Dr. Ken Berry on the 2025 Dietary Guidelines
Dr. Ken Berry on the 2025 Dietary Guidelines: The Good, the Bad, and the Still Confusing
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About Dr. Ken Berry
Dr. Ken Berry is a family physician known for his straightforward, practical approach to nutrition. He focuses on metabolic health, low-carbohydrate eating, and helping everyday people cut through decades of dietary confusion.
Why the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Matter
Every few years, new dietary guidelines roll out — and they quietly shape what shows up in schools, hospitals, military meals, and government nutrition advice.
The 2025 update introduces some notable changes. According to Dr. Berry, it’s less wrong than previous versions — but still far from perfect.
Watch the Original Video
👉 Watch Dr. Ken Berry’s full breakdown of the 2025 dietary guidelines on YouTube
This article summarizes and interprets his key points so you can understand what actually changed — and what didn’t.
The Good: What Actually Improved
Dr. Berry points out several meaningful steps in the right direction:
🥩 Red meat finally leads the visual
The new food pyramid is inverted, and when read top to bottom, left to right, red meat appears first. Meat, eggs, and dairy are visually prioritized — a major departure from past guidelines.
🧈 Fat is no longer demonized
Butter and visible fat appear directly in the pyramid. Saturated fat is no longer treated as something to hide or fear in the imagery.
🚫 Ultra-processed food disappears
Highly processed foods are no longer subtly implied as acceptable. Their absence alone represents progress.
The Bad: Where Confusion Still Creeps In
Despite improvements, some design choices still send mixed signals:
🌾 Grains are still present
Although minimized and separated visually, grains remain included. If someone casually glances at the pyramid instead of reading it carefully, they could still assume grains are essential.
🥗 Plant-heavy misinterpretation
If viewed from the center outward (instead of top-down), the pyramid may still give the impression that plants should dominate the diet — which Dr. Berry strongly disagrees with.
The Ugly: What Was Left Out
This is where Dr. Berry becomes most critical.
📉 Metabolic disease is barely mentioned
Roughly 88% of American adults show at least one marker of metabolic dysfunction — yet the guidelines are written as if most people are healthy.
💉 No mention of insulin
Fasting insulin and metabolic markers are ignored, while LDL cholesterol continues to be emphasized — despite strong evidence that insulin resistance poses far greater cardiovascular risk.
🧈 The 10% saturated fat cap remains
Even though fat is visually accepted, the written guidelines still enforce a 10% daily calorie limit from saturated fat. This makes it nearly impossible to follow the pyramid honestly while staying within the rules.
What This Means for Carnivores
Dr. Berry’s takeaway is cautious but realistic:
The guidelines are less harmful than before
They quietly acknowledge meat and fat
But they still avoid addressing the root causes of chronic disease
If someone follows the pyramid correctly — prioritizing meat and minimizing grains — Dr. Berry believes it could significantly improve metabolic health for millions of people.
Books by Dr. Ken Berry Worth Reading
These titles expand on the principles he discusses:
Lies My Doctor Told Me
Kicking Ass After 50
Common Sense Labs
Related Reads on Vegans Are Delicious
🐄 Patty Prime’s Take 🥩
The 2025 guidelines quietly admit what carnivores have known for years — meat matters. They just aren’t brave enough yet to say it out loud.-Patty Prime
