Health Ministry Article – May 2026 (“New CDC Food Guidelines”)

New dietary guidelines were developed by the CDC in 2025 (find the new diagram on the United States Government’s “Real Food” website (Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030). A brief summary of changes is as follows:

Avoid highly processed foods including sugar-sweetened beverages, salty or sweet packaged snacks, and ready-to-eat foods. No one meal should contain more than 10 grams of sugars. Priority foods are fiber-rich foods.

Protein intake increased from 13-56 grams per day to now 1.2-1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. There are plenty of ways to get protein including animal sources like eggs, poultry, and seafood, or plant-based sources like beans, lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy. Protein does add additional calories as compared to other nutrients such as vegetables.

There is contradictory guidance on healthy fats. Saturated fats should not exceed 10% of fat consumption, however, on the new pyramid steak, meat, cheese, and butter are prominent at the top.

Includes limiting alcohol consumption with no clear limits. Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Heart Association have come out and recommended avoiding alcohol completely. It’s always going to be a personal choice, but it is a surprise that the dietary guidelines didn’t come down stronger on this.