Eat more beans, peas and lentils as protein sources and decrease consumption of processed and red meat — those changes are among the recommendations detailed in a new report suggesting potential updates to U.S. dietary guidelines.
The guidelines are changed on a five-year schedule, and the new set is expected to go into effect next year. The report, released Tuesday, comes from an advisory committee to the Agriculture Department, made up of 20 professors in the public health and medical sectors.
The committee proposed that the updated guidelines, which would remain in effect into 2030, should emphasize plant-based proteins and encourage people to eat more whole grains and decrease their intake of sugary drinks, sodium and processed foods.
"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,” said the advisory committee’s vice chair, Angela Odoms-Young, a professor of maternal and child nutrition at Cornell University.
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Under the current dietary guidelines, beans, peas and lentils are categorized as both vegetables and protein foods. But the new report proposes removing them from the vegetable group and putting them at the top of the list of protein foods to encourage people to eat more plant-based protein.
The suggestions are based on a review of published studies on long-term links between diet and the risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Past research has established a link between diets high in processed red meat (products like bacon and hot dogs) and a greater risk of negative health outcomes, including cancer and dementia. Although questions linger about the health effects of unprocessed red meat, like home-cooked steaks or lamb chops, years of research and diet rankings consistently find a regimen commonly known as the Mediterranean diet to be the healthiest.
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That eating pattern is primarily plant-based, with multiple servings of fruits and vegetables daily, alongside whole grains, legumes, nuts, olive oil and seafood. Red meats are eaten only occasionally. The diet has been linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and related conditions like obesity, high cholesterol and hypertension.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Replacing some red and processed meats with plant-based protein sources could help address that, Odoms-Young said.
She suggested that people try “meatless Mondays,” reducing the portion sizes of meat in meals or incorporating more beans, peas or lentils into meals they are already planning.
"That's not saying that you can't eat animal protein, but how do you have a diet where you can increase the amount of plant-based protein in the diet," she said.
The report also recommends that people cut down on sugary drinks and sodium and increase their whole grain intake to make up 50% of all grains eaten. Consuming high amounts of sugar and salt, coupled with low amounts of whole grains, negatively affects health outcomes, the report said.
"When we look at the evidence around how those things impact people's health, we see that the major diseases, chronic diseases, that are responsible for preventable deaths are linked to those excess consumptions," said another member of the advisory committee, Cheryl Anderson, the dean of the University of California, San Diego’s Herbert Wertman School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science.
A 2019 study linked high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages to a greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, while other research published the same year found that consuming excess salt increased the likelihood of hypertension. Whole grains, meanwhile, are known to help lower the risk of diabetes, heart disease and other conditions, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Odoms-Young and Anderson said that in crafting the proposed changes, committee members considered how to make them equitable, practical and accessible across various groups, factoring in differences in socioeconomic status and access to grocery stores, for example.
"We are making these recommendations with the hope that no matter where people live, learn, work, play or pray, they would be able to follow the guidance," Anderson said.
Odoms-Young said the proposal is just a preliminary step, since "most of the guidelines people don't meet right now."
More broadly than the report, she said, U.S. leaders should consider how to implement policies and programs that help people meet the country's dietary guidelines.
The report has been submitted to the Agriculture Department and the Department of Health and Human Services for review, and a 60-day public comment period is underway. In the end, the government can decide whether or not to adopt some or all of the recommendations.
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