Some of the recommendations \u2013 such as frying food in beef dripping and banishing low-fat dairy products<\/a> \u2013 have drawn outrage from dietitians. But others are being hailed as welcome change.<\/p>\n Things become clearer once the advice is viewed through the lens of two overarching dietary principles that RFK has long championed.<\/p>\n The first, and most controversial, is the idea that people should be eating more meat<\/a> and less carbohydrate, which includes both sugary treats and starchy foods like pasta, rice and bread. Extreme low-carbing is also called the Atkins or ketogenic diet.<\/p>\n The second principle, which is less provocative, is about cooking meals from scratch rather than eating highly processed food, also called ultra-processed food or UPF<\/a>.<\/p>\n This idea, while not yet a part of official NHS advice, has become increasingly popular among experts and the public alike in the past few years. <\/p>\n So, how do these principles shape the specific food recommendations in RFK\u2019s guidance \u2013 and what do other experts think?<\/p>\n Red meat is back on the menu<\/p>\n NHS healthy eating guidelines say we should limit red meat mainly as it is high in fat, especially saturated fat, said to be bad for the heart. RFK\u2019s guidelines advise people to eat \u201ca variety of protein foods from animal sources, including eggs, poultry, seafood, and red meat\u201d, as well as plant-based proteins.<\/p>\n To illustrate the U-turn, a hearty beef steak, marbled with fat, sits on top of the US\u2019s new \u201cfood pyramid\u201d illustration \u2013 and is joined by what looks like a pack of beef mince for good measure.<\/p>\n This is one of the most controversial aspects of the guidelines, and contradicts healthy eating advice in most other countries. \u201cWe know that diets high in saturated fat are associated with high cholesterol<\/a> and therefore higher risk of heart disease and stroke,\u201d said Bridget Benelam, a scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation.<\/p>\n But RFK\u2019s panel, who drew up the new advice, are not the only ones to think red meat has been unfairly maligned. In fact, randomised trials of cutting out red meat<\/a> have given a mixture of results, with some finding health benefits and others not.<\/p>\n Fry in beef dripping<\/p>\n NHS and the old US guidance say we should use vegetable oils for cooking as these have little saturated fat.<\/p>\n The new pyramid says we should have \u201chealthy fats\u201d, comprising olive oil<\/a>, butter<\/a> or \u201cbeef tallow\u201d, the fat released when beef is roasted, which Brits call beef dripping. The latter two are high in saturated fat.<\/p>\n The guidelines do say that people should try to make sure that saturated fat provides no more than 10 per cent of their calories, about the same as UK advice \u2013 but that would be unlikely if people are loading up on red meat, butter and tallow, said Benelam.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody has any way of knowing what percentage of calories they\u2019re getting from fat,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you simply follow the guidance on what foods to choose, then the likelihood is you\u2019re getting quite a number of saturated fat foods in your diet.\u201d<\/p>\n Full-fat dairy<\/p>\n Another change is that people are advised to use full-fat dairy products like milk, yogurt and cheese. Lower-fat dairy products are recommended by the NHS because the fat in milk is mostly saturated.<\/p>\n But the change on dairy is less controversial, as several studies find that people who have more full-fat dairy have lower risk of heart disease<\/a>.<\/p>\n It seems that either there is something about dairy saturated fat<\/a> that makes it uniquely beneficial rather than harmful \u2013 or perhaps milk<\/a> has other components that outweigh any harms, for instance calcium or vitamin D<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it comes to eating full fat dairy products, it doesn\u2019t seem to have the same impact that you would predict from its saturated fat content. And there\u2019s lots of debate about why that might be,\u201d said Benelam.<\/p>\n Doubling the protein<\/p>\n In line with the advice to load up on meat, Americans are now urged to eat more protein<\/a>. The guidelines say they should have 1.2-1.6g of protein per kg of body weight per day, twice the amount previously advised.<\/p>\n The NHS also says we need to eat the lower amount of 0.75g\/kg\/day, which is about 45g in total per day for a typical women and 55g for a man. For context, half a chicken breast has about 30g of protein.<\/p>\n For most people, having more than recommended protein levels shouldn\u2019t be directly harmful, said Kirsten Jackson, a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association. <\/p>\n \u201cBut if we\u2019re consuming more protein than we need, that typically means that on that plate there are less vegetables, less whole grains, all those foods that we know are really good.\u201d<\/p>\n Carbs to the bottom<\/p>\n Leaving less space for starchy food is precisely the point, though. Reflecting the low-carb ethos, starchy food has been pushed to the bottom of the pyramid.<\/p>\n And while previous US guidelines recommended limiting sugar, the new version takes a harder line, saying \u201cno amount of added sugars or [artificial] sweeteners is considered part of a healthy or nutritious diet\u201d.<\/p>\n Dr David Unwin, a GP and diabetes expert in Southport, said people with type 2 diabetes would benefit from having fewer starchy carbs as well as sugar. \u201cI\u2019m so pleased to see refined carbs down at the bottom,\u201d he said. \u201cI believe this could really improve the health of America.\u201d<\/p>\n But other dietitians are unhappy that starchy food is being pushed out. \u201cWhole grains are very important in terms of giving us fibre that we know is good for our metabolic health and [reducing] chronic disease health,\u201d said Danielle Battram, head of Brescia School of Food and Nutritional Sciences at Western University in Canada.<\/p>\n Cooking from scratch<\/p>\n Most dietary guidelines have long focussed on getting people to cut out fat, salt and sugar, without caring if meals are home-made or bought as ready meals or other forms of prepared food, like pasta sauces and snacks. NHS guidance is neutral on whether people need to cook from scratch, for instance.<\/p>\n \t\tYour next read<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SEI_280161284.jpg\")
Should eggs be fried in vegetable oil or beef dripping? (Photo: Aire images\/Getty)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SEI_280171568.jpg\")
RFK Jr\u2019s new healthy eating guidance (Photo: Realfood.gov)<\/p>\n
![\"Article](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SEI_279836581.jpg\")
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