Frontline Health

#126 - From Grains To Gains: How New Nutrition Guidelines Put Protein And Whole Foods First

• Troy Duell

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The food pyramid just flipped, and the new view of healthy eating might surprise you. We break down what the change actually means for your daily plate: more protein for satiety and metabolic stability, real-food fats back in the picture, refined grains dialed down, and a firm stance against added sugar and sugary drinks. If the old low-fat, high-carb playbook left you hungry and confused, this conversation helps you reset with simple, practical moves.

We trace how the old pyramid and later MyPlate missed the mark for many people, then dig into the specifics: vegetables up to three cups for fiber, full-fat dairy welcomed, whole grains prioritized over refined, and protein bumped to support fullness, growth, and recovery. We also tackle the gray areas—why “healthy” cereals and low-fat products often hide sugar, how liquid calories derail appetite control, and where alcohol guidance is shifting toward “less is better” without pretending there’s a safe daily number for everyone.

Expect clear takeaways you can use tonight: build meals around quality protein, add healthy fats like olive oil, avocado, nuts, and full-fat yogurt, choose whole grains that bring fiber, and keep added sugar under 10 grams per meal. We also address the budget hurdle with tactics that work in real life—batch cooking, frozen produce, canned fish, and even growing a few basics at home to stretch your dollars. If you’ve felt stuck between “eat clean” ideals and everyday reality, this episode gives you a sane path forward.

Enjoyed the conversation? Follow the show, share this episode with a friend who’s reworking their diet, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find us. Your feedback shapes what we explore next.

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SPEAKER_00:

Today on the Frontline Health Podcast. I mean, I think you could look at any number of cereals that we used to eat a lot of and we still consume a lot of. Anything that shows itself as low fat or um has all the essential nutrients and vitamins that you would want. And those come from highly processed places. And because they're highly processed, in order to make them taste better, we typically are adding a ton of sugar. They're highly processed, so they're not going to have the right nutrients or the best nutrients for your body. So I think those are the biggest things. And understanding that with a limit of 10 grams of added sugar per meal, that really limits you on the processed foods that you can take.

SPEAKER_01:

