Yes please to a deeper dive on the Dietary Guidelines! I am particularly interested in how some of these changes differ from previous guidelines and what they are based on. I feel very concerned about the emphasis on meat and whole dairy, which the Mediterranean diet specifically says to limit. Thanks so much for a great post!
Yes! I'm also curious how this will affect the cost of school lunches. A lot of districts across the country provide free school lunches, but are under budgetary constraints so if this increases the cost, they may be forced to either reduce portion sizes, cut other programs to continue providing food, or start charging for food.
What is up with the ‘zero added sugar for kids under 11’ guideline? Is this just to emphasize that kids really shouldn’t be eating as much sugar as they do, or is there real evidence that even a minimal amount of added sugar carries severe health risks? What is the risk of added sugars compared to some of the other things I wouldn’t let my child consume, like coffee or alcohol? Thanks!
Thanks Miriam, we will address this. As a parent, I totally get it and think it's an impossible ask. I feel more aligned with previous guidelines that recommended "avoiding" under age 2 while taste preferences were building, then "limiting" in childhood to <10% of calories, allowing for a little wiggle room in nutrient-dense foods (e.g., flavored yogurt, whole wheat bread, fortified whole grain cereals) and occasional treats compared to nutrient-poor options like sugar-sweetened beverages.
I am very interested in a deep dive into the new food pyramid. I'm happy to see whole grains at the bottom, although I think that technically fats belong there. I'm of the opinion that we are too dependent on carbs, and as a pre-diabetic I have seriously limited the carbs I eat. What I would really like to see, based on my current needs, is info on how to get a lot of fiber into one's diet without destroying one's HbA1c test results.
I'd be very interested in a deep dive into the nutrition guidelines, but only if it takes into consideration of new research into how sugar and carbs drive disease, and the new research into how a low carb diet can improve mental health. Have you or your dietitian read Nina Tolscholz's Big Fat Surprise and/or Gary Taub's Good Calories Bad Calories??
Thanks Becca. I am familiar with those books and their premise. I think there is certainly value in placing more value on whole foods, emphasizing holistic nutrition over a focus on isolated nutrients. With everything, there is room for personalization. We see that with different cultures, eating patterns and staple foods, still supporting good health in different ways. Even refined carbs like those found in white rice, tortillas and pasta can fit into healthy eating patterns like a Japanese, Latin American or Mediterranean diets - especially when they act as carriers for vegetables, healthy fats and proteins.
Dietary Guidelines....and your comment that many do not follow them anyway: culture, affordability, individual biology/neurology, and where you live play huge rolls in diet that are very real in our everyday lives and drive our diets regardless of what some government website says.
I find that guidelines oversimplify and 'preach' (engendering guilt). So, I am going to ramble for a moment but check the Summary at the end : I am French descent and Italian by marriage...wine is built into these cultures NOW because the water was contaminated THEN. But the culture and climate also made fresh food cooked with butter or olive oil (and garlic!) wonderfully delicious. Meals with my cousins in France never had 'dessert'...fruit or cheese...always salad, too. Always made fresh. I do the same. I eat a lot of meat protein (but I trim off most of the fat), butter, and olive oil, but always a veggie, e.g., broccoli with olive oil, garlic, and parmesan cheese, and a home prepared starch, e.g., rice seasoned with a bit of salt and butter. Why? My parents ate this way. My husband's parents ate this way. My blood tests have been perfect for years. There are no sweets in the house aside from a bag of cookies (I will have one or two occasionally if starved in the afternoon but I am more likely to have gouda cheese and crackers) or some banana bread or english muffin with my egg in the morning. (NO CEREAL!) Highly processed food are not part of the daily diet.
Summary: YLE, I know you are trying your darnedest to find what works. You care. My view from the other side of the table: Rules about eating do not work well because they don't fit and/or they create guilt. And they change. Eat eggs; don't eat eggs; eggs are okay; ...sigh. I urge you to find a better way to talk about diet that doesn't contain RULES or words like, "...research shows that ....' Put some responsibility on the public to think about their food choices. Maybe you can find some new way to help people eat better that is not wired to politics.
Thanks, Kathy. I think we’re more aligned than different. Typically, the DGA are intended to guide policy and professionals, while consumer-facing tools, like the previous MyPlate, are designed for the general public. In my view, MyPlate was a solid visual framework with flexibility for personalization across the five food groups.
The previous DGA also included flexibility around 3 dietary patterns (U.S.-Style, Mediterranean, and Vegetarian), and research shows that people who broadly follow the DGA tend to have better health outcomes. The challenge is that most Americans don’t follow them - not because of specific foods per se, but due to patterns like excess added sugar, saturated fat, and sodium, and inadequate intake of calcium, fiber, potassium, and vit D.
