The newly released 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) represent a much-needed shift toward a more evidence-based, real-food approach to health. For the first time, the Guidelines acknowledge the role of lower-carbohydrate diets in improving chronic disease, offering hope to millions of Americans struggling with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and related conditions.
This is a step in the right direction, and one that sets the U.S. apart from many other countries. While the majority of dietary guidelines in Europe and elsewhere continue to promote low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets centered around grains and legumes, the U.S. Guidelines now give Americans more flexibility to choose eating patterns that align with their nutritional needs, underlying health conditions, and long-term wellness.
As a company committed to empowering people through education, tools, and data, Keto-Mojo strongly supports the DGA’s shift toward whole, nutrient-dense foods, higher protein intake, and low-carb dietary options for individuals with chronic health conditions.
However, some important gaps remain, and additional steps must be taken to help more Americans access, afford, and sustain these beneficial changes.
A Meaningful Step Toward Metabolic Health
The Guidelines clearly reflect a broader recognition of how dietary patterns influence chronic disease risk. Several key updates stand out:
- For the first time, low-carbohydrate diets are acknowledged as an option for individuals with certain chronic diseases.
- Whole, minimally processed foods are prioritized over refined grains, added sugars, and ultra-processed packaged items.
- Protein intake is elevated in importance, especially for older adults and those with metabolic risk, to support muscle mass, physical function, and satiety.
- Dietary fats are reframed as an important component of a healthy eating pattern, with whole-food sources such as eggs, full-fat dairy, and traditional fats like butter and beef tallow included as appropriate choices.
These changes reflect growing alignment with both clinical evidence and lived experience, particularly among those who have used carbohydrate restriction to improve or reverse type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, PCOS, and other chronic conditions.
They also validate what Keto-Mojo and our community have championed for years: a well-formulated ketogenic or low-carb diet can be nutritious, effective, and empowering.
How the Guidelines Still Miss the Mark on Saturated Fat
Despite these important improvements, the Guidelines continue to include outdated recommendations in some areas, particularly with regard to saturated fat.
Multiple large-scale reviews and randomized controlled trials have failed to demonstrate a consistent link between saturated fat intake and heart disease, particularly when it’s consumed as part of a whole-food diet that limits refined carbohydrates and ultra-processed fats.
However, the DGA continue to recommend capping saturated fat intake at less than 10% of daily calories, a limit that directly contradicts their own advice to include full-fat dairy, unprocessed red meat, and eggs. This 10% cap creates confusion and sets an unrealistic target for those following a real-food, protein-rich, lower-carbohydrate diet. Moreover, it may undermine metabolic health if it leads people to avoid nutritious foods that are rich in saturated fat.
In fact, when carbs are restricted, liberal intake of natural saturated fats can be part of a metabolically beneficial eating pattern that supports improved lipid profiles, insulin sensitivity, and overall cardiometabolic health. One study found that increasing saturated fat intake within a low-carbohydrate weight-loss diet further improved lipid markers, highlighting the importance of dietary context when evaluating saturated fat’s impact. On the other hand, for individuals with existing cardiovascular disease, saturated fat intake may need to be adjusted based on individual factors and should ideally be discussed with a knowledgeable healthcare provider.
Although limits on saturated fat may be appropriate in certain cases, we reject an across-the-board saturated fat cap of less than 10% of daily calories. This recommendation is not supported by the totality of current evidence and may do more harm than good for many people seeking to improve their metabolic health with whole, nutrient-dense foods.
Supporting Americans in Making the Shift
Updating the DGA is an important step, but we believe that true progress will only come when individuals and families are supported in implementing them. A more inclusive and practical path forward requires:
- Policy changes that prioritize real, whole foods – including meat, eggs, full-fat dairy, non-starchy vegetables, and healthy fats – in schools, hospitals, food banks, and federal assistance programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children).
- Education and support for healthcare providers to confidently recommend therapeutic low-carbohydrate and ketogenic interventions where appropriate, along with tools for tracking outcomes and personalizing care.
- Investing in regenerative agriculture, re-evaluating the safety of commonly used pesticides, and supporting small farms that emphasize animal welfare, meat quality, and sustainability, while redirecting subsidies away from grain monocultures and helping people understand the connection between food production and health.
- Increased access and affordability of whole foods in underserved communities, including subsidies or incentives to make fresh meat, produce, and low-carb staples more attainable than processed convenience foods.
- Wider insurance coverage for nutrition consultations, metabolic testing, and biomarker home monitoring to empower individuals with the tools and data needed to manage their health through dietary change.
Looking Ahead
At Keto-Mojo, we remain committed to supporting a food-first, data-informed approach to metabolic health. We believe that personalized ketogenic and low-carbohydrate lifestyles can offer an effective, affordable, and sustainable solution for millions of Americans.
We applaud the DGA’s progress in aligning with modern science and lived experience. Now, we call on policymakers, healthcare leaders, and community organizations to turn these Guidelines into meaningful action, ensuring that all Americans have the opportunity to choose real food, improve their health, and take control of their future.