Welcome back to the Frontline Health Podcast, where we share health news, tips, and insights to help you take ownership of your health. I'm Evan Patrick, and with me is Troy Duell, founder and CEO of Centurion Health. The food pyramid has recently been flipped upside down. Today we're here to talk about the most recent nutrition guidance. A lot of us grew up with grains as the foundation while fats were treated like the enemy and protein felt secondary. But now the messaging is shifting with more emphasis on protein, more clarity on healthy fats, and a stronger push away from added sugar and ultra-processed foods. So, what all has changed and what does it mean for your meal planning? We're here to break it down for you today. To get started, I want to talk a little bit, Troy, about the origins of the food pyramid. I know we've had uh updates since then. Um, what were the original recommendations and why were these recommendations made?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so originally the food pyramid came out in 1992. Uh it seems like it was longer than that because it's been around uh a long time, but it was really designed to give uh Americans a better understanding of what to eat. And the idea behind it was to reduce chronic disease over time. So hopefully we were gonna come in, have this food pyramid, and we were gonna have less cardiovascular disease, we were gonna have less diabetes, all those things. But we clearly didn't see it with the original food pyramid. What they had at that pyramid was at the base, you had about six to eleven servings of grains per day, three to five servings of veggies per day, two to four servings of fruit per day, two to three servings of protein, and two to three servings of dairy. And then at the top of that pyramid, they said you should use sparingly fats, oils, and sweets. So the ultimate idea behind it was low fat, high carb in order to address obesity and those other things we talked about, and really use it as an educational tool and help with public health overall. Since that time, we've had two iterations. So in 2005, they actually changed it to my pyramid, which tried to make it a little bit more individualized and emphasize some physical activity along with the right food. The problem with that was it became so complex that people just didn't really pay attention to it. So in 2011, they changed it to my plate, and they gave this picture of a plate, and then they would put out there, you know, half the plate should be fruits and vegetables, a quarter of the plate should be whole grains, and a quarter of the plate should be protein with dairy on the side. So that's really how it all started, where we were until just a couple of weeks ago, and then all of a sudden we get a new food pyramid, which is pretty good.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's it's super interesting to hear you kind of talk about the individualization of that with the updates that were made prior to this most recent one, because I do think that is something that is extremely important for people to consider, right? Everyone has different levels of activity, everyone has different types of activity. And that kind of got me thinking as a runner, you know, the original food pyramid emphasizing grains and and carbs so much, like it almost seems like they were making recommendations under the assumption that somebody's running five miles every day. And as we know, the vast, vast majority of people are not getting anywhere near that that type of activity. And so just really didn't seem to be good advice.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and they also put it on a 2,000 calorie diet. So it's tough because some people, if you're working out more, you need more than two cal 2,000 calories. If you're obese or you're trying to lose weight, then it can oftentimes be less than 2,000 calories. So your stage of life and what you're trying to go through really makes a big difference. And and unfortunately, this new pyramid still falls in line with that. I think it's just general guidelines, and we have to think of it as general guidelines before we just fall in line with it and say, oh, this is the gospel because it really isn't, um, because all of us have different needs and we have different seasons of our life where we may need more carbs than we do um, you know, fats or whatever it may be at that time, and just keeping those in mind and using these as a general guideline is super, super important.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and where I think that gets really confusing for people is when you start talking about the the daily recommendations uh based in the form of like percentages for different nutrients, like you need this percentage of carbs, this percentage of protein, this percentage of different vitamins. Uh, perfect example of that. People get confused sometimes with our products or really any supplements out there because they might look at our just energy, for example, and see that it has like a thousand something percent of your vitamin B12. And then you have to explain to people well, that B12 is going to nourish your body and help you have more energy. A lot of people are very fatigued because their B12 levels are low. And so people are different sizes, you know, there's there's so many different things to consider um when it comes to that. And I just think people trying to box it into a percentage that everybody needs on a daily basis. And if as you've mentioned before, those are just minimums, anyways. It's not necessarily what's most beneficial. Um, so yeah, so I think that's a great way to kind of start this conversation just by by laying that out. You know, everyone's nutritional needs are different. So now, what has changed on the new food pyramid?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, basically, they took the old pyramid and flipped it totally upside down. So what they found was that the public never really bought into the plate concept because I think we had been so ingrained with this idea of a food pyramid. That seemed to be a great PR piece for uh our government to come in and say a food pyramid because people could visually uh see that and it was so ingrained in us that we never really let that go. So, what they decided to do this time was just take that pyramid, flip it upside down, and then add some specific recommendations. Some of the things that are probably the biggest difference are in the vegetables. Um, and I'll I'll go through each of those. So in the old guidelines, they said you should have about two and a half cups of vegetables per day. The new guidelines say you should have three cups. So they upped the amount of uh vegetables to get more fiber into your diet. Fruit actually stayed the same where before it was two cups, now it's two cups again. Milk uh went from three cups to three cups, but the biggest difference there is the old food pyramid suggested you should have low-fat milk. Now they fully encourage full fat milk and taking in the fat from the dairy, which is a tough concept for a lot of people to get around.

SPEAKER_01:

