Yes to red meat, no to sugar: Trump's new health guidelines

NEW YORK, Jan 8: The Trump administration on Wednesday urged Americans to avoid highly processed foods along with added sugars while touting consumption of red meat and full-fat dairy, foods many nutritionists had previously discouraged.

The new federal nutritional guidelines emphasise protein more than previous recommendations, releasing a flipped-pyramid graphic that places meat, dairy and healthy fats on the same tier as vegetables and fruits, with fibre-rich whole grains like oats at the bottom tip.

Reaction from nutritionists and public health advocates was mixed: the advice to cut sugar and processed foods was a positive, but the emphasis on animal protein and full-fat dairy was "contradictory."

"I found the whole thing to be muddled, contradictory, ideological and very retro," said Marion Nestle, a professor emerita of nutrition at New York University.

Health chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr vowed the new guidelines would "revolutionise" U.S. eating habits and "make America healthy again" — the catchphrase of the MAHA movement that's perhaps best known for vaccine resistance.

Kennedy has long railed against the typical American diet and the food industry, saying the country is in a "health emergency" that has resulted in chronic disease including among children.

The new recommendations — the federal government must release them every five years — strongly discourage sugars, saying children should avoid added sweeteners until age 10, and that sugar-sweetened beverages are anathema to good health.

Americans are encouraged to cut back on refined carbohydrates like white bread or flour tortillas, and prioritize whole foods like vegetables and fruits over packaged or prepared meals, which often include significant added sugar and salt.

Federal data shows that ultra-processed foods — including packaged sweetened baked goods, savoury snacks and soda — account for about 55% of calories in the average American diet.

But Ms. Nestle was also among the experts who said that positive came with murkier advice when it comes to meat and fat, calling the new guidance a win for the meat and dairy industries.

While the most recent iteration of U.S. guidelines endorsed "lean meats" along with a variety of other plant-based proteins, seafood, and eggs, the new document includes red meat among the various types of protein to consume.

Peter Lurie, president of the Centre for Science in the Public Interest, in a statement called the emphasis on animal protein, full-fat dairy and butter "harmful," adding that it "undermines...science-based advice."

Americans should eat 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, according to the new guidelines. Previous recommendations had said around 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight would suffice for most people.

Kennedy for months has emphasised he would end the "war" on saturated fats, which in high amounts are known to increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

But the administration did not change the previous recommendation that limits daily calories stemming from saturated fats at 10%.

The U.S. food pyramid of the 1990s lumped all types of fat together and urged avoidance.

Experts since then have acknowledged that some types of fats — like those found in olive oil, avocados and nuts — are important components of a healthy diet.

The new guidelines include that advice, yet alongside olive oil the recommendations say cooking with butter or beef tallow — the latter has particular hold on MAHA influencers — are good options.

Cooking with saturated fats and routinely consuming red meat could easily put many people over the 10% saturated fat threshold, Nestle said.

She also said the new recommendations were too vague on alcohol — the administration simply said "consume less."

Nestle questioned how many people would be able to follow the guidance, given soaring food costs.

And ultimately, the nutritionist said the dietary guidelines carry less weight within the wider political context.

What Happens When You Quit Sugar For 14 Days, AIIMS Gut Doctor Explains

NEW DELHI, Jan 5: Sugar is an omnipresent part of our diets, found in everything from sweet treats to seemingly healthy foods. However, consuming it in high amounts can result in various health problems, including obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. While it may be challenging to eliminate sugar from our diets completely, reducing our intake can have numerous health benefits.

Gastroenterologist Saurabh Sethi shares valuable insights into the effects of sugar reduction on the body. In a post shared on Instagram, he wrote, "Most people don't realize this: Sugar doesn't just add calories. It hijacks appetite, cravings, insulin, and liver fat - quietly. That's why I ask my patients to try 14 days without added sugar."

What Happens To Your Body When You Quit Sugar

According to Saurabh, your body undergoes several changes when you start reducing sugar intake. Initially, your brain is adjusting to the new lack of sugar, which can lead to feelings of cravings, headaches, fatigue, irritability, and brain fog. This is not withdrawal; it's your brain recalibrating to the change.

As your body adapts, you'll start to notice a shift. Your cravings will decrease, and your energy levels will become more stable. You'll likely experience less bloating and fewer afternoon crashes, and your insulin response will also start to improve, meaning your body will become more efficient at handling sugar.

By week two, the changes will result in a flatter stomach, better sleep, clearer hunger cues, fewer food urges, and improved fasting glucose. Even if the scale doesn't show a massive change, your metabolism will be improved. This means that your body is becoming more efficient at using energy, which can lead to other health benefits in the long run.

