Wellness Unmasked Weekly Rundown: New U.S. Dietary Guidelines vs. MAHA: The Truth About Protein, Fats & Ultra-Processed Foods
4/2/20269 mincomplete
0:00This is an iHeart Podcast.
0:02Guaranteed human. Welcome to Wellness Unmasked.
0:09I'm Dr. Nicole Sapphire, and this is your weekly rundown.
0:12Today, we're going to break down the new U .S.
0:15dietary guidelines. While this doesn't really sound like a very exciting topic, there's just been
0:21a little bit of controversy surrounding it.
0:23So let's dive in and pay attention.
0:26Because they don't really stack up against the Make America Healthy Again movement.
0:32In fact, they had just put out their own dietary guidelines, and guess what?
0:38They don't match each other.
0:40Because while they may sound aligned at first glance, the details tell a more complicated
0:47story. So let's start with what's new.
0:50The latest federal guidelines double down on a simple message.
0:54Eat real food. We've been hearing this from Secretary Kennedy and the Maha Movement since
0:59President Trump came into the White House.
1:01That's what they want you to do.
1:02They want you to eat real fruits and vegetables and meats.
1:05Stay away from the ultra -processed foods.
1:08That means prioritizing whole, minimally processed foods.
1:12So again, focus on the periphery of the grocery store and not all the processed
1:18stuff that are in the center of the grocery stores.
1:21All of this while also cutting back on added sugars, refined carbs, and yes, all
1:28those ultra -processed products that you find in the center of the grocery store.
1:32There's also a major shift in protein guidance.
1:35Americans are now being encouraged to eat more protein overall.
1:39This target's significantly higher than in past guidelines.
1:44All of a sudden, protein, super important.
1:47Let's focus on protein. And for the first time, the government is explicitly calling out
1:53ultra -processed foods and chemical additives as something to limit, if not avoid, altogether.
2:00Now, this is a big move because this is something Secretary Kennedy has been talking
2:04about for a while. So people are getting in lockstep because the reality is you
2:10cannot argue with the fact that ultra -processed foods, refined sugars, and all of that
2:16are not good for our health.
2:18We live in a world where chronic illness is an epidemic, and a lot of
2:25it is what we eat.
2:27You've heard what we say, you are what you eat.
2:30And we eat a lot of refined sugars and ultra -processed foods.
2:33It's true. All of this sounds familiar, and that's because it overlaps heavily with Maha.
2:40The Maha movement, again championed by Secretary Kennedy, has been pushing a similar real food
2:46philosophy. Fewer additives, less processed food, and more nutrient -dense whole ingredients.
2:52But here's where things start to diverge in the announcements this week.
2:57Under Maha influence, the new guidelines, and especially the new food pyramid that they put
3:03out, placed a much stronger emphasis on animal -based foods, including red meat and full
3:10-fat dairy. Now, that's a big departure from more traditional evidence -based recommendations from groups
3:17like the American Heart Association, which still favor plant -based proteins.
3:23Lean meats like chicken and fish and low -fat dairy, all in all to reduce
3:30cardiovascular risk. Another difference, they talk about saturated fats.
3:35Historically, guidelines have told Americans to limit saturated fat intake due to its link with
3:41heart disease. Now, that guidance technically still exists, but it's now paired with messaging that's
3:47more permissive of foods like butter, cheese, red meat, which has kind of raised some
3:54eyebrows in the medical community.
3:56And there's also a philosophical shift happening here.
4:00Traditional guidelines are built on decades of large -scale nutrition science and tend to emphasize
4:07population -level risk reduction, especially for heart disease.
4:11Maha, on the other hand, leans into a more holistic, anti -processed food, and sometimes
4:17anti -establishment approach. And by the way, I don't object to being anti -establishment, because
4:24sometimes being anti -establishment is exactly what people need, because science is never settled.
4:31And what may have been true 20 years ago may have evolved.
4:36So it's okay to evolve.
4:38Just because something was established doesn't mean that it was right.
4:42It's okay to look into things, and it's okay to change our opinions.
4:46Focusing on food quality, agricultural practices, and just reducing chemical exposure in the food supply,
4:52it's always a good thing, right?
4:55So what does everything mean this week?
4:58The overlap is actually where the strongest consensus lies.
5:02Everyone is saying, eat more whole foods.
5:04Cut back on sugar, and avoid the ultra -processed junk.
5:08I think we can all get on board with that.
5:10I certainly can. Now, where things get murky is just in the details, especially around
5:15meat, dairy, and fats. And that's where just personalization matters, because at the end of
5:19the day, no single guideline fits everyone.
5:22Your metabolic health, cardiovascular... Regular risks and lifestyle all play a role in determining what's
5:28best for you. Bottom line, we're seeing a convergence on real food, but a divergence
5:34on what that should look like on your actual dinner plate.
5:39For my family, I've always been a fan of whole milk.
5:43I think the health benefits of whole milk outweigh the amount of fat and calories
5:50that are in whole milk.
5:51That is also because that I make sure that my entire family maintains the recommended
5:56physical activity throughout the week because I wanna make sure we're having healthy fats.
6:02Healthy fats are good for you.
6:04I also make sure that we eat adequate red meat because there are incredible nutritional
6:10benefits to red meat. We don't eat red meat every single day because there are
6:15some documented risks with high consumption of red meat and smoked meat, like colon cancer
6:23and some other things. So while I do support red meat and my family consumes
6:28red meat, I also do like lean proteins, specifically chicken and fish.
6:34And so we do that many days a week as well.
6:37So whatever is right for your family is going to be right, but you have
6:41to make sure you're coupling these whole foods, these natural foods with a decrease in
6:46the ultra -processed and refined sugar crap, and you need to make sure you're getting
6:50physical activity. If you are the person who is stopping by Starbucks every single day,
6:55I guarantee whatever sugar content is in that coffee drink that you're ordering, that's probably
7:02more than the recommended dose.
7:04The first thing you should consider doing if you're trying to live a healthier life,
7:08cutting back on that sugary crap, and the first thing is whatever you're putting into
7:13your morning coffee, because unless you're drinking it black, it's probably not good for you.
7:17While coffee itself is very good for you, the stuff we add to it makes
7:22it unhealthy for us. So as always, the science and the debate will continue.
7:28The Maha movement is saying focus on meat, animal meat, animal products, that's the place
7:33to be. American Dietary and every other medical association is saying a little bit within
7:40moderation. We like animal meats and animal products, but we also prefer plant -based protein
7:47like legumes, beans, all of that.
7:50I like beans and legumes because they're super high in fiber, and the American diet,
7:56as you've heard me say, is very low in fiber.
8:00So we do need to increase our fiber.
8:02Everything in moderation, it's all about a mix, and you need to do what works
8:06for your family. Make sure you're talking to your doctor, your dietician, whoever you're talking
8:10to if you're going to change your diet, but we are what we eat.
8:14If we want to live healthier, we need to take a strong, hard look at
8:18what we are putting in our bodies.
8:20This is Dr. Nicole Sapphire.
8:22Thank you so much for listening to Wellness Unmasse.
8:24Be sure to listen to Wellness Unmasse on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get
8:29your podcasts, and I'll see you next time.
8:31Thank you. Welcome to Wellness Unmasse