Full Transcript Introduction to the nutrition guidelines debate 0:01 Welcome to Energize and Revitalize with Dr. 0:03 Amy. 0:04 I'm Dr. 0:05 Amy Coopersmith, a doctorate-prepared nurse practitioner, and this show is about empowering you to live a radiant, healthy, 0:12 and balanced life. 0:15 So health-related headlines are everywhere right now. 0:19 Nutrition guidelines, vaccine policy, public health recommendations. 0:24 And they're often delivered in ways that create more confusion than clarity. 0:29 Health policy has become emotional, political, and deeply personal. 0:35 These topics matter because they directly influence how we eat, how we care for our bodies, and the medical decisions we're asked to make. 0:45 Nutrition is one of my favorite topics. 0:48 I've been studying nutrition for most of my career. 0:51 I've read books and studies and heard so many opposing points of view. 0:56 I form my opinions based on what I've read. 1:00 but more importantly on what I've seen, both in my own experience and with my clients. 1:06 My opinions have evolved over the years and I'm always open to new opinions, especially when they are evidence-based. 1:13 However, as we will talk about today, there is a lot of conflicting information out there. 1:20 So in today's episode, we're gonna talk about the new nutrition guidelines. 1:26 I'll do my best to present both sides of the conversation as well as give my own opinion. 1:32 I really want to encourage you to make informed decisions that are best for you. 1:38 And remember, this conversation is for educational purposes and should not be considered medical advice. 1:45 So what are the new guidelines? 1:48 The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is a document that advises people on how to eat healthily, and it also frames federal nutrition policy. 1:58 Every five years, a group of experts convene to systematically go over the evidence and make recommendations for how the US Departments of Agriculture
Eat real food and avoid ultra-processed foods 2:08 and the Health and Human Services should update federal dietary guidelines. 2:14 This group is called the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, It's a 20 person committee of experts who volunteer two years of their time to make these recommendations. 2:25 The committee makes the recommendations and then the departments issued the guidelines. 2:31 But this time around, the committee's report was rejected by the administration. 2:35 And instead, a supplemental scientific analysis was conducted by another group of experts. 2:43 These experts have assured that the evidence they used was based solely on science and research, and it underwent a peer review. 2:51 However, some critics have raised concern over possible conflict of interest and maybe financial ties specifically to the beef and dairy industry. 3:01 So the 2025-2030 dietary guidelines emphasize whole foods. 3:07 nutrient density, reducing added sugars, and avoiding ultra processed foods. 3:14 They also recommend having protein at every meal and having healthy fats from sources like meat, dairy, nuts, and seeds. 3:22 The visual is now in inverted pyramid with protein, dairy, healthy fats at the top, which is the base, and they have grains at the bottom. 3:31 And they're shifting focus from grains to whole real foods. 3:36 And at first I thought, well, that's what I recommend to people, so it's pretty cool. 3:42 Then the backlash occurred. 3:44 We had headlines, we had accusations. 3:47 We're so politically divided right now that it's no surprise that people are upset. 3:54 So now the recommendations were condensed to a 10-page document, though the whole report is available online. 4:01 we're gonna go through the main bullet points and discuss the pros and cons of each and hopefully have a great conversation. 4:08 So these guidelines are available, very easy to find on the internet and you can download them. 4:14 So the first one, I'm gonna start with eat real food. 4:18 Limit highly processed foods, avoid added sugars and refined carbohydrates. 4:23 We wanna avoid artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives. 4:29 We want to avoid sugar sweetened beverages. 4:32 And they say that no amount of added sugar is good, but they really want adults to limit that. 4:39 And they want children to almost eliminate the added sugars. 4:43 So support for this, there's strong observational data that links ultra processed foods to higher rates of obesity, type two diabetes, 4:52 cardiovascular disease, and all cause mortality. 4:56 Real food tends to be more nutrient-dense, fiber-rich, and satisfying. 5:02 There are fewer additives, fewer industrial oils, and so that's gonna hopefully reduce gut inflammation and overall body inflammation. 5:11 Now, opposition to this, some critics say that the term ultra-processed is poorly defined and overly broad. 5:19 They also argue that some fortified foods improve nutrient intake, like folate in grains or iodine in salt. 5:27 And there are also some accessibility and affordability concerns that real food might not be an option for some populations. 5:35 So my opinion, eat real food. 5:38 The packaged stuff is probably not good for you. 5:40 And as far as accessibility goes, I used to work at the health department. 5:46 Pediatric obesity was the focus of my doctorate. 5:49 And I worked a lot with low income families on how to improve healthy eating for the family. 5:56 So a concern I heard a lot is healthy food is more expensive. 6:01 But what I found is it's the packaged healthy food that was very expensive. 6:07 Real fruits and vegetables tend not to be that expensive. 6:11 I really find for myself and for my clients. 6:15 You can buy a bag of frozen vegetables very affordably.
