What Do the New Dietary Guidelines Mean for Cancer and Cancer Risk?
There’s been a lot of debate and confusion over the latest dietary guidelines. Let’s talk about what these updated guidelines mean specifically for cancer thrivers, survivors, and those of us at high risk for it.
What the New Guidelines Got Right
For the most part, the guidelines (the written ones, at least) are not new, and the old ones weren’t wrong.
Overall, I was encouraged to see the new written guidelines continue to emphasize eating whole foods. This includes eating an abundance of fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and beans (including soy), while limiting ultraprocessed foods, added sugars, excess sodium, and saturated fat.
I especially appreciated the shout-out to frozen and canned produce. When you’re undergoing chemotherapy, recovering from surgery, or navigating treatment-related fatigue, accessibility and convenience matters. Frozen and canned fruits and veggies are nutrient dense, affordable, and easy to use when energy is low.
The Disconnect: The Visual Food Pyramid
Here is one important detail that deserves everyone’s close attention: The flipped food pyramid does not fully reflect what is written in the guidelines.
And the reality is that most people will not read the written guidelines.
The written guidelines, however, remain unchanged, recommending that saturated fat be kept below 10 percent of your total daily calories, roughly less than 20 g a day for adults — and for good reason. People easily exceed this daily limit eating the Standard American Diet with just a few common foods. For example, 1 tablespoon of butter, one beef burger, and one slice of cheese can easily add up to roughly 16 to 18 g of saturated fat.
Simply put, the visual pyramid is misleading. I love visual graphics to simplify complex topics, but in this case, it doesn’t represent the detailed nuances and evidence provided in the written guidelines. For cancer thrivers, survivors, and previvors, these details matter.
The Bad: Just “Drink Less” Alcohol
One major area of disappointment was the removal of a clear daily alcohol limit. This was replaced with a vague suggestion to “drink less.”
It is best not to drink at all. If you are going to have an occasional drink, I recommend following the ACS guidance of no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men (one drink = 12 ounces (oz) beer, 5 oz wine, or 1.6 oz spirits). Read my blog on how I celebrate and have fun without alcohol as a previvor.
Four Foundational Dietary Principles for Long-Term Health
I follow a plant-based vegan lifestyle, guided both by science and lived experience as a BRCA1 previvor navigating premature menopause and cancer risk while raising two kids who may or may not have this mutation.
From my perspective as a lifestyle medicine physician and Canadian, I want to give a shout-out to the evidence-based Canadian Food Guide. Similar to the previous MyPlate, it’s practical, clear, and grounded in science. Here are four foundational principles that support cancer risk reduction while optimizing health span and longevity:
- Aim to eat at least 5 to 7 servings of fruits and veggies daily, including fresh, frozen, or canned.
- Swap refined grains for whole grains like quinoa, farro, brown rice, or steel-cut oats.
- Build meals around plant proteins first, like beans, lentils, soy, nuts, and seeds, then add in lean animal proteins in smaller amounts.
- Minimize ultraprocessed foods, red and processed meats, and alcohol as much as possible.
I don’t believe everyone needs to be vegan. But I do believe most of us are eating far fewer whole plant foods than what our bodies would thrive on. Cancer risk reduction and survivorship are not about perfection; they are about patterns. What you do eat most of the time matters far more than what you eat occasionally.
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Michael Pollan captured in seven words what decades of nutrition science continues to support today.
Important: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not Everyday Health.
- Shu XO et al. Soy Food Intake and Breast Cancer Survival. JAMA. December 9, 2009.
- Rock CL et al. American Cancer Society Nutrition and Physical Activity Guideline for Cancer Survivors. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. March 16, 2022.
- Kim Y et al. Association between dietary fat intake and mortality from all-causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Clinical Nutrition. March 2021.
- Ungvari Z et al. Association between red and processed meat consumption and colorectal cancer risk: a comprehensive meta-analysis of prospective studies. GeroScience. April 10, 2025.
- Naghshi S et al. Dietary intake of total, animal, and plant proteins and risk of all cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. BMJ. July 22, 2020.
- Budhathoki S et al. Association of Animal and Plant Protein Intake With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality in a Japanese Cohort. JAMA Internal Medicine. August 26, 2019.
- Jun S et al. Cancer risk based on alcohol consumption levels: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. Epidemiology and Health. October 16, 2023.
Jennifer Frediani, PhD, RD
Medical Reviewer
Jennifer K. Frediani, PhD, RD, ACSM-CES, is a nutrition scientist, exercise physiologist, and registered dietitian with over two decades of experience in clinical research, educati...
