool that calculates an individual's daily nutrient recommendations based on the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs). For use by registered dietitians, nurse practitioners, doctors and others for dietary planning purposes.
MyPlate
MyPlate, from the USDA, includes nutrition information for over 8000 foods, customizable reports, and recipes.
USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. Release 28
Nutrient database for over 8,618 different foods.
What's In The Foods You Eat Search Tool, 2017-2018
A searchable USDA database with nutrient profiles for 13,000 foods commonly eaten in the U.S. Includes familiar portion sizes.

Food and Drug Interactions

Resources for exploring the interactions between food and drugs, including herbs and supplements.

Natural Medicines This link opens in a new window
Natural Medicines incorporates Natural Standard and Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database to provide a robust evidence based resource on natural and alternative therapies, herbs, and supplements.

Drug Resources Guide
An extensive collection of drug resources available from the MSU Libraries.

Analytical Methods and Protocols

Resources for analytical methods and protocols.

Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International This link opens in a new window
Searchable online access to chemical and microbiological analytical methods validated by AOAC International. AOAC-validated methods are used by government, industry, and academia throughout the world for analysis of a variety of commodities—particularly those related to food, agriculture, public health and safety, and the environment.
Springer Nature Experiments This link opens in a new window
Springer Nature Experiments incorporates Springer Protocols, Nature Methods, and Nature Protocols into one searchable database of laboratory protocols in the biomedical and life sciences. Springer Protocols contains all of the protocols from the book series Methods in Molecular Biology. Both Nature Protocols and Nature Methods are journals containing more recently published techniques.
Wiley Current Protocols Online This link opens in a new window
Current Protocols has been the leading source of laboratory protocols for over 25
years and now comprises more than 15,000 techniques and procedures across
17 titles.

Surveys and Test Instruments

Resources for finding research surveys and testing instruments. These can often be complicated to locate so do not hesitate to contact Andrea Kepsel, Food Science and Human Nutrition Librarian, at akepsel@msu.edu with questions.

Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HaPI) This link opens in a new window
Health and Psychosocial Instruments indexes journal articles that include both free and fee-based information-gathering instruments for clinicians such as tests, questionnaires, and scales. HaPI covers tests used in nursing, psychology, social work, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech & hearing therapy.

Tests and Testing Information
Guide to finding tests and surveys.

MSU Libraries

Research Guides

Human Nutrition Resources