A 30-second Super Bowl advert that includes boxing legend Mike Tyson and paid for by the nonprofit MAHA Middle encourages viewers to keep away from processed meals and go to Realfood.gov. The federal government web site, which Well being and Human Providers secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting, offers assets on the administration’s new dietary guidelines, launched in January, and encourages individuals to make use of Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok to “get actual solutions about actual meals.”
I made a decision to see how Grok’s recommendation aligns with the administration’s suggestions, notably round protein consumption. The brand new tips say to get 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of physique weight per day—greater than what was beforehand suggested—whereas the brand new inverted meals pyramid prominently options steak and different animal merchandise.
“We’re ending the battle on protein,” Realfood.gov states, echoing comparable declarations by Kennedy.
Most People are already eating enough protein—and Grok agrees. The truth is, so does the administration’s personal “Scientific Foundation for the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” which is linked on Realfood.gov. It says that US adults eat on common about one gram of protein per kilogram of physique weight per day, or roughly 15 p.c of complete power—the midpoint of the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Vary, or ADMR—”suggesting that deficiency is uncommon.”
Following the web site’s encouragement to ask AI for recommendation, I initially requested Grok how a lot protein I ought to eat primarily based on my age, peak, and weight. (Grok, it ought to be famous, steadily doesn’t return solutions to prompts, as a substitute citing excessive demand and inspiring customers to enroll in an account.) It really helpful 0.8 grams per kilogram per day—the long-standing really helpful each day allowance, or RDA, developed by the Nationwide Institute of Drugs. After I refined my query, saying that I do half-hour of power coaching 4 days every week, Grok’s response was extra consistent with the administration’s new tips.
The advice of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram per day is the minimal quantity wanted to stop a protein deficiency for a sedentary life-style, which describes a good portion of the American inhabitants. Nutritionists I spoke with agree that the brand new suggestions are extra acceptable for individuals who train often.
“What I believe the administration is attempting to do is to focus on the metabolically unhealthy individuals who might have somewhat extra protein to really feel full and glad to construct some muscle. However that nuance is misplaced with their single message,” says Lindsay Malone, a scientific dietician at Case Western Reserve College. “You then go to this AI device, and it’s nearly an excessive amount of info for the typical particular person.”
Whereas consuming extra protein could make you’re feeling fuller so that you just keep away from snacking, she says, consuming extra protein by itself doesn’t construct muscle, which is primarily constructed by means of resistance or power coaching.
Michelle King Rimer, a scientific assistant professor of dietary sciences on the College of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Zilber Faculty of Public Well being, says consuming an excessive amount of of any macronutrient—protein, fat, or carbohydrates—can result in weight achieve. “Consuming extra protein can nonetheless be transformed into fats, which might result in weight achieve,” she says.
The administration’s messaging additionally says to “prioritize protein at each meal” with a mixture of protein from animal and plant sources. Final week, Kennedy spoke in regards to the “significance of meat protein” on the nation’s largest cattle commerce present, declaring that “beef is again on the menu,” in keeping with an HHS statement.
After I requested Grok which protein sources are healthiest, it listed plant-based proteins, fish and seafood, lean poultry, and eggs. The chatbot stated to restrict or decrease crimson meat and processed meats. That every one displays recommendation from main well being organizations such because the American Heart Association and rising proof that consuming plant-based proteins and fish are related to higher well being outcomes than diets excessive in crimson meat.
