Is red meat back? Jillian Michaels analyzes saturated fats and the new food pyramid

Following last week’s announcement of food pyramid updates, nutrition experts continue to weigh in on how the new recommendations could change Americans’ eating habits.

The new pyramid, announced by HHS officials on Jan. 7, places greater emphasis on red meats, such as beef, pork and lamb, as well as other protein-rich foods.

The guidelines call for focusing more on “real food” and moving away from ultra-processed foods, added sugar and refined carbohydrates.

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“These guidelines take us back to basics,” Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during the announcement. “American households should prioritize whole, nutrient-dense foods (protein, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats and whole grains) and dramatically reduce highly processed foods. This is how to ‘Make America Healthy Again.'”

Celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels, who recently released her new News Nation special, “Toxic: America’s Food Crisis,” spoke with News Digital about his support for the updated recommendations.

“The food pyramid has actually flipped. This is wonderful. This should have been done a long time ago,” he said during an on-camera interview.

‘Demonization’ of red meat

The food pyramid directs “hundreds of billions of dollars” of tax money toward things like public school lunches, food for the military and nutrition assistance programs like SNAP, according to Michaels.

“This is why the food pyramid, before Kennedy turned it upside down, recommended things like refined grains and sugary cereals, and famously sugary cereals were considered healthier than things like beef,” he said. “And at the same time, red meat and saturated fats were demonized.”

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Red meat itself wasn’t the problem, Michaels suggested, but the saturated fat in red meat. “So now the conversation comes down to: Are saturated fats good or bad for you?”

The expert emphasized that saturated fats are “unquestionably better” than refined vegetable oils, due to the extraction process that exposes the oils to chemicals harmful to health.

If there was a “fat continuum,” ranging from good to bad, olive oil and omega-3 fatty acids would be at the top, due to their disease-fighting abilities and benefits for heart and brain health, according to Michaels.

“Along this continuum, saturated fat is a little bit lower,” he said. “And then at the bottom are the refined oils.”

How much saturated fat is too much?

There is still some controversy over whether consuming large amounts of saturated fat is healthy, Michaels acknowledged.

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One thing that hasn’t changed in the new guidelines is the maximum recommended intake of saturated fat, which remains at 10% of total daily calories.

That would mean that on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet, the saturated fat limit would be 200 calories, or about 22 grams of fat.

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“You’d be hard-pressed to find a doctor or a PhD in nutritional sciences who would warn you not to consume 200 calories a day from saturated fat,” Michaels said. “And is it better than refined oils? 100%.”

“Concerns arise when you eat large amounts of saturated fat; let’s say you’re a carnivore, you’re ketogenic, and your entire 2,000-calorie-a-day diet is made up entirely of saturated fat.” In that case, Michaels recommends talking to a doctor.

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“According to the recommendations of the existing food pyramid presented by Kennedy and his HHS, it is perfectly fine to eat 200 calories of saturated fat from animal protein per day, and it is much better than the previous alternative,” he reiterated.

“You’re perfectly fine eating 200 calories of saturated fat from animal protein a day.”

Ultimately, however, the healthy level of saturated fat intake depends on the individual, Michaels said.

“It has to do with your individual lipid profile, and this is something you can clarify with your doctor,” he advised.

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The expert noted that there are genetic tests that can calculate a calcium score, which can indicate whether someone has cholesterol deposits in the arteries.

The importance of proteins.

The new pyramid’s focus on red meat and other proteins is justified, according to Michaels, as it claims that Americans have not consumed enough of them.

“We were consuming too many refined grains and added sugars and too little protein,” he warned. “This causes things like sarcopenia, osteopenia and osteoporosis, especially as we age.”

“So on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, consuming more protein and more fiber is the best recommendation you can make.”

Beyond its protein and fat content, beef is also rich in other types of micronutrients, Michaels noted.

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Overall, he said, the most important takeaways from the new guidelines are to eat whole foods and avoid overeating.

“You don’t have to go crazy with fad diets,” he added.