Ignore RFK, less red meat, more plants is still best for our bodies and the environment.
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NEWSLETTER | JANUARY 9, 2026
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Diet for a Healthy Planet
There’s usually a lot of noise about how to improve ourselves around the start of the new year, and for better or for worse, much of it has to do with our bodies. Resolutions around exercise, physical well-being, and healthy eating are common, as are advertisements hawking offers to purportedly help the newly resolved meet their goals.
Every five years, around the same time of year, the federal government releases updated dietary guidelines for Americans. These updates are meant to align the guidance with the latest dietary research. And in most cases, the new iteration, released by the US Department of Agriculture and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services earlier this week, does just that. It recommends reducing consumption of sugar, for example, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and prioritizing “whole foods.” But, there’s one glaring exception — the promotion of red meat.
Nutrition and public health experts were quick to call attention to the change and its misalignment with the science. After all, the research on red meat and health is pretty clear: It doesn’t do us many favors, particularly when it comes to saturated fats.
It’s hard not to wonder about corporate influence here, particularly given that more than half ([link removed]) of the nine authors have ties to the cattle and dairy industries. (A group of physicians have already filed a petition ([link removed]) with the federal government calling for the guidelines to be revised due to inappropriate industry influence.)
I also can’t help but worry about the toll the guidelines could have on the climate, just as the United States pulls out ([link removed]) of the global climate treaty (to which every other country in the world is a member). Red meat has, by far, the highest carbon footprint of any food we eat, followed by dairy (which, too, is emphasized in the new guidelines). Even if the average American isn’t fastidiously consulting federal advice when making choices around their eating habits, the guidelines inform the national school lunch program, military meals, and other federal nutrition programs that cumulatively feed tens of millions of people.
There is enough research out there showing that a diet heavier in plant-based fats and proteins and lower in animal products — especially red meat — tends to be better for both ([link removed]) our bodies and the planet. For those of us who can choose what to put on our plates, that’s probably the best guideline to stick with.
Zoe Loftus-Farren
Managing Editor, Earth Island Journal
Photo by NordWood Themes ([link removed])
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