Despite new dietary guidelines, experts encourage limiting red meat, full-fat dairy
Eating high amounts of red meat has been linked to increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers, and its production is a major contributor to climate change and environmental degradation. So, some nutrition researchers were dismayed to see it on the list of recommended protein foods in the latest federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) and prominently placed in the accompanying food pyramid. Among these experts was Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who gave his take on the new DGAs in a Jan. 14 Washington Post article.
Willett said that the DGAs’ endorsement of red meat—and full-fat dairy—is “simply wrong and dangerous to the health of Americans.” He advised that people instead look to the scientific report produced by the DGAs’ advisory committee. This group, which included three Harvard Chan School faculty members, rigorously reviewed nutrition research to inform the development of the DGAs. Their report, which was rejected by the administration, emphasized intake of plant proteins over animal proteins.
Willett told the Washington Post that there are “layers of evidence” showing that compared to red meat, plant protein sources lead to better health outcomes. He also noted that the DGAs’ recommendation to eat three daily servings of dairy wasn’t necessary for health. Both red meat and full-fat dairy are high in saturated fat and “extremely” low in essential fatty acids, he said, and their production significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and deforestation.
Willett is co-chairman of the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy, sustainable, and just food systems, which developed a Planetary Health Diet emphasizing minimally processed plant foods. He said this dietary pattern has flexibility and doesn’t require completely giving up all meat and dairy. But he suggests limiting consumption to one weekly serving of red meat and one daily serving of milk, cheese, or yogurt.
Read the Washington Post story: How much red meat should you eat? We asked 3 top nutrition experts.
Learn more
Understanding the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Harvard Chan School)
Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030: Progress on added sugar, protein hype, saturated fat contradictions (Harvard Chan School’s The Nutrition Source)
What a nutrition expert says to take (and skip) from the new dietary guidelines (op-ed in the New Lede by Harvard Chan School’s Teresa Fung)