Hey, I was doing that anyways. Give me that whole milk. I don't like that uh that watery, that that milk-flavored water.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, well, it's it is it's uh an acquired taste on both ends because once you go to the milk-flavored water and you go with that low-fat milk, it's tough to go back to the thick stuff because you you can't swallow it. It's uh it's so much thicker. So I'm having a tough time rebounding back to to the other way. Uh, the other thing that they mentioned were grains. It used to be that you would take six ounces of grains, but now they recommend two to four ounces. So really a third to a half of what you used to take, and now they've taken out altogether anything that's processed and saying you should only have whole grains. So no more processed flours, no more processed wheat, anything like that. You want it to be whole grain uh alone. And then with meats, they actually doubled it. So they're looking to double protein. It used to be five and a half ounces, now it's nine to twelve ounces. So they wanted you to get more uh protein in your diet because they've seen some studies that suggest more protein means uh feeling fuller and not quite as uh it leads to less obesity and other things like that. And then with the healthy fats and oils, they went from 27 grams down to 20 grams and really kind of broadened the range of the fats that you can take. Um, some of the things that I think were interesting is they took a much stronger stance against foods that are overconsumed, like sugar. Previous versions said, you know, you should limit your intake of foods that have sugar in it, but uh now they actually say you would you should avoid the use of added sugar when you're caring for infants and kids. And the new guideline is specific. It says avoid sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas, fruit drinks, and energy drinks. And then they go on to say in that while no amount of added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners is recommended or could considered part of a healthy or nutritious diet, one meal should contain no more than 10 grams of added sugars. So, again, just to differentiate between added and normal sugars, if you're eating fruits and you're eating vegetables and they have natural sugar in it, that's not what they're talking about. What they're talking about are foods where they've added sugar into that food. Uh, the other thing that I think was interesting is they made a much stronger statement in this new pyramid about alcohol consumption. Uh, previously they recommended in limiting intake to two drinks per day for men and one drink a day for women. They now say consume less alcohol for better overall health and doesn't actually mention a safe amount. So kind of interesting when you start to see these new things that are out there, and you can see them targeting certainly sugar, they're targeting alcohol, and they're looking to get more protein and more fiber into our diet.

SPEAKER_01:

So I already know the answer to this because you know everything is controversial today. Um thanks for giving us that that big overview, and we're gonna zoom in on a few things uh here in just a little bit, but I want to ask, has there been any pushback to these new recommendations?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, sir, there has. Uh, just like with everything else. I think you're gonna have one side of the equation that goes, well, this is the way we've always done it. There can be no uh changing it. And if you do change it, then you're crazy. You know, the science has already spoken. But as you start to compile the data and you look at all these things, I think it's really important to step back and get out of your camp and go, okay, where is this leading us? Uh we've talked about this other food pyramid, we've talked about the my plate, and we still have an epidemic of obesity, diabetes, uh, cardiovascular disease. And since we still have all those things, clearly what we're doing is not working. So a change is definitely warranted in order to fight those things off. And I think it it should lead us down the path of okay, this isn't working, so what's the data saying about these things? And do we need to change our minds? Do we need to change what we're doing to get better health outcomes? And I think that's ultimately where it should lead. Unfortunately, there are politics involved because a lot of the pushback seems to be coming from big uh food, uh, if you will. So they don't like the idea of these processed foods getting um put in a bad light because ultimately it's going to cause harm to their bottom line. But it really, it should be a new opportunity for those companies and the rest of us to change our spending habits and to change how we design products that people consume. And hopefully it makes it easier for them, even to then come back and advertise and market these things that are healthier and better for us overall. But yes, there has definitely been some pushback on these recommendations.

SPEAKER_01:

You're absolutely right. I mean, you were featured in an article discussing when Tyson Foods not too long ago made some changes and they're already obviously promoting those things, just as there's an increased awareness in general, people want to want to make healthy choices. Um, and so definitely the the food companies that make those changes early on and go ahead and are vocal about that and can kind of uh recognize that the times you're changing, they're gonna be in a much better spot and really have uh no legs to stand on uh once they you know are adapting to consumer choices.

SPEAKER_00:

So I think we've seen that with some of the potato chips and pulling out the seed oils. I think Frito Lay now has their own version of whatever it's called, naked uh chips or naked Doritos that don't have any of the bad seed oils in them and have gone to more of a whole grain type thing. So that's one thing that we're starting to see slow changes on, and hopefully we'll see it across the board when it comes to um products that are coming out that are definitely more beneficial for our health.