Portion awareness and hydration 6:18 And I did work with the families and we focused on projects looking at barriers to healthy eating, but that definitely was one of them. 6:28 So also while I was at the health department, I conducted a SNAP challenge, right? 6:32 I challenged everyone to develop a meal plan for a family of four using a SNAP budget. 6:38 So the money that somebody on those benefits would get. 6:41 So I was able to do that, but it took a lot of planning, shopping at the farmer's market, buying things that were on sale at the supermarket. 6:50 But a significant barrier for low-income families, and any family really, can be lack of time to plan that carefully. 6:58 So I really would like to see programs that improve guidance for healthy eating on a budget, which I think could make this guideline more accessible to everyone. 7:08 Okay, now the next one. 7:10 eat the right amount for you. 7:13 So pay attention to portion sizes and also hydration is a key factor for overall health. 7:19 So eat the right amount for you. 7:21 Support portion awareness helps prevent chronic over consumption. 7:25 Caloric excess is clearly associated with obesity and metabolic disease. 7:31 Opposition on that, focusing on the amount can make somebody ignore the food quality. 7:37 Calorie counting can worsen disordered eating. 7:41 And everyone's different, so metabolism is adaptive. 7:45 So my opinion, portion control is good. 7:48 These guidelines don't really expand on how much is good. 7:51 And that's where individual variance will come to play.
Protein at every meal 7:55 It's very difficult to give someone an exact number to shoot for. 7:58 And there also is more evidence about undereating and chronic calorie restriction that negatively can affect metabolism long term. 8:09 Also active people may need to eat more to support their efforts. 8:13 And so I think this is a very individualized guideline and really trial and error a lot of times comes into play for people. 8:21 Now hydration should be mostly from water, which is great. 8:24 We want to avoid sweetened beverages. 8:26 So I like that one. 8:28 So the next one, prioritize protein at every meal. 8:33 We want to consume a variety of protein foods from animal sources, eggs, protein, poultry, and seafood, and red meat, as well as a variety of plant-based 8:45 protein foods, including beans, peas, lentils, legumes, nuts, and seeds. 8:52 So the support for this protein supports muscle mass, metabolic health, immune function, and satiety. 8:58 It's especially important with aging. 9:03 Higher protein intake is associated with improved body composition and reduced sarcopenia. 9:09 So sarcopenia is that muscle loss that naturally occurs with aging. 9:15 It also can help stabilize blood sugar and reduce cravings. 9:20 So the opposition to this, some experts worry about excessive protein, especially when people have under-functioning kidneys. 9:29 They say Americans were already getting enough protein and we don't need these added guidelines. 9:35 There are some environmental and ethical concerns around animal protein sources. 9:41 And while the guideline mentions plant-based protein sources, the graphic very clearly critics feel influence people to choose the animal sources. 9:53 So the meat is really big and largely depicted where the beans are really little. 9:59 So yours is bigger than mine basically. 10:02 Now the guidelines don't specifically reference processed meat, but they do say to consume meat with no added sugars or refined carbohydrates. 10:12 There was another well-known expert that talked about the industry maybe using this guideline for not nefarious purposes, 10:22 but to add other sources of protein to a packaged item and say that it's healthy. 10:30 That's something that we really need to watch for because that's not what the guidelines are talking about. 10:34 They're talking about eating real food, not packaged food with an added protein in it. 10:40 So my opinion, I love protein. 10:43 I've shared that I learned the hard way that in college when I didn't consume enough protein, I gained weight, I didn't feel well.
