New Dietary Guidelines Put Protein in the Spotlight, Creating Opportunities for Beef

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Dr. Shalene McNeill, executive director of Nutrition Science, Health and Wellness for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, which works with the Beef Checkoff. McNeill has been examining the 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and what their increased emphasis on protein could mean for beef producers and consumers.

The 2025 Dietary Guidelines brought significant changes to protein recommendations, putting the nutrient at the center of the conversation about healthy eating. McNeill said the updated guidance represents a historic shift in how much protein Americans are encouraged to consume. “Those changes that we saw in the 2025 dietary guidelines were historic changes for recommendations for protein,” McNeill said.

She explained that traditional recommendations have generally called for 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, while the new guidelines increased that recommendation to 1.2 grams per kilogram. “So really, effectively, what that means for beef is almost doubling the beef servings as well that could be recommended,” McNeill said.

The updated recommendations have sparked debate within the nutrition science community about whether the increased emphasis on protein is appropriate and how it fits into the broader picture of a healthy diet.

Through its nutrition research program, the Beef Checkoff has been working to bring researchers together to examine the evidence behind higher-protein diets.

McNeill said the organization recently gathered 100 of the world’s leading protein researchers at Texas A&M University for three days of discussions focused on the potential health benefits of higher-protein diets. “I think the goal of that is, and what we’re seeing is, is that there’s a lot of agreement that the dietary guidelines recommendations are probably reflective of what the current science says,” McNeill said.

She added that continued research is important to ensure future dietary guidelines reflect the available evidence and recognize the potential benefits of increasing protein intake.

As protein becomes one of the biggest trends in nutrition, McNeill said food companies are finding new ways to incorporate it into products, including foods that traditionally have not been considered major sources of nutrition. “Protein is the hottest nutrition trend right now,” McNeill said.

She noted that protein is increasingly being added to processed foods, including chips and Pop-Tarts, as manufacturers look to appeal to consumers seeking more protein in their diets.

With protein appearing in a growing number of products, McNeill believes consumers and researchers will need to look beyond the amount of protein listed on a label and consider the overall nutritional value of the food. “I think it’s starting to change the way the protein trend is starting to change the nutrition conversation,” McNeill said.

She said the Beef Checkoff is paying attention to whether adding protein to a wide variety of products provides the same value as choosing naturally nutrient-rich foods. “I believe that’s going to create more opportunities for us as we begin to question whether or not just adding more protein to all of these other foods is really valuable, or do we really need to focus back on natural whole food, real quality sources of protein like beef,” McNeill said.

McNeill emphasized that beef provides high-quality, complete protein containing the essential amino acids the body needs. However, she said its nutritional benefits extend beyond protein itself. “Beef is a fantastic source of protein. It’s a natural source of high-quality protein,” McNeill said.

Beef also provides important nutrients, including iron, zinc and B vitamins, making it a nutrient-dense food source.

McNeill said researchers are increasingly examining how the combination of nutrients in whole foods contributes to health benefits, rather than looking at protein in isolation.

“It’s not just the pure protein that we’re getting out of beef, but it’s the package or what we’re calling the food matrix, all of the other nutrients that work together with protein to help give you the benefits,” McNeill said. Those benefits include supporting muscle protein synthesis and metabolic health, she explained.

The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

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