The New US Dietary Guidelines Are Finally Catching Up

For a long time, many people have shared a similar frustration. They’ve built a consistent fasting practice. They’re thoughtful about food. They’re not overeating. And yet, something still feels off. Energy dips more than expected. Hunger feels louder than it should. Progress feels harder to sustain than the effort seems to warrant.

If that sounds familiar, the newly released Dietary Guidelines may feel surprisingly validating.

Last week (coincidentally, just as we were launching the new Zero Plus), the U.S. government released updated Dietary Guidelines, including a significant change to the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein. The new recommendation increased from 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (0.36 g/lb) per day to 1.2–1.6 grams per kilogram (0.5–0.7 g/lb) per day.

On paper, this might look like a technical update. In reality, it reflects a broader shift in how nutrition guidance defines “enough.” As we’ve stated before, the previous RDA for protein was designed to simply prevent deficiency — not to support metabolic health, preserve muscle, or help people manage their appetite. Over time, that minimum amount quietly became the default recommendation.

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