In case Google brought you here, I am going to start this post with a disclaimer: I am not a registered dietician and I do not have any formal training in nutrition sciences. I do have a background in science and some knowledge of FDA law, and have pursued a personal interest in nutrition to navigate my own health issues.
So, I really want to talk about the new USDA 2026 Dietary Guidelines!
Otherwise known as the upside-down pyramid?
Turning The Food Pyramid On Its Head
The most puzzling things to me about the 2026 Dietary Guidelines is the positioning of steak and butter over whole grains and the emphasis on full-fat dairy. It’s as if they’ve turned the old food pyramid on its head! The landing page videos of cattle herding and sizzling steak on the RealFood.gov website leave the impression they are influenced by the cattle and dairy industry. I waded through all that and found the actual guidelines in linked PDF documents at the bottom of the page.
A Look At The 2026 Dietary Guidelines
The official 2026 Dietary Guidelines document includes nine pages of general information.
I do love the mention of the gut microbiome—
this is a hot field in health and wellness research!
Beef tallow?
This advice could shut down several aisles at the grocery store.
Some experts are disappointed they didn’t take a harder line against alcohol.
Despite the emphasis on meat and diary on the main pages, the last page of the guidelines does have advice for vegetarians and vegans.
So, how are we supposed to put all this together? I found the bottom line in a spearate PDF with Daily Serving Guidelines:
I like the specific guidance on added sugars, and will be checking to see how many foods I buy meet these limits.
Are The 2026 Dietary Guidelines Really New?
If you focus on recommended servings, the main difference I see compared to the old food pyramid is the slashed number of servings of “bread, cereal, rice, and pasta”—now captured only as “whole grains”—and a new recommendation for servings of “healthy fats.”
The 2026 materials seem to forget that the 1992 food pyramid was replaced in 2011 by the MyPlate image which gave more equal treatment to the food groups:
Image aside, the detailed MyPlate serving recommendations for a 2000 calorie adult diet included 5.5 oz protein, 2 cups fruit, 2.5 cups vegetables, 6 oz grains, and 3 cups dairy. Digging into the protein recommendations, the new guidelines equate 3 oz meat/fish with 1 egg or 1/2 cup beans while the MyPlate guidelines equated 1 oz meat/fish with 1 egg or 1/4 cup beans. So, the 2026 Dietary Guidelines do recommend more protein and considerably less grains.
Will The 2026 Dietary Guidelines Make Americans Healthier?
You can’t deny the typical American diet is very unhealthy and impacting health. One comment I’ve seen from registered dietitians that resonated with me is that the problem with the typical American diet isn’t whatever the official guidance has been, it’s that we don’t follow it. I don’t see how the new 2026 nutrition guidelines will fare any better. The emphasis on “real” food is laudable, but that’s not what our grocery stores are stocked with. Putting aside those following a Paleo/Keto diet, there’s no way the general population is going to consume only 2-4 servings of grains a day, let alone that they will be whole grains. 🤷♀️
Weekly Run Down
That was a lot of information on food. If you’re still here for my weekly fitness run down, I’ll keep it short!
I got out for two runs with Scooby:
Thursday I squeezed in 4.3 miles before work.
I love that so many neighbors still have holiday lights up!
Saturday I braved the rain and made it 3.25 miles into my 5 mile loop before getting caught.
Yes, it was t-shirt weather before the rain moved in!
My favorite Peloton classes were both with Jess Sims:
This HIIT class led you through upside-down pyramids of speed intervals (30s-45s-60s-60s-45s-30s) at three paces (hard/very hard/max). I knew it was going to be tough so I actually did a warm-up run first so I was ready.
This would be a great one to do regularly for fast 5k training.
This strength class falls on the other end of the Jess Sims scale, being of relatively low intensity. The programming includes glute bridges and clam shells I don’t do enough and she actually encourages a slow pace during the AMRAPs.
This is also going into regular rotation.
I finished week 1 of Emma’s 14 day core program (again), and have no plans to continue with week 2 at this time—the longer plank holds crushed my shoulders as well as my core. I’ve am considering diving into the Strength for Skiers program again (which is also great for runners), especially now that I have a ski trip booked for February. 🎿
A huge thank you to Deborah and Kim for hosting the Weekly Run Down link up.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the 2026 Dietary Guidelines!
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Beef tallow? Full fat milk? The issue I have with everything coming out of the Department of Health and Human Services is that it is all based on the opinion of the leader, not on science. Having to battle this narrative has made my job very challenging. It’s exhausting. I do agree with the emphasis on fruits and veggies, tho…
The only justification I could find in the back-up “scientific data” papers for full-fat dairy, is that under current labelling rules (which have not been changed), low-fat yogurt with added sugar (etc.) can make healthy claims, while plain, full-fat yogurt cannot. But that doesn’t explain why to choose plain full-fat yogurt over plain low-fat or non-fat yogurt…..
I didn’t have the patience to search for a justification for beef tallow!
Honestly, I need more Scooby.
