New US dietary guidelines call for more protein, less processed food

US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has unveiled new dietary guidelines that urge Americans to eat more protein while limiting highly processed foods and added sugar.

The guidelines, which are released every five years by the agriculture department and the Department of Health and Human Services, also suggest three servings of full-fat dairy products a day and loosen restrictions on alcoholic beverages.

The guidelines provide the foundation for federal nutrition programmes, including school meal programmes, and the new ones have received mixed reviews from experts.

"My message is clear: eat real food," said Kennedy at a news conference at the White House on Wednesday.

Overall, the recommendations call for eating protein, full-fat dairy, fiber-rich whole grains, and fruit and vegetables, while avoiding sugars and highly processed foods, including prepackaged snacks such as chips, cookies and candy.

The emphasis on full-fat dairy marks a change from earlier guidelines that suggested low-fat or fat-free dairy to help Americans limit saturated fat consumption.

It recommends cooking with oils like olive oil but suggests beef tallow as an alternate option - a favourite of Kennedy's that is high in saturated fat.

The new guidelines also changed longstanding daily limits on alcohol, which used to be no more than one drink per day for women and two for men. Instead, now Americans are advised to drink "less alcohol for better overall health" with no specific limits.

The guidelines recommend some should avoid alcohol altogether, including pregnant women, people who are recovering from alcohol use disorder or who struggle to control their intake, and those taking medications for which consuming alcohol could have negative affects.

The overall changes were welcomed by some medical experts, including the American Medical Association, which has criticised a number of Kennedy's moves since taking office.

The association's president applauded the guidance to limit highly processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages and excess sodium that "fuel heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other chronic illnesses".

"The guidelines affirm that food is medicine and offer clear direction patients and physicians can use to improve health," Bobby Mukkamala said in a statement.

But other nutrition experts criticised other elements of the new guidelines, including the endorsement of red meat and full-fat dairy products.

Marion Nestle, a former New York University nutrition professor, said the suggestion to eat more protein "makes no sense" since she said Americans already consume enough.

"Except for the excellent advice to reduce intake of highly processed foods, which were not particularly prevalent back then, these guidelines take us back to the diets of the 1950s, when everyone was eating lots of meat and dairy and not worrying much about vegetables, and heart disease was rampant," she said.

The American Heart Association said in a statement that it welcomed the inclusion of several recommendations, like the emphasis on eating more vegetables, fruit and whole grains.

But it added: "We are concerned that recommendations regarding salt seasoning and red meat consumption could inadvertently lead consumers to exceed recommended limits for sodium and saturated fats, which are primary drivers of cardiovascular disease."

On the campaign trail, Kennedy pledged to tackle obesity and chronic illness, one of his top concerns.

Since taking office, he has attempted to limit the use of artificial food dyes, while also making sweeping changes to US vaccine policy that have raised alarm among health experts.