
Show Notes
The 2025 US Dietary Guidelines are out, and they’ve sparked debate across the nutrition world. In this episode, I sit down with Dr David Katz to examine where the new recommendations align with science and where they diverge from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s evidence review.
We discuss the increased emphasis on meat and protein, contradictions around saturated fat and full-fat dairy, the controversy around seed oils, and what everyday people should actually focus on.
What We Cover
Why David believes science was subordinated to ideology
The protein recommendation: do most Americans need more?
Meat versus legumes for long-term health
Saturated fat limits and whether the guidelines contradict themselves
Full-fat dairy: beneficial, neutral, or harmful?
Seed oils, essential fats, and common misconceptions
The role of fibre and what gets displaced when protein increases
The simple dietary pattern most associated with longevity
Despite the noise, one principle remains consistent: eat real food, mostly plants, in balanced combinations. The fundamentals of good nutrition have not changed.
You can connect with Dr David Katz on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X (Twitter). To learn more about his work, visit davidkatzmd.com, explore Diet ID, and discover the True Health Initiative.
Intro (00:00)
Initial Reactions to the New Dietary Guidelines (01:36)
Political Influences on Dietary Guidelines (08:54)
Specific Departures from Evidence-Based Recommendations (18:58)
Historical Context and Modern Diet Quality (33:55)
Protein Quality and Public Health (41:10)
Regenerative Agriculture and Legumes (46:29)
Understanding Fats in Our Diet (50:10)
Contradictions in Dietary Guidelines (01:01:22)
Dairy Consumption: Pros and Cons (01:10:20)
Personalizing Your Diet for Optimal Health (01:19:25)
This episode is brought to you by:
38TERA
Consider 38TERA's DMN prebiotic supplement a daily multivitamin for your gut. Formulated by yours truly and gastroenterologist Dr Will Bulsiewicz. Use code THEPROOF for a discount at checkout.
38Tera ships to the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
ProLon
Join my Guided Group Fasting Protocol starting March 9th using ProLon’s 5-Day Fasting Mimicking Diet, a science-backed program designed to support metabolic health while still allowing you to eat. Reserve your spot and claim 15% off at ProLonLife.com.
ProLon ships within the United States.
Mill
Mill is an odourless, fully automated food recycler that turns kitchen scraps into clean, dry grounds overnight with no smells or mess. Get $75 off and try it risk-free for 90 days at mill.com/THEPROOF using code THEPROOF.
Mill ships within the United States.
Momentous My go-to supplement brand for protein and creatine is Momentous. Use code THEPROOF for up to 35% off your first order at http://livemomentous.com.
Momentous ships to many countries worldwide depending on local import regulations.
Eight Sleep
Upgrade your sleep with the Pod 5 Ultra by Eight Sleep. Clinically validated to deliver up to 1 extra hour of quality sleep per night through temperature control and biometric tracking. Use code THEPROOF for $350 off at http://eightsleep.com/theproof. Try it risk-free for 30 days, with worldwide shipping.
Eight Sleep ships to the U.S. (excluding Alaska, Hawaii, and territories), Canada, Mexico, most of the EU, the U.K., Australia, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland.
Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons)
Creator of theproof.com
Host of The Proof with Simon Hill
Author of The Proof is in the Plants
Subscribe & Connect:
YouTube
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Instagram: @simonhill
Twitter: @theproof
Facebook: The Proof with Simon Hill
More from The Proof with Simon Hill
Practising registered dietitian and senior research fellow at the University of Oxford, Dr Nicola Guess, returns to the show to discuss a new study whose findings were interpreted in quite different ways the week it came out. Dr Samuel Klein’s group at Washington University assigned people with prediabetes to one of three diets, carefully controlled their weight loss, and found that the arm labelled ketogenic reduced liver fat by 67%.
This is Christopher Gardner's eighth appearance on the show. Christopher is a nutrition scientist at Stanford, director of the Stanford Nutrition Studies Research Group, and the author of a new book, Food Sense: What to Eat and Why. He has run more than 20 human diet trials over three decades.
A few weeks ago I published my own heart scans, and one number travelled further than the rest: a 48% drop in plaque over 16 and a half months. The question underneath that video was the obvious one. How? This episode is the answer, and it is also the part I could easily have left out.
Howard Luks is an orthopaedic surgeon with almost 30 years of experience, and a good deal of his week is spent telling people they do not need an operation. We work through the joints that bring most people into a clinic, knees, shoulders, Achilles tendons and ankles, and separate what a scan is actually telling you from what it is being used to justify.
This is part two of my conversation with Dr Federica Amati, Head Nutritionist at ZOE and author of the Sunday Times bestseller Every Body Should Know This. In part one we covered preconception, fertility, and pregnancy nutrition. Here we follow the first 1,000 days through to the end: birth, breastfeeding, weaning, and the environmental exposures behind all of it.