Healthy Living Blog: Why Nutrition Became Political (And How It’s Destroying Your Health) with Keri Glassman

Why The New Food Pyramid and 2025 Dietary Guidelines Matter More Than You Think

If you’ve been confused about what to actually eat, you’re not alone. For decades, we’ve been fed contradictory nutrition advice that left us fatter, sicker, and more frustrated than ever. The food pyramid told us to load up on carbs. Low-fat became a religion. Suddenly fat wasn’t the enemy anymore. And now? The entire dietary framework has literally been flipped on its head.

But here’s what most people don’t realize: this isn’t just a cosmetic change. The new 2025 dietary guidelines represent the most significant shift in official nutrition guidance we’ve seen in years and they finally reflect what science has been telling us all along.

I sat down with Keri Glassman, a registered dietitian with decades of experience challenging conventional nutrition wisdom, to break down what changed, why it matters, and most importantly, how it applies to your real life as a midlife woman trying to navigate a confusing health landscape.

The Old Food Pyramid: A Story of Fear, Money, and Miscalculation

To understand why the new guidelines matter, we need to look at where we went wrong.

When the original food pyramid was introduced in the early 1990s, it was designed with good intentions but flawed science. The base was absolutely stacked with grains and carbohydrates (we’re talking six to eleven servings a day of bread, pasta, and rice). Fruits and vegetables came next. Protein and dairy were smaller. And fats? They sat at the very top, marked “use sparingly” like they were poison.

Here’s what was driving that recommendation: the prevailing fear of cholesterol and fat. The 1980s and early 1990s had been consumed by fat-phobia. Everything became “fat-free” and “low-fat.” The food industry jumped on this messaging and marketed processed foods heavily based on these guidelines, hence the explosion of sugar-laden “low-fat” products that somehow made us all heavier and sicker.

The bigger problem? The guidelines weren’t designed for optimal health. They were designed for preventing deficiency and making sure people didn’t develop scurvy or beriberi. The focus was on affordability and accessibility, not on what would actually make your body thrive at midlife.

And nobody told you that six to eleven servings of grain could mean six to eleven servings of Cocoa Puffs.

Meanwhile, our understanding of insulin, blood sugar regulation, and metabolic health was virtually nonexistent in public health conversations. We didn’t talk about hormones. We didn’t distinguish between whole grains and refined grains. We lumped everything together and wondered why everyone got heavier, diabetes skyrocketed, inflammation became the baseline, and Alzheimer’s diagnoses kept climbing.

The result? We saw a corresponding rise in obesity, diabetes, cancers, and inflammatory diseases. The correlation is undeniable.

The MyPlate Attempt (That Nobody Remembers)

Around 2011, the government tried to fix the problem. They introduced MyPlate: a visual of an actual dinner plate divided into sections: half fruits and vegetables, one-quarter protein, one-quarter grains, with dairy on the side.

It was better. It looked more like how people actually eat. But here’s the thing: nobody remembers it. Ask someone on the street what the dietary guidelines say and they’ll still describe the old pyramid. MyPlate never captured the public imagination the way the pyramid did.

More importantly, it still missed critical nuances. It didn’t emphasize the quality of food. It didn’t address processed foods meaningfully. It didn’t distinguish between refined and whole grains. It didn’t talk about healthy fats specifically. And it didn’t capture the emerging science on hormonal health, blood sugar stability, and metabolic function.

The 2025 Flip: What Actually Changed (And Why It Matters)

The new dietary guidelines flip the pyramid upside down, and the structure actually makes metabolic sense.

At the base: Minimally processed, whole, nutrient-dense foods. This is broad…we’re talking real vegetables, quality proteins, fruits, healthy fats. The foundation is now about quality, not just quantity.

Moving up: Whole grains and legumes (though notably, they don’t distinguish as sharply as they should between refined and whole).

At the top: Refined grains, sugars, and ultra-processed foods – the things to use sparingly.

What’s actually revolutionary about this shift:

They finally addressed processed foods explicitly. For the first time at the official level, there’s a serious conversation about dramatically reducing ultra-processed foods. This isn’t subtle. This is a major shift.

The protein recommendations increased. They moved from 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight to 1.2-1.6 grams per kilogram. This matters enormously for midlife women. We now understand that protein is critical for maintaining muscle mass, bone health, blood sugar stability, satiety, and overall metabolic health. This recommendation finally reflects what the research has been telling us for years.

They mentioned gut health and the microbiome for the first time. They included fermented foods. They’re acknowledging that digestion and gut bacteria matter. This is a significant evolution in thinking.

They’re reflecting blood sugar science. The entire pyramid now acknowledges that not all carbohydrates are created equal and that satiety (feeling full) matters more than simple calorie counting.

The focus shifted from deficiency prevention to optimization. They’re not just trying to prevent disease—they’re thinking about what helps people actually thrive.

