New Dietary Guidelines Could Be Big on Beans

The next change to America's dietary guidelines could be big on beans. A report released this week from nutrition experts tasked with recommending updates suggests Americans should cut down on red meat and get more protein from beans, peas, and lentils. Those foods are currently classed as both vegetables and protein foods. The advisory committee recommended removing them from the vegetable list and putting them at the top of the protein list to encourage people to eat more of them, NBC News reports. The committee suggests people eat 2.5 cups of beans, peas, and lentils a week, up from the current recommendation of 1.5 cups a week, reports the Wall Street Journal.

• "Strong evidence." Cornell University professor of maternal and child nutrition Angela Odoms-Young, vice chair of the 20-member panel, says there's "strong evidence to suggest that a dietary pattern that is high in beans, peas and lentils is associated with lower chronic disease risk," NBC News. She says the panel isn't recommending that people stop eating animal protein, but she suggests people try "meatless Mondays" or other ways to get more plant-based proteins in their diets.
• Other recommendations. The panel also recommended that Americans should continue to limit added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats, the AP reports. It suggested that whole grains make up at least half of all grains eaten.
• The report's future. The guidelines are updated every five years, with the next update due next year. The report has been submitted to the Agriculture Department and the Department of Health and Human Services for review, and the agencies may choose to reject some or all of the recommendations. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Trump's nominee to lead the latter department, has claimed that almost all of the panel's members have conflicts of interest.

• Criticism. "This looks like every other set of dietary guidelines since 1980: eat your veggies and reduce consumption of foods high in salt, sugar, and saturated fat," food policy expert Marion Nestle, tells the AP. "This particular statement says nothing about balancing calories, when overconsumption of calories, especially from ultra-processed foods, is the biggest challenge to the health of Americans."
• Alcohol. The panel did not revise guidelines on alcohol consumption, but the updated guidelines could be affected by reports due to be released in the months ahead. Last time around, a recommendation that both men and women limit themselves to one drink a day was not included in the final version of the 2020 guidelines.
• Meat industry pushes back. The committee "ignored robust and rigorous scientific evidence about beef's essential nutrients and the foundational, positive role it plays in health as a preferred protein food," said Mark Eisele, president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, per the Journal.

(More nutrition stories.)