US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has unveiled new dietary guidelines urging Americans to eat more protein while cutting back on ultra-processed foods and added sugars.
The guidelines, issued every five years by the US Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services, recommend three servings of full-fat dairy products a day.
The guidelines form the basis for federal nutrition programmes, including school meal schemes, and have drawn mixed reactions from experts.
"My message is clear: eat real food," Kennedy said at a White House press conference on Wednesday.
The new guidelines mark a radical shift in the official view of fats, particularly saturated and animal fats:
- Return of animal fats (tallow): In a notable first, the guidelines suggest beef tallow as an alternative cooking option, despite its high saturated fat content — a major departure from previous recommendations that sidelined solid animal fats.
- Backing for full-fat dairy: The previous recommendation to consume "low-fat or fat-free" dairy has been scrapped in favour of an explicit recommendation of three daily servings of full-fat dairy products.
- Olive oil recommendation: The guidelines retain the recommendation to use healthy vegetable oils for cooking, specifically naming olive oil as a preferred choice.
- Tackling fats in processed foods: The strict call to avoid "ultra-processed foods" (such as crisps and biscuits) implicitly means reducing consumption of refined vegetable oils and hydrogenated fats used in manufacturing such snacks.
- Health concerns: The American Heart Association has voiced concern that promoting red meat and beef tallow could push consumption of saturated fats beyond safe limits, posing a risk to heart health.
Reactions: Experts are divided; the American Medical Association welcomed the crackdown on processed foods, while nutrition expert Marion Nestle criticised the return to a 1950s-style diet heavy in meat and dairy, arguing it ignores advances in nutrition science.
Source: Al Mal Forum
