Following, in alphabetical order, are 10 health sites I don’t think I could live without:

The American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology – www.aaaai.org/patients: If you’ve got a question about asthma or allergies, need pollen counts in your area, or need to find an allergist, this site is a quick and handy guide.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – www.cdc.gov: This government agency site runs deep, and you can get plenty lost if you try to use the search engine. But stick to the user-friendly buttons on the home page and you can easily find a wealth of credible information on healthy eating, emergency preparedness, injury prevention, and basic diseases and conditions.

Dr. Gourmet – www.drgourmet.com: Created and run by a practicing internist and Associate Professor of Medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine who also happens to have run his own restaurant, this site proves that healthy food doesn’t have to skimp on taste. The site features recipes to fit lots of different dietary needs, from lowfat, to low sodium, diabetic, and low carb. Includes weekly newletters and an Ask Dr. Tim column.

KidsHealth – www.kidshealth.org: One of the most user-friendly health sites on the Web, this excellent resource from the Nemours Foundation features areas targeted to parents, kids and teens. The topics, graphics and user interface are designed to work for each audience, and it’s a great quick reference when you have a basic health question.

MayoClinic.com – www.mayoclinic.com: Featuring “healthy living centers” for men, women, children and babies, this site from the world-famous clinic also features an ask-the-specialist column and free e-newsletters you can subscribe to.

Medline Plus – www.medlineplus.gov: From the National Institutes of Health, this is the granddaddy of consumer-friendly health information databases. It features a medical encyclopedia and dictionary, plus health news, online health tutorials, and even video. All of the links are tested by a consumer health librarian, and the handy search tool will always point you in the right direction.

Men’s Health Network – www.menshealthnetwork.org: Run by a nonprofit organization dedicated to reaching men and boys with important health messages, the site includes a Healthy E-Male newsletter, a library and resource center, and a section for women.

MyPyramid.gov – www.mypyramid.gov: Going well beyond the old Food Pyramid, this site from the U.S. Department of Agriculture serves up personalized plans to balance food choices and physical activity for all age groups. It includes specific areas for preschoolers and kids, and moms who are pregnant or breastfeeding, plus a host of audio and video podcasts with nutrition messages.

National Women’s Health Resource Center – www.healthywomen.org: This organization has been providing women’s health info to the public for more than 20 years. Their site features a new mom blog, columns on everything from reproductive health to nutrition and fitness, and handy health centers on pregnancy, breast health and other important issues. Super easy to navigate.

Vaccine Information – www.cdc.gov/vaccines: From the CDC, this page includes schedules for every age group, plus people with special considerations. It also has a detailed section with basic vaccine questions, and a thorough rundown of vaccine-preventable illnesses.