SPEAKER_01:

So, one of the big changes that you mentioned is the bigger emphasis on protein. Obviously, this is something that you know fitness, the fitness community has been preaching for years, not just for the purposes of you know putting on muscle, but also for fat loss and that kind of thing. Why is protein now being seen as so much more important?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I think we're recognizing, and we probably already knew this, but we're coming back to our senses, that protein is super, super important. That's why we doubled the amount of protein that we recommend to people getting. We know that kids need protein because they're building muscles, they're growing, so you need that. The old protein guidelines were really meant to prevent starvation and prevent this idea of withering away. And what these new protein guidelines are designed to do is to help these kids thrive, and they're based really more on the science of what's going on as opposed to just this overall uh theory of what people need. So we know that protein helps resist this rise in insulin that's going on in the body. It also helps reduce that whole body inflammation that affects kids. And ultimately, we know that some of these things are because they don't have protein, they have really poor diet and aren't getting the nutrients that they need, and they're eating ultra-processed and refined carbohydrates. So those things all add up to be a big issue, and that's why I think we're continuing to push people towards more protein because they'll feel more full, they'll be able to recover faster from any activity or exercise that they have, and it will help reduce um diabetes, obesity, and some cardiovascular disease just by changing that one little aspect of our diet.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I've you know, I've always played sports, I've always exercised, I've always gone to the gym, and so I've always it's always been a struggle for me to get, you know, enough protein based on my activity levels and goals as I need to, but I I have never, granted I say this at 28 years old, really struggled with uh packing on too much fat. And a large part of the reason I think is because you know, I've kind of been emphasizing protein in my own diet, and it makes it hard for me to eat a lot of food. And so like I can attest to that for you know, it really makes sense if you're somebody who has who has had a protein diet, you understand it's hard to eat a lot of food uh when you're consuming a lot of protein. So I think that is is you know just kind of just really great advice for anybody who might be struggling with being overweight and is is hoping to lose some fat. Give the high protein thing a try, especially now that it's it's being recommended because you really do feel so much more full. And um it's just yeah, nobody wants to be on a diet and starve themselves. Uh, and you want to feel full, um, but you also want to lose weight and and protein, high protein really helps you do that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and I think uh to your point, it's so much easier to sit down and have a bag of chips and eat through that whole bag of chips and still want more because it's processed, you're just getting more carbs in your system, versus it's tough to sit down and eat two chicken breasts of something because you just feel full and you can't stuff yourself with too much protein because your body just goes, All right, that's enough, stop. Um I'm getting everything I need. So, yeah, that's a great point. It's hard to feel not full when you're eating the right amount of protein. Whereas if you're jumping, jumping on a bag of potato chips, um, there's a reason Pringles says uh you can't just eat one, you gotta you gotta keep going because um it's true.

SPEAKER_01:

They're so addicting. So addicting. So, what about fats? You know, this is a um a big thing that I think a lot of people struggle with uh and are are really confused about. There's actually a a a big debate kind of in the running community about you know how much fats you should consume, if you should prioritize carbs over fats or fats over carbs. There's even some ultra-marathon runner out there that I think he's obviously this is an extreme diet, but he's on like the carnivore diet and he claims that he gets enough fats. I mean, and obviously he does if he truly sticks to that diet to be able to run, you know, hundreds of miles even on a weekly basis, which is crazy for anyone to do. But what constitutes a healthy fat and why is that important for people's diets?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I think it's super important because the the old pyramid and kind of the old um diets that we put out there for people never really differentiated fats. As a matter of fact, they went after fats and attacked them, but the new pyramid actually promotes those healthy fats, which you just talked about. So, what they've done is they've actually moved those fats higher up the chain, and they actually have fats blended in with the proteins and the fruits and the vegetables. Vegetables and that full fat dairy and make it a real part of your diet, not just that afterthought. And what they consider to be a healthy fat are meat fats, the dairy fats, the butter, the beef tallow, and then anything from nuts, seeds, olives, avocados, and then oils that we know like olive oil and avocado oil, those are considered good or healthy fats. So what we're trying to get away from and what they're really moving away from is that low-fat or fat-free dairy type scenario, and really embrace full fat without added sugars and then limit still the saturated fats. Now, officially, it's kind of strange. Um, they talk about getting um fats from butter and meat and other things like that, but the written guidelines in this new pyramid actually kept the old limit. So it said we shouldn't have more than 10% of our total daily calories from saturated fats. So it's kind of a um a tension, if you will, within the diet itself where they've moved fats up and they said you should have more and you should embrace it, but it still limits it to 10% of your total daily calories coming from diet. Um, so kind of a kind of a strange place to be, but certainly something that they're embracing it more now. They're seeing a need for it because they've linked it to um cognitive issues, they've linked it to cardiac issues where we were so low cholesterol and low all these other things. Now they understand that cholesterol and some fats are actually good for our brain health, it's good for our heart health, and it's just doing it in moderation that seems to be the key.

