• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

Alcohol producers and the beef and dairy industries are getting an unexpected boost from the federal government. 

"Proteins and healthy fats are essential, and were wrongly discourage in prior dietary guidelines," said Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in announcing the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the U.S. government's roadmap to healthy drinking and eating practices that influences medical advice, the composition of school lunches and other policies.

For the first time in 40 years, it’s up to American consumers to figure out how much alcohol is too much. 

“The guidance rolls back older recommendations to limit alcohol to one drink or less a day for women, and two or less for men, instead encouraging Americans to ‘consume less alcohol for better health,’” according to The Independent. "There is alcohol on the dietary guidelines, but the implication is don't have it for breakfast," said Dr. Mehmet Oz, a celebrity physician who is Donald Trump’s administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Since the federal government began issuing Dietary Guidelines in 1980, it has told Americans to limit themselves to one or two standard alcoholic drinks a day. Over time, the official advice morphed to no more than two drinks a day for men, and no more than one for women.

“The guidelines also no longer warn that alcohol may heighten the risk of breast cancer and other malignancies,” according to The New York Times. “It is the first time in decades that the government has omitted the daily caps on drinking that define moderate consumption — standards that are used as benchmarks in clinical studies, to steer medical advice, and to distinguish moderate from heavy drinking, which is unquestionably harmful.”

The new U.S. Dietary Guidelines, announced by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., include recommendations for more protein, less sugar and ultra-processed foods.

“The American Heart Association commended several aspects of the new guidelines, including an emphasis on increasing intake of vegetables, fruits and whole grains while limiting added sugars, refined grains, highly processed foods and sugary drinks,” according to USA Today. “But the organization also shared some concerns when it came to red meat, saying in a press release it could ‘inadvertently lead consumers to exceed recommended limits for sodium and saturated fats, which are primary drivers of cardiovascular disease.’”