Food Pyramid Flip Emphasizes Red Meat And Full-Fat Dairy: What Health Experts Say

New dietary guidelines led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. flip America’s food pyramid upside-down, prioritizing whole foods, proteins, and healthy fats (like those found in red meats and full-fat dairy) over the previous MyPlate model’s emphasis on grains and low-fat dairy.

“My message is clear: Eat real food,” Kennedy said at a White House briefing Wednesday with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are updated every five years. In a country where more than half of adults have a diet-related chronic disease, few Americans actually follow the guidance, research shows.

But as the foundation for food and nutrition policies since 1992, the guidance has the most profound effect on the federally funded National School Lunch Program, which is required to follow the guidelines to feed nearly 30 million U.S. children on a typical school day. It also greatly influences what foods are covered by federal food aid for mothers and infants.

Kennedy for months has stressed overhauling the U.S. food supply as part of his Make America Healthy Again agenda.

The striking reversal of past nutrition guidance immediately drew cautious praise and criticism from health experts, with heart specialists especially saying that a diet rich in red meat and cheeses contradicts long-standing research.

Ultraprocessed Foods By Another Name

The recommendations fall short of a full-throttle attack on ultraprocessed foods — cheap, shelf-stable, tasty, and convenient meals, made mostly from reassembled substances extracted from other foods that Kennedy told Congress last spring are “poisoning” America.

Still, the guidelines take a new stance on “highly processed” foods and refined carbohydrates, urging consumers to avoid “packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat or other foods that are salty or sweet, such as chips, cookies and candy.”

That's a different term for ultraprocessed foods, which make up more than half the calories in the U.S. diet and have been linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

Notably, a 20-member panel of nutrition experts, who met for nearly two years to review the latest scientific evidence on diet and health, did not make recommendations on ultraprocessed food.

Although a host of studies have shown links between ultraprocessed foods and poor health outcomes, the nutrition experts had concerns with the quality of the research and the certainty that those foods, and not other factors, were causing the problems.

The recommendations on highly processed foods drew cautiously positive reactions. The FDA and the Agriculture Department are already working on a definition of ultraprocessed foods, but it’s expected to take time.

Not all highly processed foods are unhealthy, said Dr. David Ludwig, an endocrinologist and researcher at Boston Children's Hospital.

“I think the focus should be on highly processed carbohydrates,” he said, noting that processing of protein or fats can be benign or even helpful.

• Related: Ultraprocessed Foods: What Are They, And Are They Bad For You?

Ending ‘War’ On Saturated Fats

The new guidance also backs away from revoking long-standing advice to limit saturated fats, despite signals from Kennedy and Food and Drug Commissioner Marty Makary that the administration would push for more consumption of animal fats to end the “war” on saturated fats.

Instead, the document suggests that Americans should choose whole-food sources of saturated fat — such as meat, whole-fat dairy or avocados — while continuing to limit saturated fat consumption to no more than 10 percent of daily calories. The guidance says “other options can include butter or beef tallow,” despite previous recommendations to avoid those fats.

‘Food Is Medicine’

The guidelines continue to emphasize the consumption of fresh vegetables, whole grains and dairy products as the foundation of the healthy eating plan.

The new recommendations drew praise from some prominent nutrition and medical experts.

“There should be broad agreement that eating more whole foods and reducing highly processed carbohydrates is a major advance in how we approach diet and health,” said Dr. David Kessler, a former FDA commissioner who has written books about diet and nutrition and has sent a petition to the FDA to remove key ingredients in ultraprocessed foods.

“The guidelines affirm that food is medicine and offer clear direction patients and physicians can use to improve health,” said Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, president of the American Medical Association.

Other experts said they were relieved the guidelines did not contradict evidence linking saturated fat to heart disease, but criticized the focus on meat and dairy over plant-based sources of protein.

“Overall, if people eat the way these are recommended, they will be eating more calories, not less,” said Marion Nestle, a nutritionist and food policy expert who advised previous editions of the guidance.

Experts Disagree On Meat

The guidelines made a few other notable changes, including a call to potentially double protein consumption.

The previous recommended dietary allowance called for 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight — about 54 grams daily for a 150-pound person.

The new recommendation is 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. An average American man consumes about 100 grams of protein per day, or about twice the previously recommended limit.

Makary, the FDA commissioner, said the new advice supersedes protein guidance that was based on the “bare minimum” required for health.

Ludwig also noted that the earlier recommendation was the minimum amount needed to prevent protein deficiency, and said higher amounts of protein might be beneficial.

“A moderate increase in protein to help displace the processed carbohydrates makes sense,” he said.

Officials with the American Heart Association, which praised the guidelines for discouraging processed foods and encouraging whole grains, fruits and vegetables, called for more research on protein consumption and the best sources for optimal health.

“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,” the group said in a statement.

Kennedy, in an interview with CBS News, said that “there is no good evidence that saturated fats drive cardiac disease,” calling it “dogma” based on another study.
He noted that the guidelines still advise a “pretty low” 10 percent saturated fat limit for daily caloric intake, which is consistent with prior government nutrition guidelines.

Christopher Gardner, a nutrition expert at Stanford University, the panel that reviewed nutrition research, also questioned the guidance on saturated fats.

“I’m very disappointed in the new pyramid that features red meat and saturated fat sources at the very top, as if that’s something to prioritize. It does go against decades and decades of evidence and research,” Christopher Gardner, a nutrition expert at Stanford University, told NPR.

Avoid Added Sugars

The guidelines advise avoiding or sharply limiting added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners, saying “no amount” is considered part of a healthy diet.

No one meal should contain more than 10 grams of added sugars, or about 2 teaspoons, the new guidelines say.

Older federal guidelines advised limiting added sugars to less than 10 percent of daily calories (about 12 teaspoons for a 2,000-calorie diet) for those over age 2, and no added sugars for children under 2.

In general, most Americans consume about 17 teaspoons of added sugars per day, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Alcohol Limits Removed

The new guidelines roll back previous recommendations to limit alcohol to one drink or less per day for women and two drinks or fewer per day for men.

Instead, the guidance simply states, “Consume less alcohol for better health,” but does not specify what amount that might mean.

The guidance also says alcohol should be avoided by pregnant women, people recovering from an alcohol use disorder, and those who are unable to control the amount they drink.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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