“While no amount of added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners is recommended or considered part of a healthy or nutritious diet, one meal should contain no more than 10 grams of added sugars.”
The vegetable section makes up a larger percentage, compared to previous US guidelines and pyramids, encouraging higher fruit and vegetable intake, which is excellent.
But then things start to fall apart. Meat and dairy are front and center for protein in the new pyramid (do we really need that giant chicken?) yet in the written portion, they state:
“In general, saturated fat consumption should not exceed 10% of total daily calories. Significantly limiting highly processed foods will help meet this goal. More high-quality research is needed to determine which types of dietary fats best support long-term health.”
This contradicts the pyramid's suggestions. Since meat and dairy are among the highest dietary sources of saturated fat [1], if someone followed the visual alone, they would absolutely not be reducing saturated fat intake. So which is it? Are we encouraged to prioritize meat, or are we supposed to reduce saturated fat? It can’t be both.
Meanwhile, beans and nuts, low in saturated fat, are tucked away at the bottom of the pyramid, tiny and almost unidentifiable. And what exactly is that bowl of mystery mush at the bottom of the protein section? On the vegetable side, lettuce is a healthy addition, but I strongly encourage the inclusion of dark leafy greens like kale, collards, parsley, and chard. Dark leafy greens are the most nutrient-dense foods per calorie of any foods (yes, higher than liver even) [2], and they should be displayed proportionally - frankly, as large as the chicken. But at least broccoli attempts to save the day. Go, broccoli!
Americans generally already consume enough protein, with adolescent girls and older women being the exception [1,2,3,4], so the heavy emphasis on it, especially on high-saturated fat sources, could mislead people toward excess rather than balance.
And one last thing, there’s the conflict-of-interest angle: the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine found that eight of the nine authors of the scientific report informing the guidelines have received funding or other compensation from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the Texas Beef Council, General Mills, the National Dairy Council, the National Pork Board, and others. The Physicians Committee is now petitioning HHS to withdraw the guidelines due to these industry ties.
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