Decoding The 2026 Federal Nutrition Guidelines | Lindsay Ford

We unpack the 2026 Federal Nutrition Guidelines with registered dietitian Lindsay Ford, translating the new visual into practical steps for energy, health, and performance. We focus on protein needs, carb quality, and habits that make consistency possible.

• history from pyramid to MyPlate to the new visual
• what actually changed and what stayed the same
• who the guidelines are for and how schools apply them
• dairy shifts and the missing clarity on alcohol and sugar
• updated protein targets for adults and why they matter
• how to calculate your daily protein range with examples
• whole grains versus refined carbs and why quality counts
• myth checking on carbs, saturated fat, breakfast, and sugar
• simple starting steps and the role of consistency
• practical tips for cooking at home and building momentum

If you ever have additional questions, you can email Lindsay Ford at lindsay@permissiontoeat.com or feel free to sign up for a one-on-one consultation to get a more individual approach to your nutrition moving forward. 

Transcript

Why The New Guidelines Matter

SPEAKER_01 0:14

Are you ready to live an active lifestyle? Welcome to Behind the Bluff, where we believe every moment of your life is an opportunity to pursue wellness on your terms. Guess what, everyone? The new Federal Nutrition Guidelines just dropped on January 7th, 2026. And as usual, this has sparked a ton of questions, various headlines, and caused a little bit of confusion. So we felt that it was necessary to get registered dietitian Lindsay Ford in here to discuss what actually changed, what stayed the same, and how can you take this guidance and turn it into real life habits without feeling overwhelmed. Today, Lindsay's going to cut through the noise so that you can focus on what truly matters for your health, energy, and performance. Lindsay, welcome back. Thank you so much. Happy to be here. I appreciate you fast tracking this episode.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

Yeah. One of the members came up to me in one of the classes, like, can you do a seminar on the new dietary guidelines? I'm like, well, let me mention that. And you mentioned the podcast. And I'm like, well, that's going to reach more people. So let's do it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:23

Let's go. Fast way to get it out. So take us through the history first and foremost, nutritional guidelines. They've been around a long time. Where were we? And then we'll jump into where we're going.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

Yeah, I think it's important for our listeners to understand what they are. So our dietary guidelines for Americans, I mean, they they go back years ago. Um, I mean, they didn't start in like the 1900s, but they go back a while. And our first visual that most of us can remember is that pyramid style, which has kind of somewhat have has come back. Um, but when we look at that, that's kind of what what a lot of people have seen, like classic, like the whole grains at the bottom, fruits and vegetables, and it kind of layers on top. And at the very top, it had, you know, use sweets and oils sparingly, if everyone can kind of recall that.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

Six quadrants broken up across the triangle.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

Correct, correct. And then it transitioned in 2011 up until now. So from 2011 until now, we have had the my plate visual and represent in the dietary guidelines.

SPEAKER_01 2:28

And before we got on air, you told me that most people haven't been exposed to the 2011 to now that that visual. Could you walk us through the quadrants that existed before this change?

SPEAKER_00 2:41

Yeah. So before this change, we had the my plate, and those I like the visual a lot because if we most people respond well to to the the plate where we apply it to what we're eating, which was fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. Those were the five different components. And then, you know, you can take it more in depth where each component their suggestions based on that. Yeah. So that was released in 2011 up until up until now.

The New Visual Explained

SPEAKER_01 3:13

Okay. At a high level, what actually changed in the new nutrition guidelines? What stayed the same? And uh break down the visual as best you can.

