The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines maintain the 10% saturated fat limit while simultaneously emphasizing animal protein, full-fat dairy, butter, and beef tallow at every meal. To what extent do you agree that these food-based recommendations can be practically followed while staying within the saturated fat limit?

Answer Explanations

• Strongly disagree (recommendations are internally contradictory)

  user-74194
  Some fats are beneficial, such as those in fish and avocados, and sea urchin roe. Animal fats not so much. 
• Strongly disagree (recommendations are internally contradictory)

  user-214851
  same reason
• Strongly disagree (recommendations are internally contradictory)

  user-870202
  In addition to the damage that can be done to the cardiovascular system, it is not practically affordable for many people.
• Strongly disagree (recommendations are internally contradictory)

  user-269790
  Consumption of red meat and beef tallow that is within the reach of the average American will greatly exceed the 10% saturated fat recommendation.
• Somewhat disagree

  user-756315
  The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines present an internal contradiction by encouraging Americans to eat more animal protein, full‑fat dairy, butter, and beef tallow at every meal while still maintaining the longstanding recommendation to keep saturated fat under 10% of daily calories. Nutrition experts note that these emphasized foods are naturally high in saturated fat, making it very difficult, if not impossible, for most people to meet both the food‑based recommendations and the saturated‑fat limit simultaneously. Analyses from Stanford highlight that the protein targets alone are challenging to meet without exceeding saturated fat recommendations, while Harvard researchers warn that the prominence of saturated‑fat‑rich foods in the new visual pyramid could raise LDL cholesterol and cardiovascular risk. Together, these findings show that the guidelines' food recommendations are not practically compatible with the stated saturated‑fat ceiling, resulting in inherently contradictory guidance. 
  
  
• Strongly disagree (recommendations are internally contradictory)

  user-868575
  Contradictions send the wrong message (consumers are more likely to accept the use of animal fats without ensuring strict adherence to 10% limit), not scientifically backed recommendation.
• Somewhat agree

  user-323548
  It is possible to eat trimmed meat etc. with lower saturated fat content. I think staying within these limits will ensure that the foods listed do not dominate every meal, even when they are present.
• Strongly disagree (recommendations are internally contradictory)

  user-573501
  It is possible to include animal proteins and some full-fat dairy in healthful dietary patterns; however, inclusion in every meal is not consistent with the limit on saturated fats. The revised process seems to have ignored the need for food pattern modeling to determine whether the recommendations are internally consistent.
• Strongly agree (recommendations are coherent and achievable)

  user-37602
  The emphasis on less consumption of ultra processed foods will encourage consumption of whole dairy and meat products. For meats, the maximum would mean strict adherence on the primal and retail cuts while for dairy, manual separations of cream in case the product is to be concentrated. 
• Somewhat agree

  user-361025
  The amount we take daily matters. Perhaps the body need reasonable amount of both saturated and unsaturated.
• Somewhat agree

  user-45601
  Although human temptations are difficult to control but guidelines aim to crub excessive fats in processed food and use natural fat containing foods in moderation to achieve desired percentage use. Recommendations are correct but ignore human psychology.
• Somewhat disagree

  user-890708
  吃低脂食物
• Strongly disagree (recommendations are internally contradictory)

  user-543438
  Full-fat dairy but only 10% saturated fat? Really?!?! This doesn't make sense at all.
• Somewhat agree

  user-64256
  This is the central, most practical tension in the new guidelines, and I agree that adhering to both the food emphasis and the saturated fat limit requires significant nutritional awareness and deliberate portion control. It is possible but not intuitive, making it a major challenge for average consumers.
• Somewhat disagree

  user-284488
  I think there needs to be an explanation for how this can be done on a practical level.
• Somewhat disagree

  user-423252
  Why emphasize full-fat dairy? What is wrong with lower fat?
• Strongly disagree (recommendations are internally contradictory)

  user-655754
  huh, I wrote my previous problem with the guidelines before seeing this question, and this is precisely the problem that I have with it. 
• Somewhat disagree

  user-863596
  It is difficult to believe that increased intake of animal food products including red meat and tallow from beef, full fat butter and milk would decrease the intake of saturated fat to 10% of energy. However, it is more pertinent to take more proteins from chicken, fish and other sea foods, cottage cheese and millets as major food item to increase protein intake. In brief western populations should modify their diet to eat more of Indo-Mediterranean foods to increase their protein intake.Moreover, vegetable source protein such as millets, soy protein; Tempe,and Japanese soya products and sea beads. This would also serve the SDGs of the UNO.Follow following guidelines: BMC CV disorders, 2026, in press
  Sustainable Diets and Functional Foods for the Prevention of Cardio-metabolic Diseases and Sustainable Development Goals of the UNO. An International Consensus of Scientific Statement of the International College of Nutrition and 28th World Congress on Clinical Nutrition, Bogor, Indonesia.
• Strongly agree (recommendations are coherent and achievable)

  user-206808
  Balance of diet through natural sources
• Somewhat disagree

  user-980128
  Practical tension in real diets: Emphasizing animal protein, full-fat dairy, butter, and beef tallow at every meal makes it challenging for most individuals to remain under a 10% saturated fat threshold without meticulous portion control.
  Requires expert-level dietary planning: Staying within limits would demand careful food selection, prioritizing lean cuts, small amounts of added fats, and balancing with unsaturated fat sources—conditions not easily met in typical U.S. food environments.
  Risk of misinterpretation: Public-facing guidance may be read as an endorsement of liberal use of saturated-fat–rich foods, potentially leading to systematic overconsumption.
  Context dependence: These recommendations may be achievable within Mediterranean-style or mixed dietary patterns, but are less coherent when translated into standard American eating habits.
  Bottom line: While technically possible, the recommendations are not easily or intuitively achievable at scale, creating a disconnect between nutrient targets and food-based messaging.
• Strongly agree (recommendations are coherent and achievable)

  user-385373
  Decades science has proven that saturated fats can raise your “bad” cholesterol and put you at higher risk for heart disease. The more important thing to remember is the overall dietary pattern. Saturated fats are just one piece of the puzzle. 
  
  

  I agree with the American Heart Association recommends aiming for a dietary pattern that achieves less than 6% of total calories from saturated fat. For example, if you need about 2,000 calories a day, no more than 120 of them should come from saturated fat.
  
  
• Strongly disagree (recommendations are internally contradictory)

  user-517643
  internally contradictory, as are most of the "recommendations."
• Strongly disagree (recommendations are internally contradictory)

  user-420581
  While the recommendations are theoretically compatible, in practice they may be challenging for many individuals to follow consistently. Emphasizing animal protein and full-fat dairy while maintaining a strict <10% saturated fat limit requires a high level of nutritional literacy, careful food selection, and portion control.

  For motivated and well-informed individuals this may be achievable, particularly when lean protein sources and mixed fat profiles are prioritized. However, at a population level, there is a substantial risk of misinterpretation, leading to higher saturated fat intake than intended.

  Clearer guidance on food choices, portion sizes, and the role of overall dietary patterns would be necessary to improve real-world feasibility.

  
  
• Strongly agree (recommendations are coherent and achievable)

  user-566604
   Food-based recommendations—such as choosing lean meats, low-fat dairy, and using oils instead of butter—are highly practical, yet challenging, to maintain under a <10% saturated fat limit. While evidence supports that replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fats reduces heart disease risk, over 80% of Americans still exceed these limits, highlighting the difficulty in daily application.