A 30-second Super Bowl ad featuring boxing legend Mike Tyson and paid for by the nonprofit MAHA Center encourages viewers to avoid processed foods and visit realfood.gov. The government website of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr promotionprovides recent administrative resources dietary guidelinesreleased in January and encourages people to employ Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok to “get real answers about real food.”
I decided to check how Grok’s advice lines up with the administration’s recommendations, especially regarding protein intake. The recent guidelines say you should eat 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day – more than previously recommended – while the recent inverted food pyramid is dominated by steaks and other animal products.
“We are ending the war on protein,” says the Realfood.gov website, repeating similar declarations by Kennedy.
Most Americans already consume enough protein – and Grok agrees. In fact, the administration is doing the sameScience Foundation for Dietary Guidelines for Americans“, linked to on Realfood.gov. It says that U.S. adults consume on average about one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, or about 15 percent of total energy – which is the midpoint of the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (ADMR) – “suggesting that deficiency is sporadic.”
After being prompted on the website to ask the AI for advice, I initially asked Grok how much protein I should consume based on my age, height and weight. (It should be noted that Grok often does not respond to questions, instead citing high demand and encouraging users to create an account.) The recommended dose is 0.8 grams per kilogram per day – the long-standing Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) developed by the National Institute of Medicine. When I refined my question by saying that I strength exercise for 30 minutes four days a week, Grok’s answer was more in line with the administration’s new guidelines.
The recommendation of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram per day is the minimum amount needed to prevent protein deficiency in the sedentary lifestyle that characterizes much of the American population. Dietitians I spoke to agree that the new recommendations are more appropriate for people who exercise regularly.
“I think the administration is trying to reach people with unhealthy metabolisms who may need a little more protein to feel full and satisfied in order to build muscle. But that nuance is lost in their single message,” says Lindsay Malone, a clinical dietitian at Case Western Reserve University. “Then you go to this AI tool and it’s almost too much information for the average person.”
While eating more protein can make you feel fuller so you can avoid snacking, he says, simply eating more protein doesn’t build muscle, which is built primarily through resistance or strength training.
Michelle King Rimer, clinical assistant professor of nutritional sciences at the Zilber College of Public Health at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, says eating too much of any macronutrient – proteins, fats and carbohydrates – can lead to weight gain. “Eating excess protein can still be converted to fat, which can lead to weight gain,” he says.
The administration’s announcement also said people should “prioritize protein in every meal” and serve a mix of animal and plant-based proteins. Last week, Kennedy spoke about the “importance of meat protein” at the nation’s largest cattle show, declaring that “beef is back on the menu,” according to HHS Statement.
When I asked Grok which sources of protein were the healthiest, he mentioned plant proteins, fish and seafood, lean poultry and eggs. The chatbot said to limit or minimize your consumption of red meat and processed meats. This all reflects advice from major health organizations such as American Heart Association and growing evidence that eating plant proteins and fish is associated with better health outcomes than a diet high in red meat.