SPEAKER_01:

Mm-hmm. Yeah, and so I guess the macro that that leaves is the carbs. So, how do grains uh fit into this and why how are they, you know, now seemingly less important?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I think a lot of it comes back to the fact where our grain consumption is in the U.S. Most of the grains, probably 90% of the grains that we take in are those refined grains. So it's white breads, it's ready-to-eat cereals, uh, which are typically going to be higher in sugars, it's crackers. All those processed grains are gonna have much more sugar, and it's not gonna have the benefit of the whole grains that we typically look for. And because they're highly processed, they're what they consider basically sugar in disguise because a lot of that is very starch-heavy and starch-rich, which causes a spike in our blood sugar, and it doesn't have much nutrient benefit. So we're trying to get away from those refined grains because they don't have the nutrients, they have less fiber than the whole grains, and um really reduce them in order to build up our health as a whole. And I think that's where the key comes in with the grains, and one of the reasons we want to cut it in half. And really, if you go after the whole grains, you're gonna have more fiber in there, you're gonna have more nutrients, and you're gonna feel fuller, and you're not gonna be able to sit there and eat a whole bag of chips because it's gonna end up filling you up much quicker because of the fiber that you're getting.

SPEAKER_01:

Man, Troy, you know, if we had just listened to the Jim Bros all along, it just seems like we would have been in uh in a better place as a country. Um, but this is uh this is really, really cool, really interesting that we're having this conversation now. And, you know, you mentioned that the added sugar and the ultra-processed foods are really public enemy number one on this new upside-down food pyramid. Anybody who's paying any been paying any attention to the changes RFK wants to make, even from a regulatory perspective, he's been going hard after you know, the ultra-processed foods. And I'm really curious, you know, we we talk all the time about how you know science is almost never settled. Like there are things that we continue to learn that informs choices that we make, that informs recommendations that are made. And so I'm curious, are there any processed foods that we traditionally considered healthy that we now know on this new food pyramid that we should stay away from?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I mean, I think you could look at any number of cereals that we used to eat a lot of and we still consume a lot of. Anything that shows itself as low fat or um has all the essential nutrients and vitamins that you would want. And those come from highly processed places. And because they're highly processed, in order to make them taste better, we typically are adding a ton of sugar. They're highly processed, so they're not going to have the right nutrients or the best nutrients for your body. So I think those are the biggest things, and understanding that with a limit of 10 grams of added sugar per meal, that really limits you on the processed foods that you can take. When you consider that a can of coke has 39 grams of sugar in it by itself, our daily intake as adult males should be anywhere around 27 to 36 grams of sugar per day. Um, one can of coke puts you over the top. And the number of individuals who drinks at least one can of coke a day really causes an issue. And, you know, I think the idea that a diet coke is any better or a diet soda is any better really should go out the window because they've done studies that show the fatty liver disease is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is just as prevalent with those people who drink diet cokes as it is with those people who drink regular coke or sodas. So looking at that, so it's not just a coke thing, it's Pepsi, it's it's all of them. Um, but in the South we like to say Coke for everything. Um so uh I I think just changing that's that's right. Um just changing those little things in our diets, getting rid of them will help us a great deal in the future.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that's uh that's great. Um so we obviously like to give people practical takeaways on this show. You know, we want to help empower them to take ownership of their health. And when we start talking about avoiding processed foods, it gets really difficult for a lot of people because organic foods and healthy foods in general tend to be a lot more expensive than those processed foods, which probably tells you something about the quality. Uh, but what would you say to someone who feels like they're choosing between nutritional responsibility and financial responsibility?

