AMA 03 - New Food Guide Pyramid, Calories, Seed Oils, Hypertrophy and More

11 snips

Jan 19, 2026

This episode dives into the updated food guide pyramid, advocating for higher protein intake, while addressing inconsistencies in fat and alcohol guidelines. Discover practical tips for losing weight without the hassle of obsessive tracking. Layne debunks popular myths around seed oils and cholesterol, presenting solid evidence against misconceptions. It also explores the importance of strength training for longevity and how to balance calorie consumption with nutrient quality for optimal health.

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INSIGHT

Higher Protein Is Evidence-Based

The new food guide pyramid raising protein to 1.2–1.6 g/kg aligns with evidence supporting higher protein for lean mass and satiety.
Layne Norton believes the new pyramid is mostly fine and won’t fundamentally change public health by itself.

ADVICE

Pick One Sustainable Restriction

Choose a restriction method (macros, time, or tracking) that fits your life and stick with it to create a calorie deficit.
If tracking feels heavy, focus only on hitting protein and overall calories and treat carbs/fat as interchangeable.

ADVICE

Simplify Tracking With Apps

Use smartphone apps (barcode scan) to simplify tracking and reduce time spent logging food.
If macro tracking overwhelms you, track just calories and protein to simplify progress.

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In this wide-ranging Q&A episode, I tackle some of the most debated topics in nutrition, training, and health — and separate what the evidence actually shows from what’s just noise.

We start with the new food guide pyramid and whether it reflects the current science, then zoom out to look at how the U.S. compares globally in calorie consumption. From there, we dig into protein intake — how much is really needed to support muscle mass and function in healthy adults, and what the best human data actually tells us.

I spend a significant portion of the episode unpacking saturated fat, cardiovascular disease, and cholesterol. We walk through randomized trials, systematic reviews, Mendelian randomization data, and mechanistic evidence to explain why LDL and apolipoprotein B matter, how dietary fats influence cardiovascular risk, and why some popular narratives around butter, seed oils, and lipid oxidation don’t hold up when you zoom out to the totality of human evidence.

I also answer practical questions on fat loss for people who feel burned out by calorie counting — what to do if tracking feels like a full-time job, where the most reliable calorie data actually comes from, and how to approach weight loss without falling into metabolic myths around insulin, glucose spikes, or arbitrary blood sugar cutoffs.

On the training side, we talk about whether the general public should prioritize strength or hypertrophy, what the data says about strength as a predictor of longevity, machines versus free weights, optimal rep ranges for muscle growth, and why different loading schemes can all work when programmed correctly.

I address common myths like creatine and hair loss, explain the biomechanics behind sumo versus conventional deadlifts (and why resetting between reps isn’t “cheating”), and share how I personally eat for health while still applying the same evidence-based principles I recommend to others.

We wrap up with genetics and obesity — how much your genes matter, whether specific variants should change how you eat, and why most people don’t need genetically tailored macro ratios to make progress.

If you’re tired of oversimplified takes, fear-based nutrition advice, and cherry-picked mechanisms, this episode is a deep dive into what the best human research actually says — and how to apply it in the real world.

SPONSORS

• Team Biolayne – One-On-One Coaching: https://biolayne.com/online-coaching

• David Protein - Buy 4 cartons, get 1 FREE at: https://davidprotein.com/pages/layne

LAYNE'S COMPANIES

Carbon Diet Coach: https://joincarbon.com/podcast

Outwork Nutrition: https://outworknutrition.com

REPS Research Review: https://biolayne.com/reps

Workout Builder: https://biolayne.com/workout-builder

Team Biolayne: https://biolayne.com/online-coaching

Physique Coaching Academy: https://physiquecoachingacademy.com

FOLLOW LAYNE

http://www.facebook.com/laynenorton