Trump administration urges Americans to eat more red meat and full-fat dairy while avoiding sugar and ultra-processed foods in new dietary guidelines.
NEW YORK: The Trump administration has released new federal nutritional guidelines urging Americans to avoid added sugars and highly processed foods while promoting the consumption of red meat and full-fat dairy.
Health chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr vowed the new guidelines would “revolutionize” US eating habits and “make America healthy again”.
The recommendations feature a flipped-pyramid graphic placing meat, dairy and healthy fats alongside vegetables and fruits, with whole grains like oats at the bottom.
Reaction from nutritionists and public health advocates was mixed, with many calling the emphasis on animal protein and full-fat dairy “contradictory”.
“I found the whole thing to be muddled, contradictory, ideological and very retro,” said Marion Nestle, a professor emerita of nutrition at New York University.
The guidelines strongly discourage sugars, advising that children avoid added sweeteners until age 10 and that sugar-sweetened beverages are anathema to good health.
Americans are encouraged to cut back on refined carbohydrates like white bread and prioritise whole foods over packaged meals.
Nestle told AFP discouraging highly processed foods was a “very strong recommendation,” adding “I heartily support it”.
Federal data shows ultra-processed foods account for about 55% of calories in the average American diet.
The new document includes red meat among various proteins to consume, whereas previous guidelines endorsed “lean meats”.
Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, called the emphasis on animal protein and full-fat dairy “harmful”.
The guidelines recommend 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, an increase from the previous 0.8 grams.
Kennedy has emphasised ending the “war” on saturated fats, which in high amounts increase heart disease risk.
The administration did not change the previous recommendation limiting daily calories from saturated fats at 10%.
The new guidelines say cooking with butter or beef tallow are good options alongside olive oil.
Nestle said cooking with saturated fats and consuming red meat could easily put many people over the saturated fat threshold.
She also said the new recommendations were too vague on alcohol, simply advising to “consume less”.
Nestle questioned how many people could follow the guidance given soaring food costs.
The nutritionist said the dietary guidelines carry less weight within the wider political context.
Kennedy has worked to sow confusion over vaccination, as President Donald Trump gives sweeping medical advice rife with misinformation.
“Eating real food is not going to make American healthy again in the face of a public health system that is completely dysfunctional at this point,” said Nestle.
