Following decades of warnings against red meat, a radical new dietary trend is turning long-standing nutritional advice on its head. The US government's new guidelines are now telling people to consume more full-fat dairy, including beef fat and much more protein. In the guidelines, red meat is explicitly listed as a recommended option.
The latest guidelines directly contradict previous dietary advice, which long urged Americans to cut back on red meat. The US government is now facing significant backlash for this reversal, with experts questioning the scientific basis of the new recommendations.
Why red meat consumption is not recommended
Due to its strong links with increased risks of chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer, reduced intake of red meat was advised by doctors.
Several studies have revealed that people who eat red meat are at a higher risk of death. Limiting foods with saturated fat, including meat, can lower LDL or 'bad' cholesterol in your blood.
New guidelines- Key points
The new food pyramid urges people to 'eat real food'. The guidelines also explicitly mark 'highly processed foods' in the avoid category.
Any 'packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat' foods should be kept at bay. While 'home-prepared meals' should be given importance.
The latest guidelines also set a protein target of 1.2g to 1.6g per kilogram of body weight per day – substantially higher than the previous 0.8g per kilogram.
The US health department faces backlash
US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr called the new guidelines "the most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in decades.
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However, there is severe backlash to the new set of rules as the Centre for Science in the Public Interest came to the forefront, slamming the guidelines. It's "blatant misinformation", said the public health watchdog. The advice on protein and fat was termed "confusing" and "harmful" by them. Experts opine that butter and meat consumption raises blood cholesterol levels more than cheese and milk and is associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
Even the American Heart Association lashed out against the new food pyramid and urged consumers to limit "high-fat animal products, including red meat, butter, lard and tallow."
Also, experts questioned the lack of mention of seed oils in the "healthy" fat list. "Why is only olive oil mentioned?" they asked.
After years of being told that saturated fats in steak and butter clog our arteries, the narrative is changing. The latest federal guidelines suggest that the real culprit behind high cholesterol may actually be our body's reaction to sugar and processed carbohydrates
UK experts said the new advice has "moved away from the science-based guidelines to guidelines that are more populist, and in some cases, not supported by the science".
