New Insights: Glycemic Index

The glycemic index may help predict the blood sugar effects of a food, but it doesn't tell the whole story, especially when combining foods.

Guessing the effects of a meal on your blood sugar isn't easy, even if you use the glycemic index. That's a ranking of how much standardized (50-gram available carbohydrate) portions of individual foods increase blood sugar. But, people typically eat a mix of different foods at any one time, which makes using the glycemic index less straightforward.

Linking Diet and Headaches

Certain foods and drinks are more often headache triggers than others.

People get headaches for many different reasons. Sometimes they may be triggered by what we eat or drink. Going too long without eating also may trigger headaches. "Certain foods are notorious for causing headaches," says Egilius Spierings, MD, PhD, a neurologist, clinical professor and director of the Headache & Face Pain Program at Tufts Medical Center.

Are Chemicals Contributing to the Obesity Epidemic?

Although there is growing concern that everyday chemicals may contribute to weight woes, more research is needed.

Why are more than two-thirds of adults and about one-third of kids in the US overweight or obese? Two key factors in weight control are our eating habits and physical activity levels. But, complex interactions between our genetics and environmental factors may play a role, too.

Celebrating 35 Years of Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter

And the legacy of the newsletter's founder, Stanley N. Gershoff, PhD

Newer subscribers to Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter may not know that this award-winning newsletter got its start with Stanley N. Gershoff, PhD, (1924–2017) at the helm. He developed the newsletter (originally called Tufts University Diet & Nutrition Letter) in 1983 and edited it until 2000. There's much more we have to thank him for in the field of nutrition though.

Nutrition Then and Now

The science of nutrition is ever-evolving, resulting in small changes and larger shifts in dietary advice over time.

Advice about how to eat for good health sometimes changes. To you, it may seem like scientists can't make up their minds. What's really happening is that scientists are continually learning new things about nutrition and health through research studies. Experts modify dietary guidance based on the totality of scientific evidence on a given topic.

7 Ways to Help Fight Food Waste

Wasted food is receiving growing attention from policymakers, the food industry, scientists and consumers. Try these tips to help curb food waste.

What foods have you thrown out recently? Maybe some slimy salad greens, moldy bread or a bit of leftover spaghetti? If you can't think of any food you've tossed lately, you're doing better than most of us. Each year, the average family of four throws out over 1,000 pounds of food at a cost of $1,500.

Orange-Sesame Chicken Stir-Fty