Food for Thought

Well, my goodness…the Myplate.gov version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) was unveiled in 2011. Since then, the USDA has gradually appeared to encourage the US population to reduce its dependence on saturated fat (code word for animal products, meats, and cheeses). The MyPlate image called for 1/4 of our foods to be “protein,” and, though not explicitly stated, there was no requirement that the protein be derived from animals. You could clearly get more than adequate amounts of protein without devouring another living being and increasing your own risk for all-cause mortality! What a relief! Many of us were hoping that the next iteration of the DGA, the one that was just released, might look more plant-forward. Maybe it would show beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds as great options? Maybe continue to drive down the amount of saturated fat in our diet? Ahh, but no… Alas, our hopes did not materialize this time.

Plant-based and lifestyle medicine professionals have already spoken about the impact of the 2026 dietary recommendations. We notice the recommendation to remove ultra-processed foods and added sugars from children’s diets! That’s a great step forward! We also see the departure from evidence-based science, the elevation of the cry to consume more animal products, and the declaration that saturated fat is a healthy fat. So, we win some, and we lose a lot, respectively. A week after their publication, I heard a pediatrician say the DGAs don’t matter, since most people ignore them anyway. So, in his opinion, this latest version won’t affect the average person. The DGA may not affect the average shopping cart, but it will affect government-funded food programs, like school meals, and what is available through WIC and SNAP. Additionally, the DGAs will affect how medical professionals instruct their patients. That means the DGAs will most definitely affect our children. This is precisely where I think we really need to pay attention.

We already know that children do not eat enough plant foods.¹ We know that US children’s health has deteriorated across a broad range of markers for child mortality, including chronic physical, developmental, and mental health conditions; obesity; sleep health; early puberty; limitations in activity; and physical and emotional symptoms.² We know that consuming animal products is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality.³ So… Why would the new DGAs call for more meat intake, putting our children’s health at risk? Well, here’s my theory: The USDA has two purposes: it is supposed to ensure that there is a market for US farmers’ goods and products, and it is supposed to tell us what to eat to stay healthy. So, that is what it is doing…. minus the staying healthy part. Consider that the US farmers are hurting. Domestic dairy consumption was already falling when a tiff with Canada caused them to refuse to import our dairy products. The beef market collapsed due to similar market instability. And eggs have been a sore spot for the last 2 years. So, the USDA is doing its job! It is recommending we consume more beef, eggs, milk, yogurt, and cheese, and less refined and processed foods. Oh yes, and have some vegetables and fruits, but no grains because that would be too many carbs, apparently. No worries if it makes the population sicker and some die because of it. Sorry… at least they will go out with a big, cheesy grin.

But seriously, now. Real-life talk here. Don’t sacrifice yourself or your kids on the altar of public commerce. Feed your family well. There is more to nutrition than animal protein. Skip the cow’s milk! Eat less meat or none at all! Load up on fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes/beans, whole grains, and mushrooms. Fiber is still key. Eating the rainbow is literally essential! Both fiber and rainbow colors only come from plants. None of that changed just because our government has suffered a convenient case of amnesia. Prepare your own food at home as often as you can. Make every meal you have count for maximum nutrition. Check out our resources section for more reliable information.