SPEAKER_00:

That's a great question. And it it is a very difficult thing to do because typically a meal that is processed versus one that's not, you're looking about um twice the cost to get a meal, one full meal, is about seven bucks if it's an organic um non-processed meal versus about three to four dollars with one that is a processed meal, like a TV dinner or something like that for an individual. So that can add up pretty quick. I think most of the scenarios suggest that you'd probably be spending an extra$150 to$200 per person per month on getting an organic diet. But I think there are a couple things we have to look at. What are the long-term costs if you go with this ultra-processed meal on a regular basis? We know that your immune health is not going to be as well. So greater likelihood that you're gonna be going to doctors on a regular basis. We know that your cardiovascular health down the road, obesity down the road, uh, diabetes down the road, all those things will add up and they will cause you long-term costs. And then we know that if you're going organic, you're gonna feel full faster because you have more protein. You're gonna feel full faster because you have more fiber, and it's gonna help stabilize your blood sugar a little bit better, which helps avoid the idea of diabetes or these spikes in your blood sugar levels. There was actually one NIH study that compared people who ate ultra-processed foods, and they found that those people actually ended up eating 500 more calories per day. So if you're eating ultra-processed foods, it may be cheaper, but you're hungrier and you eat more, which increases obesity, but it also increases cost because you're feeling less full and you also ate a little bit faster. And then I think we have to look at it from the standpoint of what can we do to help take ownership of our health again? And one of the things that I always like to recommend is you have an opportunity, no matter where you are, whether you live in an apartment, a house, whether you have acres, or you just have a back deck, you can always grow some of your own food. You know, anything from tomatoes to lettuce could be the first things to start growing. And those are cheap. Seeds are really, really inexpensive, and you just have to take care of it and grow it at home. And I think that's a great way to start getting the cost of some of your groceries down and starting to invest in your own health if you have time and you can uh get that going. Plus, it can be uh a little therapeutic for some people as well.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, you make a really good argument, you know, about the long-term expenses that in many ways, you know, eating healthy and making that choice and kind of setting that standard for yourself and for your family that, you know, we're going to eat real foods, we're not going to, you know, sacrifice our health for financial purposes. Um, obviously everyone's situation is different, but I think you make a really compelling argument that in the long run, not only is it better off for our health, but it can be better off for our finances because you're not having to cover the cost of health issues that compound because you're neglecting what you put into your body. So um think that's a really important, important thing for for people to hear. And, you know, we always encourage um something rather than nothing and starting small and doing what you can. So maybe if it's just replacing, you know, one processed food for for organic or something that you know is is a little bit better, start slow and build from there. And um, we're confident that, you know, as as people who try to practice what we preach, that those are things that will genuinely make your life better, um, not worse. This has been a great conversation, really, about the new recommendations that are being made with the upside down food pyramid. Thanks, Troy, so much for just kind of breaking that down and sharing your insights. We hope this has been helpful to anyone who's listening and considering, you know, what they were told to put in their bodies when they were young versus what we now know about what is is better for us. Who knows? Maybe uh 10, 15, 20 years down the road, we'll have different recommendations. Uh, but for now, we know um that uh this upside down food pyramid has a lot of promise and uh can help guide us in the choices that we make when it comes to what we put in our body.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Frontline Health Podcast by Centurion Health. Go out today, take ownership of your health because you are your best health advocate. If you enjoyed what you heard today on the podcast, please consider leaving us a review. We would love to hear your feedback and connect with you further. You can also follow us on Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube. And for safe, effective, and affordable health and wellness products made in the USA, visit www.centurion.health. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time.