Skip to main content

Diet and nutrition Archive

Articles

Try this: Build a healthier sandwich

Sandwiches are the essential everyday, anytime meal. To make a healthy, sandwich, make sure it contains lean protein, whole grains, and a hefty serving of vegetables.

Chips and dip add up to far more snack calories

A small 2024 study found that serving a ranch dip with salty snacks led people to consume far more calories and eat faster.

Can these foods lower your dementia risk?

A study of more than 121,000 people without dementia (ages 40 to 70) found that those who ate the most flavonoid-rich foods-six servings per day-had a 28% lower risk of developing dementia over the following nine years, compared to those who ate the least.

The least unhealthy holiday desserts

Beyond plain fruit, it's hard to find extremely healthy holiday desserts. Dietitians recommend opting for desserts that are at least a little healthier than others. Examples of better options include fruit crisps, fruit or vegetable breads, dark chocolate bark, meringue cookies, or fruit dipped in dark chocolate. Yet even those can have high amounts of saturated fat, sugar, carbohydrates, and calories. Dietitians say it will help to have a smaller portion and savor it slowly.

The facts on fiber

Adults should consume 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories consumed. However, most individuals eat less than half that amount daily. People can increase their daily fiber intake by introducing more high-fiber foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds into their regular meals. Those who have trouble consuming these foods may benefit from taking an over-the-counter fiber supplement.

Eating more plant-based fat may help your heart

Over a 24-year span, people whose diets favored plant-based fat lived longer than people who ate more animal-based fat, according to a 2024 study. The same distinction appeared specifically for deaths from heart disease.

Using a salt substitute can lower risk of developing high blood pressure

A 2024 study suggests that swapping table salt for a salt substitute can markedly lower the risk of developing high blood pressure.

Free Healthbeat Signup

Get the latest in health news delivered to your inbox!

Sign Up
Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE 38-page gift.

PLUS, don’t miss out on your 25% off promo code.

Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle—You’ll discover powerful, research- backed strategies for health longevity drawn from Harvard Medical School experts—ways to eat for a longer life, build strength and flexibility to stay independent, protect your bones, heart, and brain as you age, and even cultivate the habits linked with “super-agers” who stay sharp and active well into their 80s and 90s—all delivered to your email box FREE.

Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.

Plus, get a FREE copy of HEALTHBEAT ESSENTIALS: 10 Keys to Living Well at Any Age!.

Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.

Plus, get a FREE copy of HEALTHBEAT ESSENTIALS: 10 Keys to Living Well at Any Age.