Can anyone recommend a good nutrition course online?

I've been looking for a decent (and affordable) online nutrition course, but have been struggling to decide which one to spend the money on. It's no surprise that I've ended up here in hopes of a little advice, seeing as how vegans tend to be more conscious about their food choices and often more educated on nutrition.

I'm looking for a course that will teach the fundamentals of nutrition science, analyse current nutrition research and basically instruct on planning well-balanced vegan/vegetarian meals for optimal health and disease prevention. Does anyone out there have any recommendations based on personal experience? There is so much information available now that it gets a little overwhelming deciding how much of what (and in what combination!) to consume for optimal health.

I appreciate any advice, including good books that cover the same topics listed above. Thanks very much from a long-time veggie now transitioning to vegan :)

I don't know about nutrtitional science, but i know of two people who could offer some help in a more casual manner; 1) Colleen Patrick-Goudreau offers the "30-Day Vegan Challenge" which is meant to offer insight into the lifestyle and provide some meal planning advice, and 2) Heather Nautu offer offers some food-related instruction at her website: HealthyEatingStartsHere. If your interest is just for personal benefit, you could check out nutritiondata.com to explore whats exactly in the food you choose and anaylse the balance of your daily intake by using the site's tracking feature.

And books. Scott Jurek wrote "Thrive" which may be good, considering his ultramarathon experience. And then Robert Cheeke, from VeganBodybuilding.com may have a book.

Personally, I think eating a balance of the food groups and choosing natural, wholefoods are keys to optimization. I also like eating both cooked and raw foods. By covering the bases, there isn't much room for defeciency. If you're interested, my food groups are the following: grains / beans (& peas) / greens / vegetables / fruits / and nuts (& seeds). Each group contributes to a specific area of nutrition, thus by eating near equal portions I get a balanced, wide spectrum of goodness.

Not the greatest post, but i tried.