Breaking Down the 2026 Dietary Guidelines Updates From a Dietitian's Perspective

The newest federal dietary guidelines represents a shift from previous recommendations. While the political framing behind these updates has stirred debate, it’s worth looking at the nutrition implications themselves, especially for the individuals and families we support at Couture Wellness.

From our perspective as dietitians who work in reproductive health, chronic disease, pediatric nutrition, eating disorder care, GI disorders, and inclusive healthcare, there are meaningful positives in this update— and also important gaps that deserve attention.

Below is a breakdown students, patients, and clinicians have been asking us for.

1. The Renewed Focus On Whole, Minimally Processed Foods

The updated guidance endorses:

• fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen, canned, dried)

• whole grains

• legumes and pulses

• nuts and seeds

• dairy options including full-fat versions

• a broad range of proteins (plant + animal)

What’s Good Here:

This aligns dietary advice with decades of nutrition research, which Registered Dietitians have always been recommending and emphasizing. Many of our patients benefit when meals emphasize whole-food protein + fiber + healthy fats + complex carbohydrates — especially for blood sugar stability, hormonal conditions (PCOS, fertility), metabolic disease, GI health, and satiety.

What Needs Attention:

For many people — including disabled, low-income, rural, neurodivergent, and working families — the primary barriers are cost, time, access, and cooking capacity, not always lack of awareness.

Guidance that assumes everyone has equal access can unintentionally widen disparities unless paired with:

• better affordability programs

• culturally diverse food examples

• realistic meal prep support

• SNAP/WIC coverage changes

This part of the guidelines doesn’t fully address those realities.

2. Decreasing Highly Processed Foods & Added Sugars

The guideline recommends reducing:

• sugar-sweetened beverages

• packaged snacks

• refined carbohydrates

• additives and ultra-processed foods

What’s Good Here:

This recommendation is evidence-supported. Ultra-processed foods have become more common especially with the increased need for convenience foods. With ongoing research, correlations with increased risk for chronic disease, fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease are notable.

What Needs Attention:

Labeling foods as “bad” or “avoid” increases risk for:

• guilt/shame eating cycles

• developing food fears

• orthorexia tendencies

• heightened anxiety around food

• eating disorder progression (especially among teens)

We work with many patients who have both chronic disease and disordered eating— both deserve equal consideration. Reducing harm without increasing stigma requires nuance.

3. Reintroducing Full-Fat Dairy and “Ending the War on Fat”

The guidelines now emphasize fats from:

• dairy (including full-fat)

• eggs

• seafood

• nuts & seeds

• olives & avocados

• animal proteins

What’s Good Here:

Increasing unsaturated fats are important to overall health. This includes foods such as nuts, seeds, olive oil, and avocados. This is especially relevant for:

• fertility and prenatal nutrition

• pediatric nutrition

• hormone production (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone)

• neurological development

• satiety and glucose stability

What Needs Attention:

We must still consider:

• lactose intolerance

• the potential implications of increasing full fat dairy products, considering DGA's recommended saturated fat intake remains at <10% of total calorie intake.

• dairy accessibility and affordability

• plant-based needs

• sustainability and climate impact

• GI disorders and IBS reactions to fats

One-size-fat-fits-all doesn’t work— especially in clinical care.

4. Protein Prioritization and Carbohydrate Reduction

The guidelines elevate protein as the central macronutrient and encourage lower-carb patterns for chronic disease management.

What’s Good Here:

Clinically, adequate intake of protein often helps patients with:

• insulin resistance

• PCOS

• metabolic syndrome

• obesity

• sarcopenia

• appetite dysregulation

We also support customizing carbohydrate intake for patients with certain chronic diseases, such as diabetes management— research supports this.

What Needs Attention:

This guidance can become harmful when:

• it is interpreted as “carbs are bad”

• cultural grain staples are dismissed

• fiber intake drops

• eating disorder tendencies around restriction increase

Carbohydrates remain essential for:

• brain function

• pregnancy

• athletic performance

• thyroid health

• pediatric growth

• gut microbiome resilience

The key is personalization, not elimination.

5. “One Optimal Diet for All Americans” Is Still Not Realistic

The updated framework presents itself as universally beneficial, but U.S. healthcare disparities produce vastly different realities.

A single nutrition pattern cannot equally serve:

• disabled Americans

• SNAP/WIC recipients

• Indigenous communities

• immigrants & refugees

• queer & trans communities

• neurodivergent eaters

• food deserts and rural regions

• pediatric and aging populations

We cannot talk about “health” without talking about access, dignity, safety, and agency.

So What Does Couture Wellness Recommend?

Regardless of political authorship, we tell our patients:

• use guidelines as general orientation

• do not use them as moral rules

• remember your body’s needs come first

• nutrition should not override mental health

• sustainability & access matter

• cultural foods matter

• pleasure matters

Personalized care will always outperform federal policy.

If You Are Confused, Conflicted, or Impacted, We Can Help

Couture Wellness offers inclusive, science-informed, weight-neutral, and culturally competent nutrition care tailored to real bodies and real circumstances.

Working with us looks like a supportive and collaborative process that includes:

• a nonjudgmental intake and assessment

• a personalized nutrition care plan that reflects your needs, preferences, cultural foods, and health goals

• coordination with your medical team or specialists when appropriate

• meal planning and grocery support that meets your daily life realities

• guidance that considers financial access and food availability

• attention to both physical and mental health needs

• education grounded in research, not fear

• care that supports autonomy and dignity

Most importantly, you will never be shamed for your body, your health status, or your food choices. We recognize that health is shaped by far more than individual willpower, and that nutrition must be realistic, flexible, and humane to truly be effective.

If you are unsure how these new national guidelines apply to your situation, or whether they should apply at all, we are here to help you sort through it.

Reach out to Couture Wellness to learn how individualized nutrition counseling can support your health, reduce overwhelm, and help you make informed decisions that feel sustainable for your life.