Who The Guidelines Are For

SPEAKER_00 3:23

Yeah. So now we had something that that just came out that I think from a pyramid perspective, and this is where we were talking earlier about how not many people were exposed to the my plate. And I think a big part of that is because through media and through news outlets, what we hear a lot of is that pyramid is the comparison to the pyramid. And I know for my mind as a dietitian, I'm like, well, we have been using the pyramid for years. We've been using my plate. So I do think the visual is a little bit of a smack to the pyramid, how it hasn't worked for us, blah, blah, blah. Um, so now we've got this this new visual where it's like an upside-down pyramid, like a basically, I like to call it a pizza slice, um, but but totally not. And so we've got the the protein, dairy, and healthy fats in in one area. Then we've got fruits and vegetables kind of, and this is all the top. All right, fruits and vegetables and at the bottom, we've got whole grain. So that's kind of what the new, the new visual looks like. The new visual also is a bunch of foods that are actually literally depicted on this, whereas the plate, it's just it's just the word. Um, so I would say that's a visual representation. If you actually look at the in-depth recommendations, not much has changed. And so I think that's really important for people to recognize is when we hear these are new, these are, you know, first ever done, da-da-da, that is just a bunch of hype, to be completely honest. Um, and there are some good things within it. And there's also things that are, I'd say a little confusing to understand. For example, uh, if we see the healthy fats at the very top, and you see it next to poultry, cheese, meats, that kind of thing, and and it's connected right there. Well, if you look at the fine the fine-tuned language, the current recommendations, as is the old recommendation, suggest that our energy intake, um, less than 10% of that comes from saturated fats. Well, if you look at meat, cheese, higher fat cuts of poultry, um, even dairy, well, and and we'll just use beef tallows and butter and all that kind of well, a lot of that is very high or can be high in saturated fat. So when we see it visually, it's like, well, wait a second, this is what's being encouraged. But then if we look at the fine language, we're still suggesting that our saturated fat intake stays at 10% or less of our of our intake.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

Who are these guidelines really for? How should everyday people use them without being overwhelmed?

SPEAKER_00 5:48

I would say they're probably really not meant to be read by the everyday user. I think these are really written for and developed for health professionals to try to then communicate or for the what a lot of the the fine, the fine print and the specific recommendations are for then policies to be executed. So if we look at our school system as a really good example, it's like, okay, well, what are the kids going to be eating at lunch? Let's just use that as the easiest one. What's going to be served at lunch? Well, now we have to follow these specific recommendations.

Dairy, Alcohol, And Sugar Clarity

SPEAKER_01 6:19

Which is a win. These new recommendations is a win for our schools.

SPEAKER_00 6:23

I do like, I do like the dairy. Um, that's one thing that has shifted.

SPEAKER_01 6:27

It's that's that's the like one headline that I've seen where we're now having whole milk versus low fat milk in schools.

SPEAKER_00 6:34

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, and if you look at it, the current guidelines suggest that we consume fruits and vegetables. It suggests that we have a variety of protein. It suggests that we're consuming healthy fats, it's encouraging whole grains. That's all the same recommendations as the My Plate. It's the same recommendations as the old food guide pyramid. None of it has changed. Okay. Um, and so it's more of what I notice is like the protein, the sp specifics on that. The dairy is another one. Uh, there's actually a little less specific on alcohol and added sugar. Um, but yeah, we can get to that.

Protein Upgrade And Daily Targets

SPEAKER_01 7:14

Yeah, you don't even see that in the pyramid anymore. You don't see alcohol or sugar. So let's circle back on that one. You mentioned protein. What's the biggest update around protein, muscle health, and aging that people should know?

SPEAKER_00 7:29

Yeah. So update is that it the guidelines are suggesting that we consume 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. This is going to be catered more towards adults. So I think that's important to note. Uh, I, the old guidelines were, I call it the old guidelines, that was all that long ago, were 0.8 grams per kilogram. And really, some of the guidelines and historically, we suggest these to prevent deficiencies. And so those guidelines of the 0.8 grams per kilogram is like this bare minimum to prevent muscle wasting and protein sparing.

SPEAKER_01 8:04

So if I'm understanding correctly, 0.8 wasn't for thriving, longevity, you know, making sure our muscle mass maintains as we get older. It was more just bare minimum.