I agree, nutrition should not be tied to politics. It should be considered a science, not an opinion.
I’ve never had the flu, but I’ve always been a bit puzzled about taking antivirals. You’re supposed to start taking them within 1-2 days of symptom onset, but my question is how do people know they have the flu that quickly? I’ve never had the flu, but my understanding is that symptoms are like any other cold, just much more severe. Generally, when I have a cold, I don’t go to the doctor for testing because I feel like garbage and unless it’s the flu there’s nothing much a doctor can do for you, right? Are you supposed to go to the doc for testing for every cold, or just stay home and treat with the things that help relieve symptoms unless symptoms become unmanageable at home?
If you have a primary care clinician with a good support staff, I recommend that you contact the office right away with any questions like the ones you mentioned. Pro tip: If your primary care clinician has a patient portal, sign up for it and use it for your questions. You are more likely to get reasoned and insightful answers when you use asynchronous communication such as a portal and most portals are well monitored and responded to in a timely manner.
Yes! A deeper dive into the new Dietary Guidelines would be appreciated. Definitions of 'highly processed' foods, are frozen vegetables a decent substitute for fresh, affordable ground beef is probably 70% fat, impact on cholesterol levels, examples of actual meals for the comfortable income folks, those on a tighter budget and those with little time.
Megan, I would like to recommend "information people can trust" on my Substack. The problem with nutrition as a moving target, AKA RFK-style, is that it leads people to throw up their hands, even if they're trying to eat what's right.
I think it would be helpful to read, "If your goal is ______ (weight management) or (heart health) or (autoimmunity) or "reducing cancer risk ... etc." this is what we recommend. Diets are not one size fits all, and I'd love to share straight forward, reliable recommendations people can rely on. Thank you for your work.
Megan, yes. I am firmly behind you in frustration on this. (I am a health professional who follows and teaches re: health and nutrition guidelines.) My comment here was regarding your request about what I'd like to read about on this Substack. Maybe I was unclear?
Wendy, totally agree! I think this is where the value of RDs come in to help people with personal or clinical goals (e.g., weight loss, heart health, performance, diabetes management, etc.). The purpose of the DGA is to update guidelines for *healthy Americans* every 5 years based on advances in research. It's meant to ensure *most* Americans meet nutritional and energy needs to support a healthy, balanced life across different life stages that reduces the risk of chronic disease. What concerns me is how the playbook for the guidelines (a 5-year process, nominated independent committee, public and methodical steps) went out the window, setting a concerning precedent that values ideology/administration leadership over science.
Not sure where to post this article but it is an excellent example of the power of an organized Public Health system working with a community to control a deadly infectious disease:
I was concerned to see the new dietary guidelines "add" red meat and saturated fat into a healthy diet and am interested in the science, if any, used to support that.
Would appreciate an analysis of the new guidelines that points out how the recommendations specifically differ from the prior guidelines is and what the related evidence base is (a science/fact review), with a possible separate follow-up (policy/conflicts assessment) of how these revisions stack up with the change in panel membership and their funding and political biases.
This is exactly what I was going to request as a deep dive follow up from YLE.
Seems like there is a lot of industry influence on those who are recommending these guidelines. I mean stating we should limit saturated fat (a good idea) but then giving a full green light on red meat and other foods with high saturated fat is simply ludicrous!
And to take ludicrous a step further, the guidelines suggest to the American people that there is no need for limits on alcohol intake. Insane!
Did any of the people involved in this process have the credentials, experience, and expertise to make these recommendations? And if they did, can we find out if they were acting under external influences or were they allowed to act independently.
YLE said: "Encouragement of animal fats (e.g., beef, beef tallow, whole milk, butter), while still keeping the saturated fat limits to <10% of calories (~22 grams/day)."
Surely many of the (relatively small number of) American adults who pay attention to the food pyramid are going to be influenced much more by the pyramid graphics than by the text, resulting in people consuming too much saturated fat. Well done, RFK ( /s).
On the dietary guidelines, I've been surprised that no one has commented on the reduction of breads and grains from the base (max) of the pyramid to the minimal level. What's that about? Gluten?
Yes please to a deeper dive on the Dietary Guidelines! I am particularly interested in how some of these changes differ from previous guidelines and what they are based on. I feel very concerned about the emphasis on meat and whole dairy, which the Mediterranean diet specifically says to limit. Thanks so much for a great post!
I have the same question and concerns as Bonnie.
Interested in a deep dive and how it will affect school lunches and snap guidelines
Yes! To add a specific question: do the new guidelines mean our school won’t be able to sell kids ice cream during lunch anymore?
