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

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

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

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

The guidelines reflect many of Kennedy’s 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 for what he calls the epidemic of chronic disease in the United States. The term “highly processed foods” is not clearly defined in the guidelines, but is described as foods “loaded with refined carbohydrates, added sugars, excess sodium, unhealthy fats and chemical additives.”

The guidelines also encourage the consumption of greater amounts of protein, including those from animal sources such as red meat, poultry and eggs, than previous guidelines advised, and recommend that people eat full-fat dairy products and cook with butter and beef tallow. These foods contain saturated fat, which previous dietary guidelines urged people to avoid. Research on the health dangers of saturated fats is mixed, but it has largely shown that excessive consumption of these fats can increase cardiovascular risks.

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

However, while Kennedy and other Trump officials had previously suggested they were seeking to ease restrictions on saturated fats, the new dietary guidelines maintained the long-standing recommendation to limit consumption of these fats to 10% of daily calories.

Marion Nestle, professor emeritus of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, said this advice is contradictory. “If you increase the amount of protein, meat and whole-fat dairy products in your diet, you will not be able to keep your saturated fat intake below 10 percent of calories and will have a harder time maintaining your calorie balance,” since fat contains twice as many calories as protein or carbohydrates, Nestlé said in an email.

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

“Protein is an essential part of a healthy diet, and we call for more scientific research into the appropriate amount of protein consumed and the best protein sources for optimal health,” the group said in a statement. “While we wait for this research, we encourage consumers to prioritize plant-based proteins, seafood and lean meats and 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 agree with the advice to eat less sugar and fewer highly processed foods. “This is the great strength of these recommendations,” Nestlé said.

Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, president of the American Medical Association, said in a statement that the group applauds the updated guidelines “for shining a light on the highly processed foods, sugary drinks and excess sodium that fuel heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other chronic illnesses.”

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

“The guidelines err in promoting meat and dairy, which are major contributors to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity,” Barnard said in a statement. “The guidelines take a heavy-handed 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 also expressed concern about the Trump administration’s decision to abandon specific limits on alcohol consumption. Previous dietary guidelines advised men to limit their alcohol consumption to two drinks per day, and women to consume no more than one drink per day. The updated guidelines say only that people should “consume less alcohol for better overall health” and that some people, including pregnant women and people recovering from alcohol use disorder, should avoid alcohol altogether.