Gastroenterologist Saurabh Sethi explained that skipping added sugar for 14 days helps in lowering insulin spikes, reducing liver sugar load, and decreasing water retention. It also resets your taste buds and lowers visceral fat signalling.

"This reset is especially helpful if you have constant cravings, bloating, fatty liver, insulin resistance, low energy, and poor sleep," he concluded.

Neurologist explains real reason woman 'experienced multiple strange sensations in her body including jhanjhanahat'

NEW DELHI, Jan 5: For many patients, receiving a 'normal' test result is a relief. But for a young woman treated by Dr Rahul Chawla – a neurologist trained at AIIMS, New Delhi, consultant neurologist at IBS Hospital, Lajpat Nagar, and founder of HealthPil.com – it was the source of a mounting nightmare.

Despite experiencing persistent tingling, numbness, and a distressing 'jhanjhanahat' (shivers or prickling) across her body, every MRI and blood test reportedly came back clear. Dr Chawla said the disconnect between her physical suffering and her medical reports led her family to believe she was 'overthinking' or even faking her symptoms. However, Dr Chawla shared in a January 3 Instagram post that her condition was very real: it was a classic case of somatoform disorder.

The gap between testing and truth

Dr Chawla highlighted a major gap in how we perceive illness and said that many patients suffer from vague, chronic discomfort that standard investigations simply cannot catch.

He explained, “We see a lot of patients who have vague complaints, pain, and discomfort that don't go away with normal examinations and normal investigations, ranging from blood tests to MRI. This doesn't mean that the patient doesn't have any illness. These patients are likely suffering from somatoform disorder. This definitely does not mean that there are no symptoms or that the patient is lying. The problem is that the source of the pain is not damage in any organ, but in how the brain processes pain signals.”

What is somatoform disorder?

According to Dr Chawla, somatoform disorder occurs when psychological stress manifests as physical pain – it bridges the gap between mental health and physical sensation, often leaving patients trapped in a cycle of frustration.

Explaining it, the doctor said, “Somatoform disorder is a condition where psychological stress expresses itself as physical symptoms. The pain and discomfort is very real, but the root cause is not physical; it is the mind and body reacting to stress, anxiety, trauma, or emotional overload. Patients may have pain, tightness, heaviness, breathlessness, palpitations, stomach discomfort, or fatigue. Symptoms may shift from one part of the body to another, and they often worsen during stress and improve temporarily with reassurance, only to return again.

Common symptoms

According to Dr Chawla, some signs of a somatoform disorder include:

⦿ Multiple physical complaints with normal investigations

⦿ Long symptom history with frequent doctor visits

⦿ Symptoms that do not fit typical disease patterns

⦿ High stress, anxiety, or emotional burden

⦿ Clear distress, even when reports are normal

The danger of dismissal

One of the most dangerous aspects of this disorder isn't the symptoms themselves, but the social stigma attached to them. When doctors or family members tell a patient 'everything is normal', it often drives them toward 'faith healers' or 'quacks' who exploit their vulnerability for financial gain, Dr Chawla shared.

He gave an example, saying: “We had a young woman who came in with a complaint of sensations in her body. She experienced multiple strange 'sensations', including tingling, numbness, 'jhanjhanahat'. She had already seen many doctors, and every report was normal. But by the time she came to us, she was exhausted, frustrated, and felt nobody believed her anymore. Her family thought she was overthinking because all her reports were normal, still her symptoms were very real to her. This was a clear case of somatoform disorder. One of the greatest myths that family members of such patients foster is that the patients are faking symptoms, malingering, and in some cases are even thought to be wasting money on unnecessary tests while they are completely fine.”

He added, “When these patients do not get an adequate response from the treating physician about their illness, they often resort to faith healing, magic healing, or quacks who misguide them and drain them financially, taking advantage of their vulnerability. What makes these cases difficult to diagnose is that patients look fine, they speak well, but they begin to experience these symptoms quite regularly.”

The path to recovery

The solution, according to Dr Chawla, starts with listening. Dismissing a patient's reality only deepens the psychological burden, which in turn worsens the physical symptoms. He said, “Saying 'everything is normal' to a patient does not really help. What helps is listening and understanding the patient's concerns, seeking help from a mental health professional at the earliest, and most importantly, not dismissing the patient or their symptoms.”

Dr Chawla wrote in his caption: “If you ever come across someone who has these symptoms, do not dismiss them. Please consult a neurologist or a psychiatrist at the earliest for proper diagnosis and treatment!”