There are nine steps heart experts say you should follow to stave off life-threatening disease – and several contradict Health Sec. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s new “MAHA” dietary guidance.
While the Trump administration’s January guidelines promote eating animal meat and full-fat dairy products, new guidance released by the American Heart Association calls for more plant-based protein sources.
And despite Kennedy’s pledge to end what he claimed was a “war” on protein and saturated fats, the AHA says people should still choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products and replaced saturated fats with sources of unsaturated fats, such as nuts, avocados and seeds.
The new guidance is aimed at lowering Americans’ risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic health conditions, the AHA, which is supported by 30,000 scientific, medical and healthcare professionals, said.
More than half of American adults have some type of cardiovascular disease, and the condition is responsible for 900,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.
That’s why people should start following a heart-healthy diet at age 1, the AHA’s guidance says.
“Cardiovascular disease begins early in life; even prenatal factors can contribute to increased risk in children as they grow. So, it’s important that healthy eating patterns are adopted in childhood and continue throughout the entire lifespan,” Alice Lichtenstein, a senior scientist at Tufts University’s Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center, explained in a statement.
“The best way to do that is for adults to role model heart healthy eating patterns inside and outside the home.”
Over half of U.S. adults and 60 percent of children have unhealthy diets, that contribute to the country’s high rates of obesity and other diseases.
What else?
Beyond focusing on plant protein sources and choosing unsaturated fats and non-fat dairy, what other steps do heart doctors want Americans to prioritize?
Well, people should limit how much they eat, balancing calories with how active they are in their life, the AHA advises.
The guidance does not include specific recommended daily amounts for any of the foods they say to rely on, with the exception of what percentage of saturated fats to consume.
People should help to keep saturated fat to 10 percent or less of their total daily calories, the AHA says. That’s updated from 6 percent earlier this year.
The guidance also says that people should consume meals with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables – even if they’re canned.
“Include different colors, textures and types of produce, and remember, even canned and frozen can be nutritious and affordable,” they say.
People should also eat foods made with whole grains, such as whole wheat bread or brown rice. Refined grains are lower in gut healthy fiber and key vitamins and minerals.
And minimizing any foods that are extremely salty or sugary are also crucial, the AHA says. These foods can raise blood pressure, leaving you at risk for cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke.
Lastly, people should make sure to avoid or limit the intake of alcohol and ultraprocessed foods, the AHA notes.
Both have been linked to a higher risk of cancer – although the Trump administration has removed that association from its guidance.
“You want to strive for progress rather than perfection,” noted Lichtenstein. “Every time you choose to make a swap for a healthier alternative, you’re making a step toward a healthier life.”
MAHA’s ties to meat and dairy industries
Previous AHA guidance, released in 2021, isn’t that different from this year’s release, instructing people to keep a healthy weight, eat plant protein sources, low-fat dairy and fewer saturated fats.
A report from the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee – which included two of the new AHA guidance’s authors – also recommended that Americans eat less red meat.
“Evidence indicates that when reducing butter, processed and unprocessed red meat, and dairy, substitution or replacement with a wide range of plant-based food sources, including plant-based protein foods (e.g., beans, peas, and lentils), whole grains, vegetables, or monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA)- and PUFA-rich vegetable oils and spreads, is associated with cardiovascular disease risk reduction,” the authors wrote.
The Trump administration previously said that updated dietary guidelines would have “improvements to ensure transparency and minimize conflicts of interest.”
But the new guidance was informed by people with ties to the meat and dairy industries.
This isn’t the first time experts and physicians have broken with Trump health leaders in the last year and a half.
The American Academy of Pediatrics released its own child vaccine schedule in February after the Trump administration dropped shots from its schedule.