A mixture of applause and concern have greeted the long-awaited new US dietary guidelines designed to “Make America Healthy Again”.
While they encourage cutting consumption of highly processed foods, a full detailed explanation of what foods fit in that bracket was amiss, which some say will lead to confusion for the US consumer.
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Similarly, the depiction of an inverted pyramid with protein, dairy and healthy fats at the top – along with fruit and vegetables – drew criticism for promoting animal meat, which has been linked with heart disease. Grains, meanwhile, are at the bottom of the pyramid, again attracting disapproval.
The emphasis on dairy – whole milk and full-fat dairy products – was also criticised because of the presence of saturated fat, one of the ‘bad’ fats the new policy aims to reduce consumption of.
US Department of Health and Human Services, led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., lauded the guidelines as “the most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in decades” which is designed to cut obesity and healthcare costs.
“Junk food became the foundation of the modern American diet,” a presentation went on to say, adding: “For decades, we’ve been misled by guidance that prioritised highly processed food, and are now facing rates of unprecedented chronic disease.”
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By GlobalDataThe Department suggested previous policies have “favoured corporate interests over common sense”, which “ends today”.
High-quality protein, healthy fats, fruits, vegetables and whole grains are promoted at the expense of highly processed foods “laden with refined carbohydrates, added sugars, excess sodium, unhealthy fats, and chemical additives”. Or as they were quantified: “highly processed packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat, or other foods that are salty or sweet”.
And to avoid sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda, fruit drinks, and energy drinks.
“No amount of added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners is recommended or considered part of a healthy or nutritious diet,” the Department said as it urged parents not to feed added sugar products to children aged four and under.
Sources of fat such as meats, poultry, eggs, omega 3-rich seafood, nuts, seeds, full-fat dairy, olives, and avocados are encouraged.
Consumption of “refined carbohydrates such as white bread, ready-to-eat or packaged breakfast options, flour tortillas, and crackers”, are not.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine issued a balanced reaction to the new guidelines, saying they “score well for their streamlined approach for limiting ‘bad’ fat, for emphasising fruits and vegetables, and for limiting alcohol, but need serious improvement in other areas”.
Its president Dr Neal Barnard added: “The guidelines are right to limit cholesterol-raising saturated ‘bad’ fat but they should spell out where it comes from: dairy products and meat, primarily. And here the guidelines err in promoting meat and dairy products, which are principal drivers of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity.”
Meanwhile, he said: “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.”
The Committee recommended modifications to eliminate confusion for the consumer, such as a warning against the consumption of animal meat, which it says is linked to heart disease and “other chronic diseases”.
Vegetarian and vegan diets should also be promoted, noting plant-based processed foods are “often fortified with essential nutrients and are a healthier option than animal products”.
Similarly, it suggested warning against too much consumption of dairy products that are “often high in saturated fat and linked to breast and prostate cancers”.
The policy should also “recognise that some highly processed foods are healthful”, such as breakfast cereals and breads, which are often fortified with folic acid and vitamin B12.
Meanwhile, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) said it “appreciates” some elements of the new policy, but it too has concerns.
“Amid this positive advice is harmful guidance to emphasise animal protein, butter, and full-fat dairy, guidance that undermines both the saturated fat limit and the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s science-based advice to emphasise plant-based proteins to reduce cardiovascular disease risk.
“While the meat and dairy industries may be excited about the new food pyramid, the American public should not be; the guidance on protein and fats in this DGA is, at best, confusing, and, at worst, harmful to the one in four Americans who are directly impacted by the DGA through federal nutrition programmes.
“In addition to contradictory guidance, the document spreads blatant misinformation that ‘healthy fats’ include butter and beef tallow.”
