Plant protein foods gain traction in new US dietary guidelines proposal
Plant protein foods gain traction in new US dietary guidelines proposal
Emphasising plant protein foods is one of the recommendations of a major new report, which will help shape America’s next dietary guidelines.
The Scientific Report of the United States Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee was released in December, for public review and feedback (1). It will be used by the US Department of Health as a basis for the newest Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are due to be released in late 2025.
The evidence-based report outlines how Americans can improve their overall eating patterns to meet nutrient needs, promote health and reduce the risk of diet-related chronic diseases.
According to the Scientific Report, a dietary pattern (for those aged ≥2 years) emerged that was consistently related to beneficial health.
This healthy dietary pattern is higher in vegetables, fruits, legumes (beans, peas, lentils), nuts, whole grains, fish/seafood, and vegetable oils higher in unsaturated fat, and lower in red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, refined grains, and saturated fat.
A new recommendation from the Scientific Report is to reorder the ‘Protein Foods Group’ to list beans, peas, and lentils first, followed by nuts, seeds, and soy products, then seafood, and finally meats, poultry, and eggs.
The Committee says reordering the protein foods would help emphasise the health benefits of eating more plant-based protein food sources.
The advice is in line with that of the EAT-Lancet Commission (2).
The Planetary Health Diet, developed by the EAT-Lancet Commission, recommends plant protein foods, such as nuts and legumes, make up 80% of the total amount of the ‘protein’ food group.
Other considerations noted by the US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee include the need for dietary flexibility (in the proportions of plant- to animal-based foods) and variety (within and across food groups), and more nutrient-dense plant-based meal and dietary recommendation options.
Global annual dietary emissions would fall by 17% with the worldwide adoption of the Planetary Health Diet (3). This is primarily attributed to shifts from red meat to legumes and nuts, as principal protein sources.
What about meeting nutrient needs?
Food pattern modelling, conducted by the US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, found positive and negative nutrient implications when ‘beans, peas, and lentils and nuts, seeds, and soy products’ are increased, and ‘meats, poultry, and eggs’ are reduced.
Nutrients that would increase include fibre, vitamin E, folate, and magnesium, while those that would decrease include vitamin D and sodium. And the Advisory Committee says a shift of iron from haem to non-haem sources would need to be considered.
What do other countries say about protein foods?
Over the past few years, other countries have released updated dietary guidance. Many of these now place greater emphasis on plant protein foods, including nuts.
Table: Examples of recent global dietary guidance
| Country | Protein foods and nuts positioning/messaging |
| Switzerland: Swiss Dietary Recommendations (for adults), 2024 | Within the protein food group, lists pulses first, and encourages more of these. Advises to ‘Enjoy more meals made with plant-based protein sources’. Nuts are in their own ‘food group’ with ‘one small handful a day’ recommended. |
| Germany: Eat and drink well – recommendations of the German Nutrition Society (DGE), 2024 | The DGE Nutrition Circle is divided into seven segments, each representing a food group. ‘Legumes and nuts’ have their own segment, with the guidance to ‘Consume legumes and nuts regularly’. Recommends a small handful (25g) of nuts daily. |
| Finland: Sustainable health from food – national nutrition recommendations, 2024 | Steers people ‘towards more plant-oriented diets for health and environmental reasons’. Recommends a protein shift from meat to plant-based sources, particularly legumes. Guidance for nuts is ‘30g (two tablespoonfuls) a day, or 200–250g a week’. |
| India: Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024 | A ‘portion’ of the ‘My Plate for the Day’ is allocated to nuts and seeds. Recommends 35g of nuts and seeds a day for adults (for a 2,000Kcal Indian diet). States to ‘Add varieties of oilseeds and nuts in daily diet’. |
| Nordic and Baltic countries: Nordic nutrition recommendations, 2023 | Recommendations include ‘a predominantly plant-based diet’, ‘ample intake of fish and nuts’ and ‘limited intake of red meat and poultry’. Recommends 20-30g of nuts per day. States: ‘Nuts and seeds are important in plant-based diets as they have low GHG emissions and a high nutrient density’. |
| Australia: Australian Dietary Guidelines, 2013 | Does not contain an explicit recommendation to increase plant-based protein foods. The ‘protein’ group is termed ‘Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans’. States nuts should ‘only be used occasionally, as a substitute for other foods’ in the ‘protein’ group. |
If you primarily eat fruit and vegetables, whole-grain cereals, and legumes, as well as nuts and vegetable oils, you protect not only your health, but also the resources of the Earth. German Nutrition Society
The Australian Dietary Guidelines review
The 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADGs) are currently under review.
This represents a real opportunity to shift the eating patterns of Australians for the better, including to:
- Emphasise diversity and variety within food groups
- Prioritise plant-based protein foods
- Recommend nuts as important to eat every day, at a minimum of 30g daily.
Few Australians eat enough plant-based protein foods, including nuts, to reap their benefits.
Instead, the majority (87%) of the total servings consumed by the average Australian from within the ‘Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans’ food group of the 2013 ADGs come from animal-based foods (4,5).
Plant-rich alternatives (nuts and legumes) contribute just 13%.
And Australian Health Survey data shows that nut intake is chronically low (6). Only 2% of Australians consume 30g of nuts a day, with the average daily intake just 4.6g.
Elevating nuts in the ADGs – as important to eat every day, at a minimum of 30g daily – would help shift this.
Food-based dietary guidelines influence the food choices of billions of people, and the decisions of key institutions in societies around the world. Anna Lena Klapp, Grains and Legumes Nutrition Council webinar ‘Dietary Guidelines around the World’, December 2024
The bottom line:
In the past few years, many countries have revised their dietary guidance to elevate the importance of plant food sources of protein. This reflects the evidence for a range of positive health outcomes when dietary protein comes from plant foods, including nuts.
The United States Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is the latest to recommend a shift towards plant protein foods – by proposing the sub-groups within the ‘Protein Foods Group’ be re-ordered to list legumes first, followed by nuts, seeds, and soy products, then seafood, and finally meats, poultry, and eggs.
It will be interesting to see how this shapes America’s 2025 dietary guidelines – and whether Australia will follow suit.
References
- 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. 2024. Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee: Advisory Report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and Secretary of Agriculture. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://doi.org/10.52570/DGAC2025
- Willet, WW., et al. Food in the Anthropocene: The EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. The Lancet Commissions, 2019. 393(10170):447-92.
- Li, Y., et al. Reducing climate change impacts from the global food system through diet shifts. Nat. Clim. Chang, 2024. 14: 943–53.
- Ridoutt, B., Baird, D., & Hendrie, G. The importance of protein variety in a higher quality and lower environmental impact dietary pattern. Public Health Nutrition, 2022. 25(12):3583-8.
- Hendrie, GA., et al. Towards healthier and more sustainable diets in the Australian context: Comparison of current diets with the Australian Dietary Guidelines and the EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet. BMC Public Health, 2022. 22:1939.
- Nikodijevic, CJ., et al. Nut consumption in a representative survey of Australians: A secondary analysis of the 2011-2012 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey. Public Health Nutr, 2020. 23(18):3368-78.
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