SPEAKER_00 8:14

I would say for most, it was bare minimum. And for for those that are very active, especially for the members, if we're speaking to these members of Palmetto Bluff, y'all are active. And so to maintain muscle mass, to build strength, it's gonna be a higher, it's gonna be higher than 0.8. So I I like the 1.2 to 1.6 personally.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

So let's let's break that down. We've done this in a previous episode, but we're talking in terms of kilogram per body weight. Yep. So can we just do quick math on the high end on this just to give an example?

How To Hit Your Protein Range

SPEAKER_00 8:49

Yeah. So high end, like if our listener has their calculator, you could take it out right now. Uh, we want to convert our body weight in that's currently what we recognize as pounds, and we want to put that into kilograms. So we take our weight in pounds, we divide that number by 2.2. So now we've got our weight in kilograms. So if we're looking at that range of 1.2 to 1.6, we're gonna take that weight, multiply it by 1.2. Great, we're gonna get that number. Let's say it's 85. Okay. All right, that's our low end. 85 grams of protein. All right, let's go back to that number, weight in kilograms. Now we multiply it by 1.6. Great. I'm gonna just spitball. Let's just say 130. All right. Now we're gonna we're gonna recommend that that person stays somewhere between the 85 to 130 grams of protein a day. I like to find myself somewhere in the middle of that, but it's also gonna depend on the person, their activity level, all that.

SPEAKER_01 9:47

To generalize, it's fair to say that for many people, getting close to 100 grams of protein per day isn't isn't out of uh normal range now.

Carbs, Whole Grains, And Quality

SPEAKER_00 9:56

No, it's not. And and I think it's then how do we actually do that? And how would you make that feel easy to accomplish, which I think that's the hard part is somebody consistently getting that intake in day in, day out.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

Yeah. Carbs, they're still confusing. I think when you look at this pyramid, you know, seeing the whole grains at the very bottom in that that corner.

SPEAKER_00 10:22

Oh, yeah, they're knocking the carbs.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:24

It's very clear. They are knocking it.

SPEAKER_01 10:28

Yeah, it makes us it could make that person who's been scared of carbs get a little wild here. So, what I'm wondering is what do the guidelines actually say about carbohydrates and the quality of them?

Myths Rapid-Fire: What’s False

Start Here: Simple, Sustainable Steps

SPEAKER_00 10:43

Yeah, so it's it's got the whole grains on there, and they are encouraging fiber-rich whole grains. They're still encouraging two to four servings per day, depending on individual need, um, limiting the highly processed, refined carbohydrates. What's really interesting is they are not using the language of ultra-processed food within this document. And they can't because there's no definition for ultra-processed food. And I think when we normally associate ultra-processed food, we do kind of connect it with those highly refined carbohydrate sources. So, um, so when we're looking then at refined carbohydrates, there is a section within the dietary guidelines where it's, you know, they're targeting added sugar, um, keeping that at a very low intake. There's not any super clear number recommendations on how much added sugar to potentially consume. If anything, they're basically saying like none of it is gonna be of nutritional value. I think most people take a step back and are like, well, okay, we kind of know that. And also from a from a daily living perspective, it's like we're probably it's it's going to be in our lives. Um so, you know, avoiding sodas, fruit drinks, energy drinks, I mean, those are going to be things to see. The alcohol is another one that we could kind of put in the head of that category to some degree, but they're very general with the right the limit. It did it's basically consume less alcohol for better health. There's no specifics there. Um, which I think to some degree it could have been nice that they actually could have put more emphasis on alcoholism, some guidelines. If we're looking at, you know, health for Americans, I do think that they could have been more specific on that. And then if you look at chronic disease, um and and if you look at that section within this, the these guidelines, they are suggesting that individuals with certain chronic disease may experience improved health out health outcomes when following a lower carb diet. Now, the only thing that I see with that is so that's targeting low carb. They're basically encouraging low carb, which there is science to back that up, but they're also not including, well, what about a plant-based diet? What about a low-fat diet? Because we also know that depending on who it is, like those things could also improve um health outcome have improved outcome health outcomes with chronic disease. So they're definitely knocking on the carbs, um is what I would say.

