Allison Aubrey

I think what's been confusing over the last several months is that Health Secretary Kennedy has repeatedly talked about his preferences, you know, things like beef tallow and red meat on his birthday.

There was a social media post showing him

smiling with birthday candles in a steak, not cake.

Now, steak is a very good source of protein, but there's a lot of criticism that nutrition policy has been politicized.

And Dr. Alice Lichtenstein, a nutrition expert at Tufts University who helped write these new guidelines from the American Heart Association, says the emphasis on meat is not backed by science.

You know, Aisha, I would say you should trust the science.

There's actually a lot of convergence when researchers look at the pattern of eating that's linked to good health and lower rates of heart disease.

A clear pattern emerges.

So more fruits and vegetables, more plant proteins, more healthy fats.

This doesn't mean sort of an all or nothing approach when it comes to meat.

And Dr. Lichtenstein says the process for making these new guidelines was to dispense with politics and stick to the evidence.

Well, I would say there's always room for differences of opinion.

And, you know, nutrition science does evolve over time.

And here's another point I want to make.

Despite these differences, there is a lot of agreement on many of the key recommendations, such as minimizing ultra-processed foods full of too much salt and sugar.

You know, everyone supports this, from the Make America Healthy Again folks to the scientists behind these new Heart Association guidelines.

So remember, Aisha, heart disease is the number one cause of death for both men and women in the U.S.

And when I spoke to Dr. Lawrence Apple of Johns Hopkins—he's another co-author of these guidelines—

He says that is why diet is such an important factor to consider.

And he says the sooner in life that you start, the better.