This month, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins unveiled updated national dietary guidelines in a surprising new visual: an inverted food pyramid, with the widest section teetering at the top. At the very bottom, a tiny amount of whole grains are represented. The rest of the new food pyramid is split in two, with protein, dairy, and “healthy fats” dominating the left side, and vegetables and fruits taking the right.The gist of the new guidelines, which have been brandished as part of the Make America Healthy Again campaign led by Kennedy, is to prioritize nutrient-dense whole foods, avoid highly processed foods, and eat more protein. Fairly uncontroversial guidance under the tagline “Eat real food,” like avoiding added sugars, salt, and chemical additives, has been received positively by nutrition experts. But protein appears to occupy a vexing space within the new guidelines. Kennedy and the committee of nutritional experts who consulted on the guidelines — at least four of whom have ties to meat and dairy industry groups — have been roundly criticized for encouraging Americans to eat more protein and dairy. Organizations like the American Heart Association say that consuming too much saturated fat, which is found in animal protein sources like beef and full-fat dairy, can be linked to cardiovascular problems.In addition to the health concerns related to a meat-heavy diet, the imperative to eat more meat and dairy comes with heavy environmental and climate considerations. There is simply no way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions enough to reach targets set by the Paris climate agreement without also lowering emissions from the food system, which is driven by livestock and seafood production.Sam Kass, a former chef and nutrition advisor to President and First Lady Obama, spoke to Grist about the new inverted food pyramid, which he calls an “ecological disaster,” and what conscientious eaters can do about it. Kass is also the author of The Last Supper: How to Overcome the Coming Food Crisis and currently a partner at Acre, a venture capital firm with a focus on food systems. The following interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Q. I wanted to start by asking your initial reactions to the updated dietary guidelines. What stood out to you when you first heard the news?A.I think that these guidelines represent a really troubling pattern from the secretary of Health and Human Services in the way that the agency is making policies that affect the lives of hundreds of millions of Americans. Like other things they do, there are some superficial good things in the dietary guidelines, like “Eat real food,” which is a nice slogan. It may not really mean much to an average person. But I support that sentiment, in the spirit of Michael Pollan — although he would go on to say, “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” I also think some of the dietary guideline’s language aro Read More