What The New Guidelines Get Right (And What They Could Do Better)

Let me be clear: I’m not a registered dietitian. But I’ve been saying the same things Keri has been saying for over a decade. My first book, 7 Day Jumpstart: Unprocess Your Diet, published years ago, was almost identical to what the new pyramid recommends. So when people suddenly act like this is revolutionary or controversial, I have to laugh (or get frustrated) depending on the day.

What’s genuinely excellent:

The emphasis on whole, unprocessed foods as the foundation is spot-on. The increased protein recommendations are backed by solid research. The acknowledgment of gut health and fermented foods is forward-thinking. The visual flip itself is powerful. It sends a message that we’ve gotten something fundamentally wrong and we’re correcting course.

Where there’s room for improvement:

Keri and I both noted that they could have emphasized lean protein more strongly. Fish and lean sources deserve more visibility than they got.

The fiber conversation could have been deeper. Yes, they mentioned gut health, but fiber should have been threaded throughout, especially in the vegetable and legume sections. This matters because fiber is foundational for blood sugar control, satiety, and gut health.

They could have specified that protein recommendations should be based on ideal body weight, not current body weight. If you’re 100 pounds overweight, you don’t need to calculate protein for your current weight..that creates confusion.

The quality spectrum could have been clearer. Not all whole grains are equal. Not all fats are equal. Nuance matters.

The Politicization of Nutrition (And Why It Needs to Stop)

Here’s where I’m going to get real with you: somewhere along the way, food became political.

People are attacking the new dietary guidelines not because of the science, but because of who’s in office. They’re dismissing recommendations that align with decades of nutrition research because it’s attached to an administration they don’t like. Meanwhile, vegans are upset there aren’t enough beans. Carnivore advocates think there’s still too many carbs. Everyone’s looking for reasons to reject it rather than looking at what it’s trying to accomplish.

This is exactly backward.

When I post something neutral about what I eat for lunch (nothing extreme, just whole foods) I inevitably get registered dietitians attacking my credentials and calling my information misleading. Their goal isn’t to provide better information; it’s to knock me off a pedestal or “win” an argument. And in the process, they’re confusing the people they’re supposed to be helping.

The same thing happened when I posted about natural sunlight being beneficial. A PhD attacked me for suggesting that real sunlight is better than artificial LED lighting. When I looked at his research, he was literally the one outlier…everyone else’s research agreed with me. But he was so committed to “winning” that he ignored what the evidence actually showed.

This has to stop. If you’re a health professional, your job is to help people. Not to prove a point. Not to defend your credentials. Not to win arguments on the internet. Your job is to guide people toward better health. When you’re more interested in being right than in being helpful, you’ve lost the plot.

What This Means for How You Actually Eat

Here’s the thing that matters: whether we’re talking about the old pyramid, MyPlate, or the new flipped version, there’s something that’s always been true.

Eating a diet primarily composed of unprocessed, whole, real foods (regardless of whether you’re carnivore, vegan, Mediterranean, or something else entirely) is fundamentally better for your health than eating ultra-processed foods.

This isn’t controversial. This isn’t political. This is just true.

When you eat real food the majority of the time, your body functions better. Your energy is more stable. Your hormones balance. Your weight regulates. Your inflammation decreases. Your labs improve.

Here’s how I think about it: I eat a natural, whole food diet probably 95% of the time. The other 5%? I have no idea what I’m eating. I might grab a handful of Reese’s Pieces. I might have a dessert at a restaurant. I might eat something I didn’t prepare. And that’s completely fine.

Keri uses a beautiful framework: aim to eat foods that work for YOUR body 360 days a year. Not every single day. Not perfectly. But consistently enough that it becomes your baseline. Those other five days? Life happens. You eat other things. And it doesn’t derail everything.

The goal isn’t perfection. The goal isn’t following rules. The goal is figuring out what combination of foods makes YOU feel best, supports YOUR energy, stabilizes YOUR blood sugar, and fits YOUR life.

That’s what these guidelines are actually trying to say. That’s what the flip is really about. It’s not about rules. It’s about understanding that the base of your diet should be real, whole foods, and the processed stuff should be the exception, not the rule.

The Seed Oil Controversy: Nuance Matters 

We need to talk about seed oils because this is exactly where the polarization problem gets ridiculous.

There are people saying one sip of seed oil will kill you. There are people saying seed oils are completely fine. Both extremes are wrong, and both are missing the actual point.

Here’s the reality: the way we’re consuming seed oils is problematic. We’re getting them in fried foods. We’re getting them in ultra-processed packaged products filled with other inflammatory ingredients and added sugars. We’re getting them in restaurants where they’re heated repeatedly and oxidized. That combination, highly processed seed oil in fried and processed foods, creates inflammation and isn’t great for you.

But take an organic, cold-pressed sunflower oil that you drizzle on a salad at home once in a while? That’s a completely different scenario. You might actually get some health benefits from it.

