New US Dietary Guidelines Are Heavy on Meat and Carbon Emissions
The inverted food pyramid encourages Americans to eat meat and dairy products for higher protein intake.
The new recommendations, released Wednesday, as much as double the protein recommendations laid out in the 2020-2025 dietary guidelines, and say to “prioritize protein foods at every meal.”
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergAt the top of the new US food pyramid are a bright red steak and a packet of ground beef. That reflects the new US dietary guidelines’ emphasis on animal proteins. Plant-based sources of protein like almonds and peanuts are tucked farther down, and whole grains appear at the bottom.
The new recommendations, released Wednesday by the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture, are focused on health, but they also have implications for the climate. Beef is responsible for 20 times more greenhouse gas emissions per gram of protein than beans, peas and lentils.