New Dietary Guidelines Emphasize Protein, Healthy Fats

Here are six ways the dietary guidelines differ from previous ones.

Change No. 1: Increase protein intake.

Prioritize “high quality, nutrient dense protein foods” at every meal, the guidelines say, touting poultry, seafood, eggs and red meat, along with plant-based options like peas, beans, lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds and soy.

Eating or drinking enough protein can help stave off sarcopenia, the loss of muscle and strength that can naturally occur with age.

Suggestion: Eat or drink 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day, an amount that can be tweaked based on your individual needs. If you’re on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet, for example, you should consume three to four servings of protein-rich foods per day.

Getting 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram means a 160-pound person should aim for approximately 87 grams per day. But that amount of protein may not be ideal for everyone, Anderson says. If your sources of protein are higher in saturated fat, they may not be good for cardiovascular health, and it could mean you’re getting less of other nutrients you need, she adds. The committee focuses on nutrients of concern for overconsumption and underconsumption, and “protein does not show up as a nutrient of concern for underconsumption in any age group, from twinkle to wrinkle,” Anderson says.

Change No. 2: A shift on fats

While some media reports indicated the new guidance would change the existing recommendation to limit saturated fats to no more than 10 percent of daily calories, the new report maintained that threshold.

“Protein and healthy fats are essential and were wrongly discouraged in prior dietary guidelines. We are ending the war on saturated fats,” Kennedy said at a White House briefing.    

Suggestion: No more than 10 percent of daily calories should come from foods with saturated fat. (Limiting highly processed foods will help meet this goal, according to the new guidelines.)

The report recommends healthy fats from whole foods such as meat, poultry, eggs, omega-3–rich seafood, nuts, seeds, full-fat dairy, olives and avocados. The guidelines say to prioritize oils with essential fatty acids, such as olive oil. Butter and beef tallow are other options.

Suggestion: Consume 4½ servings a day of healthy fats, like olive oil or butter.

The new guidelines put full-fat dairy with no added sugars on the menu but still include fat-free or low-fat dairy as options. The previous version of the guidelines endorsed only fat-free or low-fat dairy milk or yogurt.  

Suggestion: Eat or drink three servings of dairy per day based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, the guidelines say. Better-quality research is needed to tell which types of dietary fats are best for long-term health, the authors added.

Full-fat dairy generally contains more saturated fat compared with lower-fat and fat-free choices. Too much saturated fat can raise cholesterol levels and your risk for cardiovascular events and heart disease, according to the AHA. Some research shows lower-fat products can reduce harmful cholesterol, while other studies indicate that lowering saturated fat hasn’t translated (via randomized controlled trials) into less cardiovascular deaths for all populations. 

When it comes to full-fat dairy, there is conflicting research on low-fat versus full-fat in terms of risk for increased cholesterol and cardiovascular disease (except butter, which is pretty clearly related to health risks), says Sharon Palmer, a registered dietitian nutritionist from Ojai, California. Palmer says it’s “unclear how people can achieve this level of saturated fat while increasing protein intake and focusing on meat, butter, beef tallow and full-fat dairy. 

“I don’t think there’s enough evidence to recommend full-fat dairy overall, except for [in] children, though. And that’s the conclusion of the DGAC too,” Palmer says.

Change No. 3: Avoid highly processed foods.

Salty and sweet chips and cookies, along with other highly processed foods, should be avoided, the guidelines say.

According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half the calories Americans eat and drink are from ultra-processed foods tied to increased risks for heart disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer.

The new guidelines give a nod to gut health, mentioning that highly processed foods can disrupt gut balance. The new document notes that vegetables, fruits, fermented foods and high-fiber foods support a diverse microbiome, which is linked to health benefits.

Suggestion: Steer clear of highly processed packaged, prepared and ready-to-eat meals and snacks, as they often contain added sugars and high levels of sodium. (Too much sodium is linked to high blood pressure.)

Change No. 4: Watch out for artificial substances, and avoid added sugars.

The guidelines suggest limiting foods and beverages with artificial flavors, dyes, low-calorie nonnutritive sweeteners and artificial preservatives.

No amount of added sugars or nonnutritive sweeteners is recommended or considered healthy or part of a nutritious diet, the report states, adding that people should avoid sugar-sweetened drinks.

The DGAC report Anderson’s team submitted to the USDA and HHS was similar to the new guidelines in that both emphasize vigilance around the amount of added sugar and saturated fat we consume. “There, to me, is a wonderful point of overlap between what the big message is from the original committee and this new activity,” she says.

Suggestion: A single meal should not contain more than 10 grams of added sugars, the report states. The 2020-2025 guidelines said Americans should consume less than 10 percent of their daily calories that come from added sugars.

Change No. 5: Focus on whole grains, and reduce refined carbohydrates.

The guidance focuses on consuming more “fiber-rich whole grains” and reducing highly processed, refined carbohydrates like white bread, ready-to-eat or packaged breakfast options, flour tortillas and crackers.

Suggestion: Stick to two to four servings per day of whole grains. Low-carb diets may be ideal to manage some chronic diseases, the guidelines state.

Change No. 6: Consume less alcohol, but there are no recommendations for specific amounts or limits.

The previous guidelines said people should limit alcoholic drinks to two drinks or less in a day for men and one drink or less in a day for women, but the new guidelines say only to drink less. This is the first time in decades that the government has not given specific recommendations for limits on alcohol. The new guidelines also do not mention that even moderate drinking can increase cancer risk.

Suggestion: Limit your drinking of alcoholic beverages. Skip alcohol completely if you’re pregnant, recovering from alcohol use disorder, are unable to control the amount you drink, or if you’re on medications or have any medical conditions that can interact with alcohol. 

Other nutritional guideline recommendations

Fruits and veggies

Fruit and vegetable intake in the new report aligns with the previous version of the guidelines.

Suggestion: Consume at least three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit per day.

Vegetarians and vegans

The report recommends eating a variety of whole foods, especially protein-rich foods, and to limit highly processed foods. “There is an overall downplaying of the health benefits of more plant-based diets, which have been evident in the last two iterations of the DGAs, not to mention a body of research,” Palmer says.

Suggestion: Watch out for nutritional gaps if you’re a vegetarian or vegan, the report warns. Vegetarian diets often lack vitamins D and E, choline and iron; vegan diets often lack vitamins A, D, E, B6 and B12, as well as riboflavin, niacin, choline, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and protein. The guidelines urge vegans and vegetarians to monitor their nutrient status periodically for iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium and iodine.

Sodium

The new guidelines suggest eating meat with no or limited added sugars, refined carbohydrates or starches, or chemical additives. The recommendations say people can flavor meat with salt, spices and herbs if preferred. The AHA warns that this statement could inadvertently cause people to consume too much sodium and saturated fats — both are leading drivers of cardiovascular disease.

Suggestion: The new guidelines say that most people over age 14 should have less than 2,300 mg a day of sodium (same advice as the previous version) and recommend avoiding highly processed foods high in sodium.