Steak, cheese and butter are in. Highly processed foods and sugars are officially on notice.
Americans began the year with updated federal dietary guidelines that focus on “real food” sources of proteins at every meal — including full-fat dairy and meats — along with healthy fats, shifting the focus away from whole grains and low-fat foods.
The new standards, released Wednesday, are designed to improve eating habits to reduce chronic disease and lower obesity rates.
Georgia ranks 15th in the country for adults with chronic conditions, with nearly 10% of adults having three or more conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer or diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Poor diet can lead to such illnesses, the CDC reports.
The new nutrition policy turned the food pyramid on its head — the first major overhaul in more than a decade — emphasizing protein over processed carbohydrates such as standard pasta and white rice that used to be the base of America’s diet. The dietary guidelines are reviewed every five years.
Still, like the New Year’s resolutions they closely followed, the release of new guidelines may not dramatically change dietary behavior, according to several Georgia dietitians and a weight management specialist consulted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Dr. Juaquito Jorge, an obesity specialist with Piedmont Augusta, doesn’t believe the new guidelines will drastically reduce the obesity rate, change how Americans eat or how doctors advise their patients on diet and exercise.
“I have to recognize the limitations of the society we live in,” said Jorge, medical director of Piedmont Augusta’s Weight Management and Bariatric Surgery Center. “How do we get people to actually do these things in practice?”
Credit: Andrew Nelson.
Credit: Andrew Nelson.
Jorge agrees with the focus on protein at the center of the plate instead of ultraprocessed foods. He said the guidelines are consistent with how he currently teaches patients about maintaining a healthy diet to reduce the need for medicine and surgery to correct poor eating habits.
“We already know that ultraprocessed foods are harmful to people, and so that’s something we routinely educate people on: how to evaluate their choices when they’re in a supermarket, how to practice balanced nutrition.”
Under the new guidelines, the recommended daily protein intake is between 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For a 150-pound adult, that translates to 82 to 110 grams of protein per day. For reference, an egg provides about 6 grams of protein and 4 ounces of beef, chicken or turkey, about 28 grams of protein, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Jorge advises his patients to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of their ideal body weight.
Meanwhile, the current protein recommendation is too high for Safa Nooromid, a registered dietitian with Nooromid Nutrition Consulting Group in Sandy Springs. She’s also concerned about the promotion of full-fat dairy as a healthy protein choice.
“There’s no clear agreement that everyone benefits from eating that much protein, and we still don’t know the long-term effects,” said Nooromid, who is also a renal registered dietitian at Fresenius Kidney Care Sandy Springs. “Pushing protein higher can also crowd out vegetables and fiber, which play a major role in heart health, digestion and overall wellness.”
Credit: Shahrokh Nooromid
Credit: Shahrokh Nooromid
Nooromid concedes that higher protein benefits many people, especially if they’re active, older or trying to preserve muscle. But it’s not for those who don’t know if they have health risks, family history of kidney disease or colon cancer, she said.
“More protein also adds more calories, especially if it comes from animal protein high in fat,” Nooromid said. “I think it’s a big issue because saturated fat also contributes to cardiovascular disease,” she added.
“I think the top of the pyramid should be fruit, vegetables, legumes and fiber.”
Nooromid doesn’t believe the new guidelines will change how she counsels patients on food choices. “I’m going to focus on what is really realistic for their lifestyle,” she said. “I would just tell them that no single food is bad. … I want to make sure that people have no fear of food because that’s what (causes an) eating disorder.”
Patients should find enjoyment in what they eat and have the flexibility to create long-term habits rather than focus on short-term quick fixes, she said. She guides patients’ diet based on their cultural differences, budget, cooking skills and prescribed medications.
“I would never tell a patient to change their diet completely based on the new guidance,” she said.
In terms of modifying diet behaviors, registered dietitian Kip Hardy doesn’t think much will change as a result of the new guidelines.
“The profound body of nutrition evidence did not just flip overnight,” said Hardy, project manager of food and nutrition services at Emory University Hospital.
Credit: Emory Healthcare
Credit: Emory Healthcare
“We’re going to continue to focus on whole minimally processed high fiber foods. We’re going to continue to promote fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and beans. We’re going to continue to focus on less sugar and sodium … limiting saturated fat. These are all the things that we have done for years and years, and we’re going to continue to do those things.”
Who benefits from the new guidelines?
The dietary guidelines are just one piece of the puzzle for consumers making eating decisions.
Like the rest of the country, aging Georgia residents and those with a high risk of chronic diseases can benefit from more whole foods, including fruits and vegetables in their diets, Hardy shared. More emphasis on the dangers of ultraprocessed foods also will have “downstream health impacts for Georgians,” she added.
“I think that anybody who chooses an overall dietary pattern with more whole foods in it is going to individually benefit, and the more people that we have choosing to do that as individuals, it creates healthier communities,” she said.
Still, Hardy expressed concerns about the focus on certain foods labeled as healthy fat and protein, such as butter, full-fat cheese and red meat, which were previously discouraged.
“Butter and red meat did not overnight become health foods,” she said, emphasizing moderation when choosing foods high in saturated fats.
“The tenets of good nutrition have always been in our variety and balance and moderation.”
Balance, Hardy explained, means having macro nutrients — carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber — at every meal.
“What really impacts our health is the overall dietary pattern, the ways that we are eating consistently throughout the day and over time.”
Roni Robbins has been a journalist for nearly four decades. This is her second stint as a freelance reporter for the AJC. She also freelances for Medscape, where she was an editor. Her writing has appeared in WebMD, HuffPost, Forbes, the New York Daily News, BioPharma Dive, MNN, Adweek, Healthline and others. She’s also the author of the award-winning novel, “Hands of Gold: One Man’s Quest to Find the Silver Lining in Misfortune.”
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