Day: January 7, 2026

I was looking at the new nutritional guidelines put out by the Trump administration. Like so many things, I agree with the sentiment but I think they get it wrong with the details.

To Make America Healthy Again, we must return to the basics. American households must prioritize diets built on whole, nutrient-dense foods—protein, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains. Paired with a dramatic reduction in highly processed foods laden with refined carbohydrates, added sugars, excess sodium, unhealthy fats, and chemical additives, this approach can change the health trajectory for so many Americans.

While so many things were broken in the old food guidelines – they were too unforgiving to processed foods and too pro-refined grains – the new ones are too much of a sop for the cattle industry. While a good glass of whole milk and a steak are a good treat, saturated fat still matters and eating too much red meat and dairy fats will still make you unhealthy. Cheese is wonderful, but it should be a dessert, not the center part of every meal.

If I were to build a pyramid, I would put fruits and vegetables, along with all the fiber they contain on the bottom of it. That has to be the basis of any healthy diet. Above that would be plant proteins like beans and legumes. On top of that is animal proteins, such as chicken, eggs, fish, and low-fat dairy. It’s not to say you can never eat a steak or drink a glass of raw milk or have a slice of a quality cheese, but it should be a treat just like that occasional slice of pie during a holiday feast when the family is all together. It shouldn’t be a pantry staple.

I get it that cattlemen and dairymen want to see their products have strong demand, so that at least in theory the commodity price goes up. But what we really should be encouraging is high quality dairy and meat products, not cheap every day meat and dairy. Spend your money on that quality grass fed steak from a local farm a few times a year, skip the hamburger and hot dogs. Get good locally sourced bacon, sausage, pork chops as an occasional – but pricey treat. But it doesn’t belong in your Walmart shopping cart every week.

At this point, the only time I eat meat is when I’m with family or at special events. I very rarely buy any meat. I do get skim milk for my coffee, but I don’t buy cheese to have at home, but if I get a chance to get a quality hard or soft cheese when I’m out or about at a special event or celebration, I will certainly try it. It’s protein, but it’s also heart-killing saturated fat. It shouldn’t be a daily staple. Long gone are those days of 2-lb blocks of cheese in my pantry.

Real foods matter. Dairying and castle-raising are an important part of our culture, but until modern times, meat and dairy were expensive, specialty items. People’s health would be much better off if they ate much more fruits, vegetables, and beans, and kept the animal agriculture products as something for special occassions, something you buy top shelf and savior as a treat rather then every day meal. And just say no to bringing any processed foods home, but don’t wreck family get together and those truly special social occasions with some good but not healthy food.

I agree, though. Eat real food.