So the solution isn’t to become obsessed with whether the potato chips you’re buying are cooked in beef tallow instead of seed oil. That’s missing the forest for the trees. The solution is: stop buying ultra-processed potato chips in the first place.

At home, we use olive oil and avocado oil. They’re higher quality, easier to source in good forms, and when used at appropriate temperatures, genuinely support your health.

When we’re out at a restaurant? I’m not asking them to remake my fish with special oil. I’m eating the food and moving on. If you’re eating whole foods the majority of the time, one meal cooked in seed oil isn’t going to damage you.

This is where common sense needs to win over extremism.

GLP-1 Medications: A Tool, Not a Silver Bullet (And Not a Lifestyle)

The rise of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy has created a fascinating and concerning moment in the health conversation.

Let me be clear: for people with obesity who have struggled their entire lives despite doing everything “right,” these medications can be genuinely life-changing. I have a family member who was genetically predisposed to carrying significant weight. She ate perfectly. She worked out. And her body still fought her. A controlled dose of GLP-1 under medical supervision normalized her weight, her lab markers improved, and her life transformed. That’s a win.

For people with type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, or autoimmune conditions where inflammation is the core issue, these medications can be powerful tools when used appropriately under medical supervision.

But here’s what terrifies me: the glamorization of eating disorders through GLP-1 use on social media.

I’m seeing videos of women bragging about not eating while on these medications. “Yes, I’ve lost my hair. Yes, my skin is terrible. Yes, my nails are awful. But I’m a size six.” And people are applauding this. We’ve gone from body positivity conversations to glamorizing malnourishment and eating disorders.

This isn’t health. This is the opposite of health.

When you use a GLP-1 medication, you still have to eat. You still have to get adequate protein. You still have to nourish your body. You still have to support your bone health, your brain health, your skin health, your hair health. The medication suppresses appetite…it doesn’t mean you should ignore your body’s actual nutritional needs.

What I’m watching happen is women becoming thinner and unhealthier simultaneously. They’re at risk for osteoporosis. They’re malnourished. They’re losing hair and nails. Their skin is suffering. Their cognitive function is declining. And we’re celebrating it.

This feels eerily similar to the diet pill culture of the 1990s and early 2000s, except now it’s being glamorized on TikTok instead of whispered about in neighborhoods. The difference? Social media amplifies everything.

The pendulum has swung from “body positivity” to “let’s all get dangerously thin again,” and we’re not talking about it enough.

If you’re considering a GLP-1 medication, work with a doctor. Use it as a tool for actual health improvement. But please…eat enough. Nourish your body. The goal is to be thinner and healthier, not thinner and broken.

The Real Question: Why Is Any of This Political?

As I wrap this up, I keep coming back to the same frustration: why has nutrition become political?

When the 2025 dietary guidelines were released, people were ready with attack strategies before they even read them. Not because of the science, but because of who released them. That’s absurd.

These guidelines are the best they’ve ever been. Are they perfect? No. Can they be critiqued? Absolutely. There are legitimate points where they could be more specific or nuanced. But the reason people are attacking them isn’t because of those legitimate critiques. It’s because they’ve decided to reject anything coming from a particular administration.

Meanwhile, your health is suffering. Conflicting information is paralyzing you. And we’re all losing because nutrition has become a culture war instead of a health conversation.

I don’t care if you’re Republican or Democrat. I don’t care if you like or dislike whoever’s in office. I care that you have clear, science-based information about how to nourish your body in a way that works for YOUR life, YOUR body, and YOUR goals.

That’s what these guidelines are trying to provide. Imperfectly, but genuinely.

The Bottom Line: Stop Waiting for Perfect and Start With Real

The food pyramid has been flipped. The guidelines have evolved. The science has progressed. And yet, the fundamental truth hasn’t changed since I wrote my first book over a decade ago:

Eating primarily unprocessed, whole, nutrient-dense foods works.

Not perfectly. Not rigidly. Not without flexibility. But consistently eating real food, understanding your body’s individual needs, and making choices that support your health rather than undermine it—that works.

You don’t need the perfect diet. You don’t need to follow rules obsessively. You don’t need to achieve 100% compliance.

You need to figure out what real, whole foods make YOUR body feel energized, stable, and strong. You need to understand that consistency matters more than perfection. You need to know that eating well 360 days a year and eating whatever the other five days is a completely sustainable, realistic approach that actually works.

And you need to stop listening to people who are more interested in being right than in helping you.

The new dietary guidelines finally reflect what nutrition science has been telling us. If you’ve been confused by decades of contradictory advice, this might be the moment to take another look—not because it’s political, but because it’s finally pointing in the right direction.

Your body will thank you.

 

The contents of the Midlife Conversations podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider. Some episodes of Midlife Conversations may be sponsored by products or services discussed during the show. The host may receive compensation for such advertisements or if you purchase products through affiliate links mentioned on this podcast.

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