American health officials have issued a seismic shift in official dietary advice, urging citizens to double their daily protein intake. The new federal guidelines, released on Monday 19 January 2026, now recommend prioritising protein at every meal.
A Dramatic Shift in Nutritional Policy
The updated guidance advises adults to consume between 1.2 grams and 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For a person weighing 150 pounds, this equates to a daily target of at least 100 grams, with half or more ideally coming from animal sources like red meat and whole milk. This marks a stark increase from the decades-old recommendation of 0.8 grams per kilogram.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. heralded the change in a White House social media post, declaring, "We are ending the war on protein." The advice is accompanied by a newly designed food pyramid that emphasises animal-based proteins while giving less prominence to plant-based options.
Nutrition Experts Voice Significant Concerns
Leading nutrition scientists on both sides of the Atlantic have reacted with caution and scepticism. They argue that most Americans already consume ample protein, averaging around 100 grams per day for adult men, and that there is a lack of new evidence to justify such a drastic public health recommendation.
Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a nutrition expert at Tufts University, stated, "If you’re actively building muscle with strength or resistance training, more protein can help. Otherwise, you’re getting enough." In a recent article for the Journal of the American Medical Association, he warned that excess dietary protein can be converted to fat by the liver, potentially increasing dangerous abdominal fat and the risk of diabetes.
The Processed Food Problem and Public Confusion
Further criticism centres on the potential for the guidelines to fuel the already booming market for protein-enriched processed foods. Experts fear the public message will be hijacked by manufacturers promoting bars, cereals, snacks, and even water with added protein.
Christopher Gardner, a nutrition researcher at Stanford University, expressed his concern: "I think they’re going to confuse the public in a big way." He predicts a surge in sales of packaged protein foods, which contradicts another key nutritional principle: to eat whole, unprocessed foods.
The guidelines' scientific review, which included evidence from 30 studies, concluded that higher protein intakes are "safe and compatible with good health." However, critics note these studies often focused on weight management, not the broader health of the general population.
As the debate unfolds, the core advice from many independent nutritionists remains to focus on whole food sources of protein and to be wary of marketing hype surrounding processed products with added nutrients.
