Donald Trump is not only turning world politics upside down, but his Health Secretary Kennedy is now also reshaping the food pyramid in the USA. The USA has had a massive problem with chronic diseases for years. The figures for overweight and obesity have exploded. In 1990, 21.2 percent of women and 16.9 percent of men were considered obese. By 2022, these figures had risen to 43.8 percent of women and 41.6 percent of men. Overweight is a key risk factor for type 2 diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases.
For a long time, the motto was considered irrefutable: little fat, little red meat, but plenty of whole grains. This guiding principle is now faltering. In the USA, government dietary guidelines are being redefined. Protein, animal products, and fat are gaining importance. Even butter and beef tallow are once again considered acceptable. Whole grains now play only a minor role. Critics, however, allege that the panel of hand-picked experts has financial ties to, among others, the beef and dairy industries.
The new order turns the previous pyramid on its head . Protein sources move to the top, while bread and grains lose ground. This is particularly evident in the protein recommendation. Adults should now consume 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. That's 50 to 100 percent more than previously recommended. Such a high amount of protein was previously only recommended for people engaged in strenuous physical activity or for high-performance athletes.
Protein sources mentioned include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products. Legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy are also included. However, a clear prioritization of plant-based proteins is lacking, even though they are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death.
The shift in policy focuses less on promoting meat and more on moving away from convenience foods . The goal is to reduce the consumption of highly processed products. A major scientific review, on which the new guidelines are based, links high consumption of convenience foods to increased risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, depression, and dementia.
Recommendations regarding sugar are much stricter than before. Sugary drinks should be avoided. Children should not consume any added sugar until the age of ten. Previously, this age limit was two. Natural sugars from fruit and milk are still considered unproblematic.
Highly processed carbohydrates are also clearly identified. White bread, light tortillas, and crackers should be consumed much less frequently. Products with artificial flavorings, preservatives, colorings, sweeteners, and high sugar or salt content are considered particularly unfavorable.
The new recommendations take a two-pronged approach to fat intake. The existing upper limit remains in place: a maximum of ten percent of daily calories should come from saturated fatty acids. At the same time, the new US food pyramid gives greater weight to foods that contain precisely these fats in larger quantities.
The new recommendations regarding alcohol remain strikingly vague. Instead of setting firm limits, they simply advise drinking less. Previous guidelines specified clear amounts, such as a maximum of two drinks per day for men and one for women. These figures are now missing. This leaves open how moderate alcohol consumption is to be defined and what role alcohol will play in future dietary recommendations.
The American Heart Association offers only limited support for the new recommendations. In a statement, it warned that the reorientation could lead to excessive consumption of saturated fat and sodium, primarily from meat. Both remain clear risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Animal protein sources, unlike plant-based ones, do not provide dietary fiber. Fiber is crucial for a healthy gut flora and the prevention of various diseases, including severe obesity and heart disease—precisely the kinds of health problems many Americans face. Plant-based protein sources also offer phytochemicals and unsaturated fatty acids, which have beneficial effects on health.
From a German perspective, there are also differing opinions on the topic of nutrition within Germany. While the German Nutrition Society still recommends carbohydrates (grains, bread, potatoes, pasta, rice) with every meal, the LOGI diet, developed at Harvard around the turn of the millennium, has reduced carbohydrates in favor of more protein, vegetables, fruit, and healthy fats in order to ease the burden on the metabolism.
Why is this sometimes so contradictory and confusing? In my view, nutrition also includes considering other lifestyle factors . A young person can and should eat differently than an older person, as their exercise routine is usually different. People with conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, or diabetes need different recommendations than healthy people.
We welcome the reduction of carbohydrates in favor of more vegetables and protein, and the move away from industrially produced food, but we favor plant-based protein sources over animal ones. When it comes to meat, quantity, processing, and quality/origin should be considered.
It is therefore complex, and we will dedicate ourselves more intensively to this topic in the next installments of our blogs.
Furthermore, a healthy lifestyle can be optimized even further by adding well-dosed and high-quality dietary supplements.