SPEAKER_01 13:17

Yeah, I like it. I I mean, not to kind of go back into the archive of looking at these guidelines, but it's I I I love how at the top right you see the fruits and vegetables very much in the in the like headline, and then it kind of drops down, and there's even a bar separating whole grains from other carbohydrates. So I think it does speak to that a little bit of like, hey, you're about to go below, just be aware of your intake there.

SPEAKER_00 13:46

Yeah, there's there's definitely, I would say they can't deny that whole grains have nutritional value. So they they probably from an ethical perspective like they they probably can't really get take that off if they follow the science. Um, but I will say with the emphasis of fruits and vegetables, which the emphasis on the my plate was also half the plate, fruits and vegetables. So I think if we were to compare, they're not that different from the my plate. It's just we are seeing their take on the you know, it's at the very top.

Momentum, Experimentation, And Next Moves

SPEAKER_01 14:24

Different visual. Right. It's just a different hits you in the face in a in a positive way, I think. Yeah. I'm gonna throw out a few things people think the guidelines say. These are just things that I've heard that are out there. And and I want to just get your quick like your quick response from from these reactions. So carbs are bad, yes or no? True or false? False. Plant-based means no animal foods. False. You should never eat saturated fat. False. Sugar is toxic. False. You have to eat breakfast. False. All right. So it sounds like a lot of false assumptions out there.

SPEAKER_00 15:05

A lot of false assumptions. I think we can read through the lines on some of this.

SPEAKER_01 15:09

Let's take sugar. It's not even on the pyramid. What?

SPEAKER_00 15:13

Well, and if we look at the old pyramid at the very top, it said use sparingly. We have always, if we're looking at federal documents, we have always discouraged the consumption of added sugar. You know what the reality is? No one follows these. The reality is no one follows dietary guidelines. If we followed, I'm a I'm sorry, I'm getting heated, I know. Um, if we actually followed the MyPlate, if we actually followed this, okay, if we followed the recommendations that we've had for the last 15, 20 years, we'd all be in a healthier place. But that's just not the reality, is that we do not follow the dietary guidelines. So going back to added sugar is when when the current, you know, if we we read through the lines and it's basically saying no sugar has nutritional value, well, that's true. And also there is a a level that probably if we go above it could be concerning. But if we stay below it, we're probably in a pretty good place.

SPEAKER_01 16:13

Okay.

unknown 16:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:14

I think that's helpful. I think when we don't see something like alcohol, like sugar on here, it it to your point, you were saying maybe a little bit of more guidance there, but I think it's trying to say that those two sugar and alcohol are not necessarily beneficial for health.

SPEAKER_00 16:32

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:33

Okay. Now, if someone wants to eat in alignment with the guidelines starting this week, where should they begin?

SPEAKER_00 16:42

So I would strongly encourage all everyone to always try or to prioritize getting more plant food actually in. And I know there's an emphasis on the protein aspect here, but if you really do look at it, there's a lot of color on this. Um, I like that there's frozen. I like that there's a canned item. I think that that's approachable for a lot of folks. Uh, I would say a lot of this is a lot of plant food. I think they think that there was demonization against animal, and and I don't think that's ever really truly been the case. But I would say I think they're just over-emphasizing protein because potentially not enough people were getting enough. Um, but I would always start with can we just get more plant food in?

SPEAKER_01 17:29

If listeners remember just one thing about nutrition in 2026, what should it be?

SPEAKER_00 17:36

Oh my gosh, consistency. I would say that's really big. I think a lot of us know a lot of this, that getting whole foods, uh, eat real food, which is a really big message that they're sending. That is not like no one that's not going to be shocking to anyone. Uh supporting local farms and supporting, you know, our our ranchers, like all that is great. I would say the biggest thing is how can we actually apply this at home? And I'd say the hardest thing is consistency. So it would be how can I consistently try to follow it if I were gonna try to follow it.

SPEAKER_01 18:18

Consistent in fruit and vegetable intake, protein dairy intake, healthy fats, and then some whole grains and just watching your alcohol and sugar.

