New Dietary Guidelines Urge People to Eat More Protein and Fewer Processed Foods

The Trump Administration on Jan. 7 unveiled new U.S. dietary guidelines that encourage Americans to eat more protein, and less sugar and highly processed foods.

The guidelines also soften recommendations on alcohol and laud the benefits of red meat, dairy, and butter, worrying some doctors and nutritionists who say such guidance could be confusing and even harmful.

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U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the updated guidelines—which include a new, inverted food pyramid that prioritizes the consumption of protein, dairy, healthy fats, vegetables, and fruits—highlight the importance of eating “real” food. “Nothing matters more for health outcomes, economic productivity, military readiness,” Kennedy said at a White House press briefing.

The guidelines reflect many of Kennedy’s own positions on nutrition and the priorities of his Make America Healthy Again movement. They advise people to significantly limit highly processed foods, which Kennedy has repeatedly blamed as a source of what he refers to as America’s chronic-disease epidemic. The term “highly processed foods” is not clearly defined in the guidelines, but are described as foods “laden with refined carbohydrates, added sugars, excess sodium, unhealthy fats, and chemical additives.”

The guidelines also encourage the consumption of greater amounts of protein—including from animal sources such as red meat, poultry, and eggs—than what previous guidelines advised, and recommend that people eat full-fat dairy and cook with butter and beef tallow. These foods contain saturated fats, which earlier dietary guidelines had urged people to avoid. Research on the health hazards of saturated fats has been mixed, but has largely shown that consuming too much of them can increase cardiovascular risks.

Kennedy and others in the Trump Administration have contended that saturated fats have been unfairly vilified and are actually essential to a healthy diet. “We are ending the war on saturated fats,” Kennedy said Wednesday.

However, while Kennedy and other Trump officials had previously hinted that they were seeking to loosen restrictions on saturated fats, the revamped dietary guidance maintained the longstanding recommendation of limiting consumption of such fats to 10% of daily calories.

Marion Nestle, a professor emerita of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University, said this advice was contradictory. “If you increase the amount of protein, meat, and full-fat dairy in your diet, you will not be able to keep your saturated fat intake below 10% of calories, and will have a harder time maintaining calorie balance,” since fat has twice the calories of proteins or carbohydrates, Nestle said in an email.

The American Heart Association, which recommends that people limit consumption of saturated fats to 6% of daily calories, said it was concerned about some of the protein-related recommendations in the updated guidelines.

“Protein is an essential component of a healthy diet, and we urge more scientific research on both the appropriate amount of protein consumption and the best protein sources for optimal health,” the group said in a statement. “Pending that research, we encourage consumers to prioritize plant-based proteins, seafood and lean meats and to limit high-fat animal products including red meat, butter, lard and tallow, which are linked to increased cardiovascular risk.”

Some doctors and nutritionists said they generally approved of the advice to eat less sugar and fewer highly processed foods. “That is the one great strength of these recommendations,” Nestle said.

Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, president of the American Medical Association, said in a statement that the group applauded the updated guidelines “for spotlighting the highly processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, and excess sodium that fuel heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other chronic illnesses.”

Some, however, cautioned against rejecting all processed foods. Dr. Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, said that some foods that are considered processed can be healthy, such as breakfast cereals and breads that are fortified with vitamins and other nutrients.

“The Guidelines err in promoting meat and dairy products, which are principal drivers of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity,” Barnard said in a statement. “The Guidelines take a sledgehammer approach to processed foods, but plant-based and vitamin-fortified processed foods actually reduce the risk of birth defects, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.”

Some health experts said they also worried about the Trump Administration’s decision to ditch specific alcohol consumption limits. Previous dietary guidelines had advised men to restrict alcohol consumption to two beverages a day, and women were urged to have no more than one drink per day. The updated guidance says only that people should “consume less alcohol for better overall health” and that certain people, including pregnant women and people who are recovering from alcohol use disorder, should avoid alcohol completely.

“Alcohol is a social lubricant that brings people together,” said Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, when asked to clarify the change at the White House press briefing. “In the best-case scenario, I don’t think you should drink alcohol, but it does allow people an excuse to bond and socialize, and there’s probably nothing healthier than having a good time with friends in a safe way.”

The World Health Organization said in 2023 that no amount of alcohol is safe for health. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that drinking alcohol increases a person’s risk of developing several kinds of cancer, including mouth, colon, and breast cancer.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is updated every five years and will next be revised in 2030. The guidelines set standards for many government-funded food assistance and meal programs, including the National School Lunch Program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

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