Last week, RFK Jr, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture released new dietary guidelines for Americans. These new guidelines take the food pyramid we all know and flipped it upside down. Emphasis is placed on returning to whole foods, ending the “war on protein,” and encouraging foods high in saturated fats. Processed food is meant to be avoided. These guidelines are harmful because nutrition is a subject with a lot of nuance, and it needs to be treated as such.
We know that the food pyramid was flawed. That’s why it was discontinued in 2011 and replaced with MyPlate. The old pyramid prioritized grains (with no emphasis on whole grains), and was vague about the specific types of each food. Its replacement, MyPlate, was a lot more balanced and provided an easily-understood visual. Focusing on the old pyramid is just beating a dead horse.
If there’s a “War on protein” happening in this country, then I sure haven’t seen it. Foods from popcorn to Pop-Tarts are advertising their high protein content. The new guidelines nearly double the amount of recommended protein, which just isn’t necessary for the majority. People doing a lot of physical activity do need a lot of protein, but the average American is getting plenty.
A real problem arises with how the administration is demonizing processed foods while failing to grasp why many people opt for them. Take fresh veggies, for example. Around 19 million Americans live in food deserts and cannot easily access groceries. Fresh veggies don’t last nearly as long as the canned or frozen variants, and those options should not be demonized until alternatives are accessible.
There’s also the fact that frozen meals are helpful, or even necessary. For a single mom who’s just worked all day, that frozen meal can help get the family fed. For the parents of children with sensory issues like ARFID, that processed meal might be the only thing their kid will eat that day. There are times when being fed requires being less than perfectly healthy.
The new website for nutrition guidelines highlights the fact that there’s been a rise in chronic health conditions. There is merit in the idea that a focus on whole foods could help with this. However, while the American Heart Association stated that they agree with many of the new guidelines, they also are concerned about the recommendation about the endorsement of red meat and full fat dairy. The new guidelines even avoid raising the amount of recommended saturated fat, which is quite the contradiction.
What they fail to realize, however, is that chronic health conditions often make it extremely difficult to eat healthy.
There are diabetics who benefit from having sugar free options. There are people with allergies to natural color options like beet powder and turmeric. There are celiacs who rely on processed gluten-free foods to get enough calories. There are vegans, and even people with Alpha-Gal Syndrome that need alternatives to animal products.
Things will only become more difficult if these new guidelines lead to restrictions on things like preservatives, aspartame, and artificial food dye. Regardless of how unhealthy they could be, there are people who massively benefit from having them available.
The MyPlate model wasn’t perfect by any means, but at least it understood that healthy eating isn’t a one-size-fits-all thing. There are some people who could benefit from following the new guidelines, but they aren’t the majority. Until we can improve access to “real food” for everyone, we need to treat nutrition with the nuance it deserves.
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