What worries me about the food pyramid is how this will hurt people who rely on anssitance and who live in food deserts. Buying, cooking, and even storing fresh, whole foods is, sadly, especially right now, a privilege. Unhoused people rely on shelf stable items, which will be higher in preservatives and sodium… will these things be removed from assistance eligibility lists? People who work three jobs don’t usually have time to cook full meals from scratch. And to be fair, quick foods can be cheaper, last longer, and be even more filling than their healthier counterparts. Will more people suffer because of this new “info?” Will this “permission” to live off red meat and butter lead to more heart disease? I guess we will have to see. I live in a congestive heart/chronic kidney disease house, so we are on a more Mediterranean style regimen with veggies, grains and next to no red meat. We won’t be utilizing this current pyramid because it would end badly.
My focus would always be getting affordable, nutritious food to everyone. But that would mean actually caring about the wellbeing of human beings and regulating companies to ensure they were putting good ingredients in their products and keeping prices reasonable so people could eat.
But what do I know?
It will be interesting to see if they modify the school lunch guidelines based on any of this.
The documents expressly say that “food equity” was not considered in putting together the new guidelines.
Americans are pretty unhealthy (over 30% are overweight and 45% have obesity) so obviously the majority of them need to make some changes in their diets. The protein recs have been way too low and nutritionists have been talking about that for a decade. Should you eat steak everyday? No but the recs include seafood and poultry and plant based protein. Many “grains” are overly processed and have added chemicals and often sweeteners in them. Relying more on fruit veggies and actual whole grains is a good idea. Eating full fat dairy (that is unsweetened) has many health benefits as do eggs. So yes adding regular milk to your coffee instead of a “sugar free” processed creamer is healthier. And having eggs instead of “whole grains cereal” is absolutely a better choice. The processed foods we have been relying on for the last 25 years have likely contributed to many of the health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. Calling attention to the harmful nature of those can only be a positive thing.
As someone who uses half-and-half and cringes at my husband’s French Vanilla coffee-mate, I totally agree! But I’m not sold that I should buy him full-fat plain yogurt instead of low-fat plain yogurt.
As a whole, I’m sure those of us in this corner of the blogosphere already eat much more healthfully than most Americans and make conscience choices when we don’t!
I did Emma’s 14 day core program right after I got my Peloton and those long planks really bothered my SI joint/area. I plan to retake the shorter classes off and on because I really did like them.
I felt like the intensity jumped up too much in week 2.
I’ll be honest- I’m not going to put too much stock on any nutrition information issued by the government. I also think a lot of people will look at this and think it’s too “complicated.” I definitely agree with plenty of it- eat more protein, less processed food, alcohol, and sugar. Lots of plants for your gut microbiome. Don’t eat too much. Trying to count servings of this and that (also while knowing that in a few years this information will probably change) is too much. Isn’t it funny that we can make eating SO COMPLICATED???
I love the Scooby runs! And- you had t shirt weather this week! Figuring out how to dress for each run must be complicated. Those Jess Sims classes look good- I’ll bet the HIIT run is a killer.
I had heard about before, so I knew I needed to be well-fueled and warmed up to get the most out of it — not something to roll out of bed for. 😉
Oh, interesting! Thanks for including this, Coco! I saw that pyramid this week and I was actually positively surprised.
The old protein recommendations really were too low, and the overreliance on processed grains has done nobody any favours. More emphasis on real food, proper protein, fruit and vegetables makes sense. I do think they could have added more vegetables in the pyramid.
As a fan of full-fat dairy, I think unsweetened yoghurt, milk and eggs feels more sensible than ultra-processed “low fat” or “sugar free” substitutes.
But I still don’t understand why the pyramid is on its head!
interesting. I’ll have to check again what the dutch government says about our food pyramid or rather what they call the “schijf van vijf” 😉 But I’m not 100% I agree with the “new” guidelines if I’m honest.
good Scooby and fitness week for you in any case!
I don’t think I’ve ever agreed with any guidelines—there’s so much lobbying behind the scenes.
So complicated. I try to eat healthy but I also try not to stress out about it. I do hate low fat or sugar-free products. I like my ice cream and glass of wine but not every day. I feel good and I am active (and never get sick. knock on wood.)
I think the low-fat processed foods craze that started in the 80s (?) wreaked havoc for sure.
I try to read labels and choose items with shorter ingredient lists, but don’t ask what’s in my low-fat Klondike bars. 😉
The new “inverted” pyramid is interesting! Unfortunately, I think it’s gonna draw a lot of confusion than eager followers. I’m jealous of your short sleeve run, but I may have an opportunity for one of those either tomorrow or Tuesday, if the forecast holds true 😉
Oooh, fingers crossed for you!
I’ve been reading a lot about the new pyramid, and it seems like some things are great but other things don’t make sense. It all comes down to access as well, because not everyone has access to high quality whole foods that are prioritized. I need to do a new core routine! I love all of the different challenges you’re able to sign up for.
Peloton has so much to choose from!