We all know that fast food (including the new Taco Bell Diet) is not healthy for us on any level and that carrot and celery sticks (and most fruits and veggies, for that matter) are at the other end of the spectrum.

But what about that middle ground, particularly packaged foodstuffs that make their way into our grocery cart and reside in our pantry? While there is disclosure rules set down by the FDA, including ingredients, calories, fat content, etc., those figures can be difficult to interpret and may be somewhat misleading. Nutritional labelling may show a healthy 100% of your daily Vitamin C and 6 grams of fibre but have a significant amount of unhealthy saturated or trans fats.

This is where GoodGuides comes in. This web site provides the world's largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of the products in your home. GoodGuides has set out to rate the impact of consumer products, including foodstuffs, on your health and the environment. This is not some fly-by-night web site trying to make money with ads. This is the real thing. Good Guides was listed in the Top 100 web sites of 2009 by PC Magazine, ranked by TIME magazine as one of the "10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now, and received a very high accolade during the TechCrunch50 Conference as runner-up for Best Startup of 2008. This site is dedicated to its mission, constantly improving, and beneficial for consumers in categories across the board, not just with food.

The diligent staff at Good Guides analyzes and evaluates products based on potentially hazardous ingredients (genetically modified ingredients come to mind), environmental impact (including shipping/transportation), and social, labour and political practices of the manufacturer. They have gone a step further with consumer foodstuffs by measuring the ratio of restricted-to-recommended ingredients. This is where the good vitamins and fibre get pitted against the sugars and bad fats. The end result is a nutritional analysis that can help you make an informed decision about the companies you spend your money on and what goes into your mouth. Currently, the site has over 70,000 product ratings- Food, Personal Care, Household Chemicals, and Toys -over half of which are packaged foods. Good Guide pulls information from such organizations as the Centre for Food Safety, Environmental Working Group, Food and Water Watch, and TransFair USA. You can find safe and green products, get expert advice and recommendations, and even create a favourites list, if you so choose. Membership is free and fast, but you don't have to be a member to use the site.

I tested the site with Cold Cereals. You can stick to the basic category or filter it down to see ratings on those products that are environmentally friendly, organic, low in sugar, low in sodium, and low in cholesterol or low in saturated fat. My search yielded name brands, Trader Joe's brands, as well as healthier labels such as Arrowhead Mills and Nature's Path. The highest rated cereal (Nature's Path Puffed Millet) came in at 8.3, but the top 10 all rated 7.9 or higher, including popular brands Cheerios, Wheaties, Total, and Chex Rice.