Swap saturated fats with unsaturated fats, not carbs
While some recent studies have suggested that eating foods containing saturated fat such as butter may not be as harmful as previously thought, Harvard Chan School's Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition, still suggests "replacing saturated fat…
Comprehensive national strategy needed to curb childhood obesity
Despite reports in recent years showing a decline or stabilization in U.S. childhood obesity rates, a study in the February 2018 issue of Pediatrics found no evidence of a decline and noted a marked increase in severe obesity…
Healthy fats help curb cravings for unhealthy carbs
Eating more healthy fats like nuts and full-fat dairy can help reduce cravings for unhealthy carbohydrates like white bread and sugary cereal, David Ludwig, professor of nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in an…
Forty years of low-fat diets: a ‘failed experiment’
Recent research suggests that eating a low-fat/high-carbohydrate diet—which Americans were advised to do for about 40 years—is not a good idea. But Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health nutrition expert David Ludwig says that the low-fat diet…
What’s a healthy weekday breakfast? Here are some ideas
In a rush in the morning? What are some ideas for a quick, healthy, satisfying breakfast? Time asked that question and two researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health shared their answers.
Papers on fat in the diet recognized for impact
Two papers on the effect of fat in the diet, involving researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, have been named to the top 10 list of the most impactful publications in 2015 by the American…
Have low-fat diets made us fatter?
Since the 1960s, when experts started advising people to eat less fat—based on the belief that a high-fat diet led to a high-fat body—obesity has skyrocketed. Recent evidence suggests that all those years of focusing on ways to…
Finding common ground on nutrition advice
November 30, 2015 — What is the healthiest and most sustainable way of eating? How can public health experts guide consumers amid a sea of often confusing nutrition advice? Researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and…
Don’t fear fats; be cautious with carbs
An oversimplification of diet advice that began in the 1970s—that people should steer clear of saturated fats to avoid heart disease and stroke—led to an unhealthy “fat phobia” in the U.S., according to nutrition expert Frank Hu of…
Improving the food system
Food-related research was on the plate at a Harvard-wide symposium in late February. The Harvard Food+ Research Symposium, hosted by the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, the Harvard Kennedy School Sustainable Science Program, and the Harvard Center for…