Plant-Based Food Prioritized Over Meat in Dietary Guidelines
The scientific report that offers evidence-based guidance for the next iteration of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans has been submitted to federal agencies, and the document — which already has generated controversy due to its emphasis on plant-based foods — is now open for public comment.
The advisory committee that developed the report examined the scientific evidence on specific nutrition and public health topics using data analysis, systematic reviews, and food modeling.
“We saw something over and over again — when you look at a population level, diets for which the predominant composition was plants performed better when it came to health outcomes,” advisory committee member Cheryl Anderson, PhD, MPH, who is a professor and dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at the University of California San Diego, told Medscape Medical News. “There’s a pretty consistent body of literature showing benefits of fruits, vegetables, and legumes and reductions in salt, added sugars, and saturated fats.”
Clinicians should read and comment on the report, said Anderson.
“Commenting sends the right signal that they are interested in what’s needed for nutrition education,” she said. “It will also activate a conversation with the people who are writing the guidelines.”
Instructions for submitting comments online through February 10, 2025, and for participating in the oral comment meeting on January 16, 2025, are posted online.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the US Department of Health and Human Services will use the report as a key resource, alongside the public comments and agency input, as they jointly develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030.
Meat Given a Back Seat
Overall, the advisory committee defined a “healthy dietary pattern” as one that is “higher in vegetables, fruits, legumes (ie, beans, peas, lentils), nuts, whole grains, fish/seafood, and vegetable oils higher in unsaturated fat — and lower in red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, refined grains, and saturated fat.”
The report emphasizes “plain drinking water” as the primary beverage for people to consume and states that sugar-sweetened beverage consumption should be limited.
It recommends limiting total saturated fat intake to less than 10% of daily calories and replacing it with unsaturated fat, particularly polyunsaturated fats.
Notably, the report advocates increasing the consumption of beans, peas, and lentils and decreasing starchy vegetables (such as potatoes), as well as reducing total protein foods by reducing meat, poultry, and eggs. This recommendation and the report’s broad emphasis on plant-based foods have drawn criticism, mainly from the food industry.
Also likely to be controversial are the recommendations to move beans, peas, and lentils from the vegetable group to the protein group and the proposed reorganization of the order of the protein foods group to list beans, peas, and lentils first, followed by nuts, seeds, and soy products; then seafood; and finally meats, poultry, and eggs.
Gastroenterologists and dietitians should support the emphasis on plant-based protein sources, water for hydration, and the importance of personalized nutrition plans, including culturally diverse and ethnic food options, said Stephanie Gold, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and a gastroenterologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, both in New York City.
“The newly proposed 2025 Dietary Guidelines are approaching a Mediterranean-style diet by focusing on plant-based protein sources while limiting red meat and saturated fats, as well as added sugar. By including these legumes in the protein category (not only as a starchy vegetable), the proposed guideline recognizes both the health benefits and sustainability of plant-based proteins,” Gold told Medscape Medical News.
Although the report recognizes “the potential negative impact and the varying definitions of ultra-processed foods, it does not provide concrete recommendations regarding intake, and perhaps, this could be an area of focus going forward,” she added.
Anderson noted that the science around ultra-processed food is “underdeveloped.” However, the definition of a healthy diet “has never suggested that we have foods that are extremely processed in it.”
“Right now, there’s a lot of interest in ultra-processed foods and what they mean for health, but the science is going to need to catch up with that interest,” Anderson said.
What’s Next
The release of the scientific report is part of a five-step process to develop the new guidelines that included input from the public during the report’s development. According to the USDA, the advisory committee received approximately 9900 public comments, more than any other previous committee.
Once the new dietary guidelines are complete, Anderson said, “clinicians have an opportunity to really lean into a science-based framework to talk about overall health concerns and reducing the burden of diet-related illnesses with their patients.”
Meanwhile, they can voice their approval or concerns about the scientific report.
Anderson and Gold reported no relevant conflicts of interest.
Marilynn Larkin, MA, is an award-winning medical writer and editor whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including Medscape Medical News and its sister publication MDedge, The Lancet (where she was a contributing editor), and Reuters Health.