No, they'll be offering full fat ice cream!
Yes! I'm also curious how this will affect the cost of school lunches. A lot of districts across the country provide free school lunches, but are under budgetary constraints so if this increases the cost, they may be forced to either reduce portion sizes, cut other programs to continue providing food, or start charging for food.
Yes! I’m very interested in how the guideline changes could translate to school lunch changes.
What is up with the ‘zero added sugar for kids under 11’ guideline? Is this just to emphasize that kids really shouldn’t be eating as much sugar as they do, or is there real evidence that even a minimal amount of added sugar carries severe health risks? What is the risk of added sugars compared to some of the other things I wouldn’t let my child consume, like coffee or alcohol? Thanks!
Thanks Miriam, we will address this. As a parent, I totally get it and think it's an impossible ask. I feel more aligned with previous guidelines that recommended "avoiding" under age 2 while taste preferences were building, then "limiting" in childhood to <10% of calories, allowing for a little wiggle room in nutrient-dense foods (e.g., flavored yogurt, whole wheat bread, fortified whole grain cereals) and occasional treats compared to nutrient-poor options like sugar-sweetened beverages.
I am very interested in a deep dive into the new food pyramid. I'm happy to see whole grains at the bottom, although I think that technically fats belong there. I'm of the opinion that we are too dependent on carbs, and as a pre-diabetic I have seriously limited the carbs I eat. What I would really like to see, based on my current needs, is info on how to get a lot of fiber into one's diet without destroying one's HbA1c test results.
I'd be very interested in a deep dive into the nutrition guidelines, but only if it takes into consideration of new research into how sugar and carbs drive disease, and the new research into how a low carb diet can improve mental health. Have you or your dietitian read Nina Tolscholz's Big Fat Surprise and/or Gary Taub's Good Calories Bad Calories??
Thanks Becca. I am familiar with those books and their premise. I think there is certainly value in placing more value on whole foods, emphasizing holistic nutrition over a focus on isolated nutrients. With everything, there is room for personalization. We see that with different cultures, eating patterns and staple foods, still supporting good health in different ways. Even refined carbs like those found in white rice, tortillas and pasta can fit into healthy eating patterns like a Japanese, Latin American or Mediterranean diets - especially when they act as carriers for vegetables, healthy fats and proteins.
Dietary Guidelines....and your comment that many do not follow them anyway: culture, affordability, individual biology/neurology, and where you live play huge rolls in diet that are very real in our everyday lives and drive our diets regardless of what some government website says.
I find that guidelines oversimplify and 'preach' (engendering guilt). So, I am going to ramble for a moment but check the Summary at the end : I am French descent and Italian by marriage...wine is built into these cultures NOW because the water was contaminated THEN. But the culture and climate also made fresh food cooked with butter or olive oil (and garlic!) wonderfully delicious. Meals with my cousins in France never had 'dessert'...fruit or cheese...always salad, too. Always made fresh. I do the same. I eat a lot of meat protein (but I trim off most of the fat), butter, and olive oil, but always a veggie, e.g., broccoli with olive oil, garlic, and parmesan cheese, and a home prepared starch, e.g., rice seasoned with a bit of salt and butter. Why? My parents ate this way. My husband's parents ate this way. My blood tests have been perfect for years. There are no sweets in the house aside from a bag of cookies (I will have one or two occasionally if starved in the afternoon but I am more likely to have gouda cheese and crackers) or some banana bread or english muffin with my egg in the morning. (NO CEREAL!) Highly processed food are not part of the daily diet.
Summary: YLE, I know you are trying your darnedest to find what works. You care. My view from the other side of the table: Rules about eating do not work well because they don't fit and/or they create guilt. And they change. Eat eggs; don't eat eggs; eggs are okay; ...sigh. I urge you to find a better way to talk about diet that doesn't contain RULES or words like, "...research shows that ....' Put some responsibility on the public to think about their food choices. Maybe you can find some new way to help people eat better that is not wired to politics.
Thanks, Kathy. I think we’re more aligned than different. Typically, the DGA are intended to guide policy and professionals, while consumer-facing tools, like the previous MyPlate, are designed for the general public. In my view, MyPlate was a solid visual framework with flexibility for personalization across the five food groups.
The previous DGA also included flexibility around 3 dietary patterns (U.S.-Style, Mediterranean, and Vegetarian), and research shows that people who broadly follow the DGA tend to have better health outcomes. The challenge is that most Americans don’t follow them - not because of specific foods per se, but due to patterns like excess added sugar, saturated fat, and sodium, and inadequate intake of calcium, fiber, potassium, and vit D.
