The Happy Eating Podcast · Carolyn Williams PhD, RD & Brierley Horton, MS, RD

The New Dietary Guidelines: 9 Things That are Spot On, 5 That Are Misses

January 15, 2026·34 min·2 clips

Two dietitians reveal why the new dietary guidelines aren't as extreme as social media makes them seem.

1. The Happy Eating Podcast hosts Briarley Horton and Carolyn Williams review the newly released 2025 U.S. Dietary Guidelines, sharing both praise and criticism. 2. Both hosts are registered dietitians; Horton notes she has covered dietary guideline releases for 15 years and has never agreed 100 percent with any edition. 3. The episode's thesis is that the 2025 guidelines are neither as alarming nor as transformative as social media portrayed them — there are genuine improvements and genuine missteps. 4. The hosts applaud the redesigned 10-page consumer document, which they say is far more approachable than past editions that ran 50–60 pages with extensive appendices. 5. The protein recommendation rose from the RDA of 0.8 g/kg — which the hosts describe as the bare minimum to maintain health — to 1.2–1.6 g/kg, translating to 70–95 grams per day for an average adult. 6. For the first time, the guidelines explicitly describe dairy as an excellent source of protein, a designation the hosts call a major win, particularly for vegetarians and young children. 7. The guidelines include a dedicated call-out box about gut health and fermented foods, which the hosts note is notable given the document's limited space. 8. In the saturated fat section, the guidelines state that limiting highly processed foods is an effective way to reduce saturated fat, and the hosts point out that sandwiches and desserts together account for more than 30% of saturated fat in American diets. 9. A lower-carbohydrate dietary pattern is recommended for the prevention of certain chronic diseases, including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes — a position the hosts say was long overdue in official guidance. 10. The guidelines acknowledge that active individuals may need more than the standard 2300 mg sodium ceiling, a recognition of electrolytes that one host calls a hallelujah moment. 11. The guidelines list beef tallow and butter as cooking fat options alongside oils with essential fatty acids, phrasing that the hosts argue implies these are equivalent health choices when they are not. 12. The hosts note that following both the beef-tallow-and-full-fat-dairy encouragement and the less-than-10%-of-calories saturated fat limit simultaneously would be mathematically very difficult. 13. The guidelines mention only olive oil by name as a plant-based cooking oil, which concerns the hosts because olive oil has a lower smoke point than many alternatives, and exclusive reliance on it could generate harmful compounds during high-heat cooking. 14. The guidelines recommend that no single meal contain more than 10 grams of added sugars, a standard the hosts say the current U.S. food environment makes extremely hard to meet — noting that some single-serve yogurt containers already contain 12 grams. 15. The guidelines cap fruit and vegetable servings for adults at five per day (three vegetables, two fruits), whereas previous editions scaled servings up to near ten for higher-calorie needs. 16. One host says the five-serving apparent ceiling concerns her because of the antioxidants, phytochemicals, and cancer- and heart-disease-prevention benefits associated with higher produce intake. 17. The episode is a co-hosted discussion between two registered dietitians who are personal friends; the tone is conversational and collaborative, with occasional light humor. 18. Both hosts freely admit areas of uncertainty, noting that some 2025 guideline recommendations are based on promising but not definitive research — a departure from past guideline methodology. 19. Nutrition professionals who want a practitioner-level breakdown of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines from two dietitians with long track records would enjoy this episode. 20. Listeners looking for a deep dive into the scientific report or a single strong opinion rather than a balanced pros-and-cons discussion may find the format too discursive.

As heard by us

A grounded take on dietary guidance, with protein, sodium, and additives tied back to everyday choices.

Two dietitians make a dense set of guidelines feel practical instead of abstract. They cut through the social media panic and keep returning to the day to day questions that matter: protein, satiety, sodium for active people, and the push to trim food dyes and other unnecessary…

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Why you'd press play

You want a calmer read on the dietary guidelines after the social-media takes start flying.

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