U.S. Dietary Guidelines prioritize plant-based protein over meat for first time

The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) are currently reviewing a proposed update to the 2025 Dietary Guidelines that would shift the focus to plant-based proteins, a significant shift from traditional recommendations.

The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee held its seventh and final meeting on October 21, 2024, where it presented a preliminary plan to prioritize plant protein sources over animal protein sources. The meeting, hosted by the National Institutes of Health, is part of a larger effort to revise the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are updated every five years.

Key among the proposed reforms is the restructuring of the "protein foods" category, which has traditionally prioritized meat, eggs, poultry and seafood. Under the new guidance, plant-based foods such as nuts, seeds and soy products will be moved to the top of the list.

Emphasis on plant proteins.

The proposed changes reflect evidence gathered from a series of systematic reviews on diet and health. During the committee's scientific presentation session, Tufts University President Sarah Booth explained that research points to similar health benefits in several dietary patterns that emphasize plant-based foods, such as the Healthy Vegetarian, Healthy American Style (HUSS) and Healthy Mediterranean patterns.

To simplify these dietary recommendations, the committee will propose a single central dietary model and provide flexible options to meet a variety of dietary preferences. She discussed the planned adjustments, noting that they hope to revise the order of protein food subgroups to emphasize plant sources.

"Instead of starting with meat, poultry and eggs to seafood, we recommend flipping it so that nuts, seeds and soy products are listed first, then seafood, then meat, poultry and eggs," explains Booth explain.

Reshaping the concept of protein for consumers.

Christopher Gardner of Stanford University emphasizes that beans, peas, and lentils would be more suitable sources of plant-based protein than nuts, seeds, and soy products. However, past dietary guidelines classified these foods as vegetables only.

The committee's proposal to reclassify these legumes as proteins rather than vegetables could better encourage Americans to view them as a primary source of protein, potentially helping to change society's norms around protein consumption.

“Behaviorally, I think there’s something of a brand crisis when it comes to protein—people automatically think of meat,” says Deirdre Tobias of Harvard University. Tobias suggested that placing plant proteins more prominently in dietary guidelines could help address consumer misconceptions.

"From a communications perspective, I think there's a lot of benefit to putting plant-based foods in protein, helping to emphasize that protein doesn't just come from animal products. Because I think that's what people think now - you have to eat meat to get it proteins, and from all models we see that this is not the case,” Tobias continued.