I agree, nutrition should not be tied to politics. It should be considered a science, not an opinion.
I’ve never had the flu, but I’ve always been a bit puzzled about taking antivirals. You’re supposed to start taking them within 1-2 days of symptom onset, but my question is how do people know they have the flu that quickly? I’ve never had the flu, but my understanding is that symptoms are like any other cold, just much more severe. Generally, when I have a cold, I don’t go to the doctor for testing because I feel like garbage and unless it’s the flu there’s nothing much a doctor can do for you, right? Are you supposed to go to the doc for testing for every cold, or just stay home and treat with the things that help relieve symptoms unless symptoms become unmanageable at home?
For me, if it’s a cold but I’m also running a fever, I would test for Flu
Great question!
If you have a primary care clinician with a good support staff, I recommend that you contact the office right away with any questions like the ones you mentioned. Pro tip: If your primary care clinician has a patient portal, sign up for it and use it for your questions. You are more likely to get reasoned and insightful answers when you use asynchronous communication such as a portal and most portals are well monitored and responded to in a timely manner.
Yes! A deeper dive into the new Dietary Guidelines would be appreciated. Definitions of 'highly processed' foods, are frozen vegetables a decent substitute for fresh, affordable ground beef is probably 70% fat, impact on cholesterol levels, examples of actual meals for the comfortable income folks, those on a tighter budget and those with little time.
Please, more on the guidelines. Do they claim that being a vegetarian is unhealthy?
Megan, I would like to recommend "information people can trust" on my Substack. The problem with nutrition as a moving target, AKA RFK-style, is that it leads people to throw up their hands, even if they're trying to eat what's right.
I think it would be helpful to read, "If your goal is ______ (weight management) or (heart health) or (autoimmunity) or "reducing cancer risk ... etc." this is what we recommend. Diets are not one size fits all, and I'd love to share straight forward, reliable recommendations people can rely on. Thank you for your work.
Megan, yes. I am firmly behind you in frustration on this. (I am a health professional who follows and teaches re: health and nutrition guidelines.) My comment here was regarding your request about what I'd like to read about on this Substack. Maybe I was unclear?
Got it! Not unclear, thanks Wendy.
Wendy, totally agree! I think this is where the value of RDs come in to help people with personal or clinical goals (e.g., weight loss, heart health, performance, diabetes management, etc.). The purpose of the DGA is to update guidelines for *healthy Americans* every 5 years based on advances in research. It's meant to ensure *most* Americans meet nutritional and energy needs to support a healthy, balanced life across different life stages that reduces the risk of chronic disease. What concerns me is how the playbook for the guidelines (a 5-year process, nominated independent committee, public and methodical steps) went out the window, setting a concerning precedent that values ideology/administration leadership over science.
Not sure where to post this article but it is an excellent example of the power of an organized Public Health system working with a community to control a deadly infectious disease:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/11/obituaries/jirdes-winther-baxter-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EFA.GVss.z817wTzURMGm&smid=url-share
This is so cool! I learned so much from this gorgeous obit. And the photos!
I was concerned to see the new dietary guidelines "add" red meat and saturated fat into a healthy diet and am interested in the science, if any, used to support that.
Would appreciate an analysis of the new guidelines that points out how the recommendations specifically differ from the prior guidelines is and what the related evidence base is (a science/fact review), with a possible separate follow-up (policy/conflicts assessment) of how these revisions stack up with the change in panel membership and their funding and political biases.
This is exactly what I was going to request as a deep dive follow up from YLE.
Seems like there is a lot of industry influence on those who are recommending these guidelines. I mean stating we should limit saturated fat (a good idea) but then giving a full green light on red meat and other foods with high saturated fat is simply ludicrous!
And to take ludicrous a step further, the guidelines suggest to the American people that there is no need for limits on alcohol intake. Insane!
Did any of the people involved in this process have the credentials, experience, and expertise to make these recommendations? And if they did, can we find out if they were acting under external influences or were they allowed to act independently.
Wondering your thoughts on home flu tests. They seem only to be combined with Covid tests.
Also the Dietary Guidelines are an abomination in my view and deserve a deep dive.
YLE said: "Encouragement of animal fats (e.g., beef, beef tallow, whole milk, butter), while still keeping the saturated fat limits to <10% of calories (~22 grams/day)."
Surely many of the (relatively small number of) American adults who pay attention to the food pyramid are going to be influenced much more by the pyramid graphics than by the text, resulting in people consuming too much saturated fat. Well done, RFK ( /s).
On the dietary guidelines, I've been surprised that no one has commented on the reduction of breads and grains from the base (max) of the pyramid to the minimal level. What's that about? Gluten?