The American Food Pyramid is back (replacing the 2011 My Plate), and it’s been flipped upside down just as predicted in an episode of South Park! All the poor advice from the previous decades that we have been fighting against at Chief is out! No more high-carb, low-fat, ultra-processed foods nonsense. The USA government recommends eating real food, and we love it.

The main change that many did not see coming, and many were waiting for, is the acknowledgement of red meat as a healthy and superior source of protein and nutrients and the recommendation to cook in beef tallow and consume full-fat dairy. This makes us happy after forever fighting claims about red meat being unhealthy, bad for the gut and carcinogenic. 

It’s refreshing to finally see guidelines rooted in modern nutrition science. If you don’t feel like browsing through the whole Realfood website, these are the main takeaways:

PROTEIN

Prioritise protein at every meal and consume 1.2-1.6g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, which is twice the previously recommended 0.8g. Animal protein is recognised as superior to plant protein and a healthy source of micronutrients. 

DAIRY

Consume full-fat dairy with no added sugars. No more low-fat yoghurt laden with sugar and artificial additives! Full-fat dairy is recognised as an excellent source of protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals, and the recommendation is three servings of dairy per day. 

VEGETABLES AND FRUITS

Eat three servings of vegetables and two of fruits throughout the day, focusing on whole forms. 

FATS

Incorporate healthy fats from whole foods such as meats, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds, olives, and avocados. Move over, seed oils; the new guidelines recommend cooking with olive oil, butter, or tallow. Meat, poultry, eggs, omega-3–rich seafood, nuts, seeds, full-fat dairy, olives, and avocados are on the menu as sources of healthy fats. Saturated fats should not exceed 10% of daily calorie intake. 

GRAINS

The recommendation for grains has shrunk from 6-11 to 2 servings per day! The new guidelines emphasise focusing on whole grains and significantly reducing the consumption of highly processed, refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, ready-to-eat or packaged breakfast options, flour tortillas, and crackers

ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS, ADDED SUGARS and ARTIFICIAL ADDITIVES

These should all be avoided or significantly limited. The guidelines call for becoming pack-flippers and checking the ingredient labels when shopping. We are pleased with the call to limit foods and beverages that contain artificial flavours, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners and to avoid sugar-sweetened beverages, such as sodas, fruit drinks, and energy drinks. There’s a whole list of names that sugar can hide under, as well as a list of harmful sweeteners. We are extremely proud of Chief for nailing our formulas and developing packaged products that are essentially real food in a packet, with no harmful additives. It’s a rare find! 

The other recommendations are 

• Eat the right amount for you, based on age, sex, size, and activity level
  
• Choose water and unsweetened beverages to support hydration
  
• Limit alcohol consumption for better overall health

Other recommendations that make us happy

• Meat is recommended across all groups, including infants.
  
• Lower-carbohydrate diet for those with chronic illness
  
• A special section on gut health noting that a healthy diet supports a well-balanced microbiome and healthy digestion, and that highly processed foods can disrupt this balance, while vegetables, fruits, fermented foods (e.g., sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, miso), and high-fibre foods support a diverse microbiome, which may be beneficial for health. 

Meanwhile, the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating still features the plate, recommending that one-third of daily intake (or six servings) come from grains. Grains are the largest segment of the plate! Vegetables and legumes account for just under one-third (5 servings), and the rest is split almost evenly among lean meats and protein alternatives, reduced-fat dairy and protein alternatives, and fruits. Seed oils are recommended for cooking. We hope it won’t take us a decade to follow in the footsteps of the USA and bring science and common sense to our nutrition guidelines.