Earlier this year the new edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) was released by the federal government.
Those guidelines — created jointly by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — are revised every five years and are largely used to give nutritional guidance to Americans and inform food and nutrition policy.
As a dietitian, I have always had grievances with the DGAs because nutrition is never a one-size-fits-all thing.
However, I think having basic, overarching guidelines to support healthy eating and wellness is important and see many benefits to them. With this new release, there are several controversial recommendations. Here’s my hot take as well as advice for applying these to your own life:
The first major change increased the recommended protein level from 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight to between 1.2 and 1.6 g/kg — nearly double in some cases. The evidence to support this increase came from a study that examined the impact of high-protein diets on weight loss.
In my opinion, results from studies that focused on weight loss shouldn’t be what sets dietary guidelines for the general population. While eating more protein can be helpful for some people, it could be harmful or unrealistic for others. Eating more protein can crowd out other nutrients and can be expensive, especially animal proteins, which the DGAs prioritize.
My advice: Shoot for a protein source at every meal and most snacks. If you do this, you will likely exceed the basic 0.8 g/kg level for adequacy.
Most Americans are not deficient in protein. An overfocus on consuming more detracts from other areas that may need to be addressed, like fiber.
Another recommended dietary change was to place more emphasis on animal proteins and fats. This totally reversed earlier guidelines that recommended a variety of both plant and animal sources. The controversy here comes from a concern for saturated fat and fiber intake.
The DGAs also recommend reducing saturated-fat intake and increasing fiber intake. If we are consuming more animal proteins and fats, along with whole-milk dairy products, as also recommended, it’s going to be very difficult to remain within recommendations for these key nutrients, because animal foods are high in saturated fat and low in fiber. It’s like fitting a square peg into a round hole — incompatible.
My advice: Variety is always better. Pay attention to the protein and dairy foods you enjoy and strike a balance. If you love whole-milk yogurt, then drink low-fat milk. If you want steak for dinner, also include lentils in your soup. Variety is your key to having it all.
Carbohydrate, or grain, recommendations were also updated. In the past, the recommendation was to make half of your grains whole.
However, the new edition only gives specific guidance for whole-grain intake while encouraging a drastic reduction in simple carbohydrates. This can be confusing as the guidelines are limited, stating daily grain recommendations of two to four servings of whole grains only, when most bodies need six to eight servings of all grains for adequacy.
If we read the nitty gritty, we also see that most studies in support of reduced carbohydrate intake yielded positive health outcomes only in the short term. After six months, many findings were null.
My advice: We need both whole-grain carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates. Whole grains provide more fiber and a wider variety of micronutrients, but simple carbohydrates provide easy-to-access energy, are usually fortified with B vitamins and are often more affordable and easier to prepare.
At the end of the day, the DGAs will always be ripe with pros and cons, hot takes and controversy, because nutrition is so nuanced.
However, the DGAs can be the starting point for what food changes might suit you best.
Jenni Burg is a dietitian and freelance writer who writes about food and nutrition for the Bugle.