Full-fat dairy 10:50 I personally feel much better when I get those 30 grams of protein with most of my meals. 10:55 I recommend this for most of my clients, especially when they're trying to lose weight. 11:00 And we've talked before about the challenges of weight loss and in order to avoid losing muscle on your weight loss journey, 11:06 we have to get adequate protein. 11:08 So next, Consume dairy. 11:11 Our dairy choices should include full fat dairy with no added sugars. 11:18 So the support for this. 11:20 Dairy provides calcium, protein, potassium and other bioavailable nutrients. 11:26 Fermented dairy like yogurt and kefir may support gut health and metabolic health. 11:33 So the concerns. 11:35 People are concerned about the saturated fat content in full fat milk. 11:41 previous guidelines and the recommendations from the first committee are for low fat dairy. 11:46 So this is the first time we've actually been encouraged to consume full fat dairy. 11:52 So there is concern that let's say you're drinking a glass of milk that's full fat, it's going to be higher in calories maybe than the other version. 12:02 So my opinion. 12:04 I tend to limit dairy consumption. 12:06 So full disclosure, I don't like milk. 12:08 I don't like the taste of it. 12:11 So I avoid it for that reason. 12:12 But when I was a kid, I didn't like it. 12:14 I had to drink it, so I did. 12:17 But I do think a little bit of Greek yogurt is good. 12:21 In fact, I have that every day. 12:22 I think small amounts of cheese can be OK. 12:26 But when I say that, I mean the real cheese, not the stuff in the bag. 12:29 Because if you look closely at that, It says cheese product, it's not actual cheese. 12:34 So you don't want that. 12:36 I do think that most humans don't need to drink milk after a certain age. 12:42 So when we do choose dairy though, it should be full fat. 12:46 And here's why. 12:48 When you remove the fat from the dairy products, it has to be replaced with something else. 12:53 So the taste and texture is gonna change when that fat is taken out. 12:58 So the manufacturers are going to have to add carbohydrates, lactose, sugars, starch-based thickeners, stabilizers, and emulsifiers. 13:07 So basically a bunch of crap is going into the dairy when the fat is removed. 13:11 So as a result, many of these low-fat or fat-free products actually contain higher carbohydrate loads than they did originally.
Vegetables, fruit, and juice 13:19 And their ingredient list is going to be very long, so filled with stuff that you don't want. 13:24 It also could cause blood sugar spikes And when your blood sugar spikes, then your body has to release insulin, which again is gonna cause you to store fat. 13:34 So I think we need to use dairy conservatively, but when we do, it should be full fat. 13:42 Next, eat vegetables and fruit. 13:46 We need to eat a variety of colorful, nutrient-dense vegetables and fruits. 13:51 They should be in their original form. 13:54 If we drink juice, that should be 100%. fruit or vegetable juice. 13:59 Now support for this. 14:01 Vegetables and fruit are high in fiber, antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins and minerals. 14:08 They're associated with a lower risk of chronic disease and improved gut health. 14:13 They can also support immune function and metabolic resilience. 14:18 So very little opposition to this one, thankfully. 14:21 Some individuals struggle with gut disorders and they can't eat inflammatory vegetables Sometimes fruit intake can affect glycemic control. 14:31 So my opinion, eat vegetables and eat a lot of them. 14:36 I like people to get their healthy carbs from starchy vegetables, like sweet potatoes and squash. 14:41 If someone is trying to lose weight, I tend to limit fruit to no more than two servings a day. 14:47 Some people are a little more sensitive to that than others. 14:50 And there are some types of fruit that are more likely to raise blood sugar, and we need to be more careful with them. 14:56 But it's also loaded with fiber and nutrients, so a little bit is good for you. 15:01 Now, as for juice, feel like when we take the juice from the actual fruit, it's just we're getting too much. 15:10 To make a cup of orange juice, it takes three or four oranges, and we would never eat that in a setting. 15:16 So I like to limit juice for most people. 15:20 Now we're going to pause for a break from our sponsor. 15:23 You're listening to Energize and Revitalize with Dr. 15:26 Amy. 15:26 Don't go anywhere. 15:27 We'll be right back.
