I recently did a post on the Nutrition Data button that is available on the Google Toolbar. Even if you aren't interested in having the button on your tool bar---which by the way is very handy if you count calories or need nutrient information for what you intake--you may want to use the site. At first it can be a little confusing. But once you figure it out, it is easy to use and gives some really good information if you're concerned about eating healthfully.
For example, I had some zucchini for lunch and was checking the calorie info and noted that the food summary provides an inflammation factor for each food. Having heard so much about the role inflammation plays in heart disease and health in general I looked a little closer. It appears zucchini is mildly anti-inflammatory.
As well, the food summary includes the estimated glycemic load -- useful information to a lot of us who prefer to eat foods with a lower GL. My zucchini was a 2. Note: Glycemic load is a way of expressing a food or meal's effect on blood-sugar levels.
Probably the most useful information in the summary is the Nutritional Target Map which categorizes foods relative to weight loss--foods that are lower in calories and will make you feel fuller.
For some this is a bit too much information---and we all do for the most part suffer from information overload....which can tend to be mind numbing. At any rate, some of the information may be a tool that will aid us in making better choices.
By the way--I gently cooked my zucchini and topped it with one wedge of Laughing Cow Light cheese--the French Onion flavor---(I broke the wedge into pieces), salt and pepper and buttery spray. I must say it was so delicious and the calorie count was 55 for that big bowl of yummy goodness. With it I had a couple of brown rice cakes spread with a dab of almond butter and topped with fresh spinach---that combination is almost an addiction for me currently. It's a little tricky to eat---the spinach wants to fall off---but the flavor and crunch is worth the messiness.
I'd never been a fan of rice cakes in the past, and still am not with the exception of the plain brown rice cakes...they are 35 calories each and, for me, it seems that almond butter was made for them. You may want to give them a 2nd chance if you've previously written them off.