UNITED STATES -- HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. came out with the new federal dietary guidelines last week.
He says he's trying to get more people to ‘eat real food,’ with some of the changes encouraging Americans to limit processed foods like chips or cookies and sugary beverages like soda and energy drinks.
Updated guidelines are released every five years, shaping nutritional programs nationwide as well as what’s served in public schools.
The new pyramid encourages Americans to eat whole foods, fruits and veggies, incorporate healthy fats, prioritize protein-rich meals, whole grains and consume full-fat dairy. It is essentially the inverse of the previous recommendation.
At the top of the new pyramid are protein, dairy, and healthy fats. Toward the bottom, whole grains.
The guidelines on alcohol simply say to limit alcoholic beverages and consume less alcohol for overall health.
For cooking, the guidance outlines that people should 'prioritize oils with essential fatty acids' like olive oil. Other options include butter or beef tallow. The guidance adds that in general, saturated fat consumption shouldn’t exceed 10 percent of total daily calories.
The American Heart Association issued a statement in response to the guidelines, where it commends many of the recommendations on things like upping the intake of fruits, veggies, and whole grains and limiting things like sugars, highly processed foods, and saturated fats.
The AHA did cite a few concerns, as follows:
“For example, we are concerned that recommendations regarding salt seasoning and red meat consumption could inadvertently lead consumers to exceed recommended limits for sodium and saturated fats, which are primary drivers of cardiovascular disease. While the guidelines highlight whole-fat dairy, the Heart Association encourages consumption of low-fat and fat-free dairy products, which can be beneficial to heart health.”
The AHA also commented on protein consumption as well as high-fat animal products.
“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. 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.”
Amy Karanja is a Nurse Practitioner at The South Bend Clinic’s Medical and Surgical Weight Loss Center. She echoed a echoing a similar message to the American Heart Association, saying that while incorporating various sources of protein, including from plants, is good-- Americans should keep an eye on saturated fat intake and limit the consumption of red meat, butter, or beef tallow.
“Some people will see that and without reading specifically what the guidelines are indicating, they may assume that going ahead and having just unlimited red meat or whole fat dairy, like the butter and the milk and, you know, things like that. That's what we're promoting. When, in actuality, if they read the guidelines, which, again, some people will just gravitate towards the picture, they'll see that it's recommending to limit it. Overall, what these guidelines are trying to help reduce is obesity, right? And then just improving health for all Americans, I guess, if you want to say. But if we, if we continue to gravitate towards that, then I fear that in future, heart disease is going to come more prevalent than it already is,”
Because nutrition is different for each person, Karanja says there are many aspects that come into play.
“I mean, we have to think about people who are influenced by, like, cultural where their economic standpoint is, you know, what people can and can't afford, which I'm glad to they're also focusing on decreasing processed foods, you know, we have to think about people medically to what they are and are not able to consume,” said Karanja.
She says it can be hard for people to figure out who to listen to and make the best choices.
“I think if you have a provider that you're comfortable with talking to about this with or asking your provider for a referral to the dietitian or to a nurse practitioner or something that can kind of help guide you, or even your cardiologist, whatever specialist you may see, then I would try and get in collaboration with them to make sure that the choices that you're making are what's working best for you medically. If that's a concern,” said Karanja.