SPEAKER_00 18:28

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:29

Sweet.

SPEAKER_00 18:30

Maybe for you know, our mem our members and listeners too, it's maybe eating more at home. I think that is one thing that for most, it kind of it it can allow people to eat more whole foods by cooking more.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

Sweet.

SPEAKER_00 18:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:45

Well, thanks, Lindsay. Really appreciate you breaking down the guidelines, your passion for the changes. It seems like all in all, positive that this we get more of the visual now with what to eat. And as you mentioned, the eat real food as the top headline. I think there's a lot of optimism here with where we're going with mass recommendations.

SPEAKER_00 19:08

Yeah, it's always been there. We're we're getting there. The recommendations have always been there. It's can we follow it? That's the thing. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:17

All right. Well, appreciate your time. And listeners, feel free to hang out with me for a few more minutes to get some healthy momentum the rest of the week. Now, I could totally be biased, but I am stoked that we have a registered dietitian who can jump right in and provide us insights into mass wide changes like this. Lindsay's such a resource, and not just saying that because I'm related to her, but to hear from her and to hear her perspective on something that is being talked about in the Headlines as it is, it's so helpful for us to decipher what do we do with this information. And one thing that really stood out to me is while guidelines give us a framework, the real success comes from figuring out what actually works for you. Because let's be honest, what works for one person rarely works perfectly for another person. And that's where momentum starts, not with perfection, but Lindsay said it, with consistency in a way that fits your life. So how do you figure out what works for you? It starts with paying attention, noticing how your body and mind respond to different foods, meal timings, and portion sizes. We just wrapped up a wellness week, and one of the conversations was not only about what to eat, when to eat it, how to go about eating it, but it was a meal planning conversation, a course where our members walked out with a clear plan and notes about how they are going to approach their food on a weekly basis. The second side of things, besides figuring out what works for you and paying attention, is to start small. You don't need to overhaul your entire diet overnight. What we like to recommend is pick one or two changes that feel realistic. Maybe it's adding more vegetables at lunch. Guilty. Maybe it's swapping out sugary drinks for sparkling water, or potentially it's committing to breakfast most mornings, depending on who you are. Little wins like these build momentum, and momentum is what builds habits. I think the one area we run into trouble is we we think we have to eat perfectly, but in reality, it's identifying these one or two changes that work for us. The other thing I'd say right now, especially during a new year, is embrace experimentation. Don't be scared to try a new approach for a week or two and see how it feels for you. Not everything's gonna stick, and that's okay. The key is to learn what energizes you, what leaves you feeling satisfied, and what helps you perform at your best. Over time, we feel like most people create nutrition plans that aren't just healthy, but we want them to be sustainable. We want whatever you do today to actually work long term. So here's an additional actionable tip right now: a simple exercise that you can do today. Pick one meal this week and make one tweak to that meal. Keep track of how you feel afterward. How's your energy? What's your focus like? Is your mood improved? What about your digestion? Do an evaluation of that one small change that you make and how that impacts you. At the end of the week, you can decide to keep it, tweak it, or try something else. It's this iterative process that turns healthy intentions into real lasting momentum. And even though we're talking about nutrition today, this is the same approach with any other habit that you might be working on this year. So, in the context of our conversation, remember this nutrition isn't about strict rules or perfection. It's about finding what's worth what works for you, sticking with it consistently, and giving yourself permission to adjust along the way. Start small, track your progress, and celebrate the wins. That's how momentum grows, and that's how real sustainable health happens. That is a wrap on this week's episode. I want to thank you so much for joining the conversation this week. Lindsay and I's hope is that this help cleared any confusion around the new guidelines, gave you more transparency on how to go about planning your meals each week. If you ever have additional questions, you can email Lindsay at permission2eat.com. And she is part of our wellness team here at Pullman Above. So feel free to sign up for a one-on-one consultation to get a more individual approach to your nutrition moving forward. Until next week, remember to actively participate in life on your terms.