The report, from an advisory committee to the USDA, also suggests encouraging people to reduce their intake of sugary drinks and sodium and eat more whole grains.

Eat more beans, peas and lentils as protein sources and decrease consumption of processed and red meat — those changes are among the recommendations detailed in a new report suggesting potential updates to U.S. dietary guidelines.

The guidelines are changed on a five-year schedule, and the new set is expected to go into effect next year. The report, released Tuesday, comes from an advisory committee to the Agriculture Department, made up of 20 professors in the public health and medical sectors.

The committee proposed that the updated guidelines, which would remain in effect into 2030, should emphasize plant-based proteins and encourage people to eat more whole grains and decrease their intake of sugary drinks, sodium and processed foods.

“There’s strong evidence to suggest that a dietary pattern that is high in beans, peas and lentils is associated with lower chronic disease risk,” said the advisory committee’s vice chair, Angela Odoms-Young, a professor of maternal and child nutrition at Cornell University.

Under the current dietary guidelines, beans, peas and lentils are categorized as both vegetables and protein foods. But the new report proposes removing them from the vegetable group and putting them at the top of the list of protein foods to encourage people to eat more plant-based protein.

The suggestions are based on a review of published studies on long-term links between diet and the risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Past research has established a link between diets high in processed red meat (products like bacon and hot dogs) and a greater risk of negative health outcomes, including cancer and dementia. Although questions linger about the health effects of unprocessed red meat, like home-cooked steaks or lamb chops, years of research and diet rankings consistently find a regimen commonly known as the Mediterranean diet to be the healthiest.

That eating pattern is primarily plant-based, with multiple servings of fruits and vegetables daily, alongside whole grains, legumes, nuts, olive oil and seafood. Red meats are eaten only occasionally. The diet has been linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and related conditions like obesity, high cholesterol and hypertension.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Replacing some red and processed meats with plant-based protein sources could help address that, Odoms-Young said.

She suggested that people try “meatless Mondays,” reducing the portion sizes of meat in meals or incorporating more beans, peas or lentils into meals they are already planning.

“That’s not saying that you can’t eat animal protein, but how do you have a diet where you can increase the amount of plant-based protein in the diet,” she said.