Healthy fats, saturated fat, and seed oils 15:30 Welcome back to Energize and Revitalize with Dr. 15:33 Amy. 15:34 I'm Dr. 15:34 Amy Coopersmith. 15:36 Before the break, we were talking about the new dietary guidelines. 15:41 We talked about each bullet item. 15:43 We've been discussing the support for each guideline and also the criticism. 15:47 And I've been giving my two cents as well. 15:51 Where we left off, the next guideline is incorporate healthy fats. 15:57 So you wanna use things like olive oil, butter or beef tallow when you're cooking your foods. 16:04 The saturated fat recommendations are still less than 10% and we want to limit highly processed foods. 16:12 So support for eating healthy fats. 16:15 Fats support hormone production, vitamin absorption and cell membrane and improve satiety so we get fuller faster. 16:24 And if we're replacing refined carbohydrates with healthy fats, it's associated with improved metabolic markers. 16:31 So opposition, there is an ongoing debate around saturated fat and what it does to your heart. 16:38 So the guidelines still recommend less than 10% of your total calories from fat, but critics worry that if people eat the animal products the way they're 16:48 encouraged to, that their fat content is going to be above that 10%. So now the original committee recommendations were to limit red meat and processed meat, 16:58 and it lumped those together. 17:01 So the problem I have with that is red meat and processed meat don't function the same way in the body. 17:06 So I really think that the research needs to separate those two items if we're going to take those recommendations. 17:14 There's concern that healthy fat messaging will lead to caloric excess. 17:20 So my opinion, healthy fat is good. 17:22 I think we should get most of it from nuts and avocado and olives. 17:28 And we mentioned the difference between red meat and processed meat. 17:33 So now, why is saturated fat so controversial? 17:37 People are really upset about this. 17:39 So I scoured the research and of course I found conflicting studies. 17:45 So for example, there was a large meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and they found that dietary saturated fat intake 17:55 was not associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease or overall cardiovascular disease. 18:02 They studied 350,000 adults for 23 years and really didn't find significant differences in those who ate the fat and those who didn't. 18:13 There are others who say the health effects of the saturated fat depend on the food source. 18:17 Where is it coming from? 18:18 Is it coming from trans fats? 18:20 And I don't think any of these guidelines addressed trans fat. 18:27 Now another very popular advocate for plant-based eating, Dr. 18:31 Michael Greger, who also has a documentary coming out on how plant-based eating can reverse cardiovascular disease. 18:39 So it's no surprise that he opposes this recommendation. 18:43 So he argues that saturated fat does directly contribute to cardiovascular disease by raising your bad cholesterol, that LDL. 18:51 So he feels that this is really a modifiable risk factor and that people should not be eating more meat. 18:57 And the opposite is true. 18:59 There's some evidence that some people will experience higher cholesterol when they eat fat. 19:05 And then some people won't. 19:08 So now the question is, when your cholesterol goes up, is that what is causing the heart disease? 19:14 And there's debate on that as well. 19:16 There are some that feel that it's not the number itself that is causing the disease, but it's inflammation. 19:22 So again, I think it depends on where the fat is sourced from and how the body responds to it. 19:29 So we're gonna follow back in a different episode on saturated fat because I think it warrants more discussion. 19:36 So now they recommended butter in the recommendations. 19:40 And so this has been getting some bad comments as well. 19:45 So the reason they recommend butter is because they want you to use that for your cooking instead of seed oil. 19:51 So we've talked on the show about seed oils and how they're a very refined oil. 19:56 And that's seed oils are soybean, corn, canola, sunflower. 20:01 They're very highly processed and rich in omega-6 fatty acids. 20:06 When consumed in excess, especially a lot of your ultra processed foods, those things in packages, they're gonna contain a lot of these types of oils and 20:15 they can be very inflammatory. 20:18 Also, if you're using these for cooking and you make them at high heat, they're more likely to cause oxidation and damage to your food. 20:26 So butter on the other hand is minimally processed.
Whole grains and alcohol limits 20:30 It's very stable. 20:32 So you can use it with cooking and it's less prone to oxidation. 20:36 So the advocates argue that when used in moderation, it may very well be a better option than the seed oils. 20:44 So that said, it's still very much a debated topic. 20:49 Critics point out that butter contains saturated fat. 20:51 Saturated fat raises cholesterol. 20:54 And once again, the takeaway really shouldn't be that one fat is universally good or bad. 21:01 But I think, again, we need to follow back on this really do a deeper dive into the research. 21:08 Okay, the next guideline, focus on whole grains. 21:12 We wanna reduce the consumption of highly processed refined carbohydrates. 21:17 Okay, so support for this. 21:20 Whole grains provide fiber, B vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. 21:27 Observational data links whole grain intake with reduced cardiovascular and diabetes risk. 21:33 And fiber supports gut microbiome diversity. 21:38 Now opposition, not all whole grains are created equal and many can be highly processed. 21:44 Some people have gluten sensitivity and autoimmune conditions and they should not be having gluten at all. 21:52 Some individuals experience better glycemic control without the grains. 