If you’ve felt confused, frustrated, or even skeptical about nutrition advice over the years…you’re not alone.

The New Dietary Guidelines Are In and They Confirm What I’ve Been Teaching All Along

Every few years, new dietary guidelines from the FDA are released. Headlines change. Experts argue. Social media explodes with hot takes. And most people are left wondering: “What am I actually supposed to eat?" or worse, blindly following the advice and head into an unhealthy state of living.

This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released updated dietary guidelines and instead of just repeating the same old thing they did something surprising: They moved closer to what we've been teaching inside 100 Days of 1% and the PFC3 approach for years.

Let’s break down what the new guidelines say, and more importantly, what they mean for people trying to live well in real life.

The Big Picture: Americans Are Not Healthy, and It’s Not from a Lack of Willpower

One of the most sobering parts of the new guidelines isn’t just about food. It’s about health. Finally!

The data paints a clear picture:

• Chronic disease rates continue to rise

• Metabolic dysfunction is now common, not rare

• Fatigue, inflammation, blood sugar issues, and autoimmune conditions are affecting millions

This isn’t happening because people don’t care. It’s happening because our public food environment and advice have been broken for a long time.

And that’s where these updated guidelines start telling a different story than we've heard before.

What the New Guidelines Emphasize
(And Why That Matters)

Here’s the short version of what’s changed and why it’s important.

1. A Stronger Focus on Whole, Minimally Processed Foods

This is HUGE.

The guidelines clearly name ultra-processed foods as a major contributor to poor health. That includes foods high in added sugars, refined oils, and artificial ingredients...the stuff most of us were told was “fine in moderation.”

Inside PFC3, we’ve always prioritized real food first; not perfection, not restriction, just foods your body can recognize and use. I like to say, the closer food is to the way it's grown, the better it is for you.

This shift matters because it validates something many of my clients learn in their first month of the 100 days of 1%:

When we eat real food, we feel better.

2. Protein Is No Longer an Afterthought

For years, protein was treated like an optional add-on. In these guidelines, they've basically flipped the traditional food pyramid on it's head, and finally recognize that eating enough protein is foundational to our health. Protein is where we get the amino acids our bodies need to live.

Adequate protein supports:

• Blood sugar stability

• Muscle preservation (especially as we age)

• Satiety and energy

• Hormonal health

This aligns directly with the P in PFC3, and it’s especially important for women, people with autoimmune conditions, and anyone struggling with fatigue or cravings. When you eat enough protein (but not too much at one sitting), your body has what it needs for your metabolic function readily available.

3. Less Sugar. Fewer Refined Carbs. Fewer Mixed Messages.

The updated guidelines are much more clear about reducing added sugars and refined carbohydrates (read processed chemicals "foods"). This is important because the guidelines are finally admitting that highly processed foods aren't that great for you.

Blood sugar and insulin sensitivity matters because they are the root of your metabolic function. Sugar and refined carbs cause metabolic issues, which stresses your body's systems. And when those systems are stressed, being healthy is hard.

That’s why PFC3 balances protein, fats, and carbs intentionally — not to eliminate carbs, but to use them wisely.

The carbs we incorporate are the ones we need for brain and metabolic health - fibrous, whole-food carbs like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Not a ton at each meal, but just enough. Just like the new food pyramid recommends.

In short, these guidelines have flipped the script, (and literally the long-accepted food pyramid) and it's a good thing!

Here's the new food pyramid, and it aligns exactly with the PFC3 way of life.

What the Guidelines Don’t Tell You
(And Why You Still Need a Framework)

Here’s the part no headline will tell you: Guidelines are population-level advice. Healing and application happens at the individual level. You still need to know how to create a healthy life, and do the things that get you there.

These guidelines don’t tell you:

• How to adjust when you’re exhausted

• What to do during an autoimmune flare

• How to eat when stress is high or sleep is low

• How to rebuild trust with your body after years of dieting

• How to eat at a restaurant or on vacation

• Or how to balance your meals in a way that optimizes your metabolism.

That’s where frameworks matter.

Inside the 100 Days of 1%, we've created the framework to help you understand how to fuel well, giving your body the food it needs (the Proteins, Healthy Fats, and Fibrous Carbs (that's the PFC), within the optimal timing (that's the 3) .

But more than that (because anyone can tell you what to eat), we help you make healthy living your lifestyle. Because health is about more than food. It's about how you manage stress, the habits you stick with, how you sleep, what you think about yourself and your choices, and so much more.

We build healthy living awareness across six Spinning Plates of health and longevity because nutrition doesn't live in a vacuum. When you learn to balance these, and pay attention to them on a regular basis, you can create overall health.

Those six spinning plates are:

• Nutrition

• Hydration

• Sleep

• Movement

• Stress management

• Supplements

Why This Moment Matters More Than Ever

These new dietary guidelines are a turning point not because they’re revolutionary, but because they’re finally realistic.

They acknowledge what we've been teaching at PFC3 for a long time:

• Real food works

• Consistency matters more than intensity

• Health is cumulative, not instant

• If you don't pay attention to your health, you'll end up with disease

If you’ve ever felt like: “I should know how to do this by now but nothing sticks,” That’s not a failure. That’s a sign you were missing structure and support. And that's what the 100 Days of 1% can give you.

The Bottom Line

Here's how to integrate these very important, healthy nutrition guidelines into a healthy life.

What you need is:

• A way to apply good information consistently

• A framework that adapts to real life

• Support while you learn what your body needs

That’s what PFC3 and 100 Days of 1% was built to do. And we have been doing that for a long time before the headlines caught up.

Coach Alane

Want help translating the guidelines into your real life? Join my next 100 Days of 1% group, or better yet, let's have a free Metabolic Balance call together so you can see how these dietary guidelines can help you create a healthy lifestyle you can stick with!

Schedule your free call here - no obligation!

Let's talk soon!