21:58 And there's opposition to the graphic. 22:01 The grains are at the way bottom and it's depicted in a very small part of the picture. 22:07 So some people think that it's gonna cost people to limit grains more than they should. 22:13 So my opinion, for a long time, I advise people to limit grains. 22:19 Now there has been emerging research on older individuals and athletes actually indicating more of a need for carbohydrate than perhaps we once thought. 22:28 I do still prefer vegetable sources for carbohydrate like we mentioned before, but a little bit of healthy grains is okay for some people. 22:37 Now there is some individual variance here. 22:39 I do find that my clients who struggle with weight tend to be more carb sensitive and they may need to limit the amount of grains they eat. 22:48 So even though the guidelines say two to four servings of grains per day, for some people that might be too much. 22:55 So I just think we need to proceed with caution with that. 22:59 Now the next one, limit alcoholic beverages. 23:04 So it just says consume less alcohol, whereas previous guidelines had a specific number of drinks that were safe or safer. 23:12 So support for this guideline, alcohol has become a known health risk. 23:18 There's strong evidence that link alcohol to increased risk of breast cancer, liver disease, high blood pressure, and certain gastrointestinal cancers. 23:28 So even low to moderate intake has been associated with cancer risk, especially in women. 23:36 So people that like this guideline feel like it's more clear, I'm just saying limit it. 23:42 They also feel that it encourages individualized decision making. 23:47 The critics, they think it lacks specificity and that creates confusion. 23:52 So they like the more one to two drinks. 23:57 They feel that maybe there's some industry influence that influences guideline. 24:03 Now I recently listened to a podcast where the speaker repeatedly referred to alcohol as poison. 24:09 He stated that the only thing worse for us was heroin. 24:13 He strongly feels that no alcohol is safe or should be consumed by anyone. 24:19 And he cited a lot of research that shows alcohol to be very inflammatory, particularly to the brain and the gut. 24:26 There was a federal report released in January of 2025 that suggested even one daily drink could increase the risk of liver cirrhosis,
Politics, trust, and closing thoughts 24:36 esophageal cancer, and oral cancer. 24:39 And they even called for a cancer warning label on the alcoholic beverages. 24:45 So my opinion, there's more and more evidence showing that alcohol can be harmful. 24:52 And this hurts me to say because I like wine. 24:56 But alcohol is shown to be inflammatory as we said, and it's also a source of empty calories. 25:02 So I find it can be the main saboteur for people trying to lose weight. 25:06 It also affects your inhibitions. 25:07 So sometimes people are more likely to overeat. 25:11 when they consume alcohol. 25:13 So I feel like the society is becoming more aware of that, and that's why there are more alcohol-free types of beverages in there. 25:22 So I want to talk just for a moment about politics, and why are politics involved with our nutrition guidelines? 25:30 So this isn't new, unfortunately. 25:32 From the very beginning, the US nutrition guidelines have been shaped not just by science, but by economics, politics, and food supply realities. 25:43 So during World War I, nutrition guidance was actually heavily influenced by rationing and food conservation. 25:51 So they were encouraging Americans to eat less meat, less sugar, and less wheat, not necessarily for their health, but so that they could support troops 26:01 overseas and keep people as healthy as possible during that time. 26:05 So then the war ended and industry shifted, and the grain industry became involved in our guidelines. 26:13 I remember not long ago, we were being encouraged to have 11 servings of grains a day. 26:19 So now, of course, the beef and dairy industry is involved. 26:23 And unfortunately, it just makes people not trust the recommendations. 26:30 So now supportive voices for these guidelines, they do feel it's more consumer friendly, given its shorter length, it's easy to follow. 26:39 I feel that while clinical research needs to be done, it's imperative for medical decision making. 26:48 Many of these nutritional studies are conflicting each other, and that can be due to bias, industry influence, insufficient funding. 26:56 Sometimes these studies are really small, which can disrupt their data. 27:01 So now, historically, research shows that most Americans don't follow the guidelines anyway. 27:08 So why are we so upset about this? 27:10 Well, it does matter. 27:13 These guidelines can influence health care advice from practitioners, school lunch menus, and nutrition labeling. 27:20 So as always, no single guideline does fit everyone. 27:26 What you decide should reflect your personal health goals and what you believe. 27:31 Do your research, decide what makes the most sense for you. 27:35 And because we've identified more questions than perhaps answers in this episode, we're going to follow up with a specific question and answer segment. 27:42 So send me your questions. 27:44 What do you want to know? 27:46 Send me an email to radiantpodcasts2025 at gmail.com. 27:50 And I'll find more experts with differing opinions so we can further this discussion. 27:57 So thanks to our listeners for tuning in to Energize and Revitalize with Dr. 28:01 Amy. 28:02 I'll be back next Saturday morning with Dr. 28:04 Sheila Patel. 28:06 We're gonna talk about stress in the media, which I think can be very relevant to today's topic as well. 28:12 Check out past episodes on Amethyst Wellness YouTube. 28:15 And we're now featured on Apple Podcasts and all your favorite platforms. 28:20 So until next time, stay healthy and here's to your best life.
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