The Trump administration issued a long-promised revamp of national dietary guidelines Wednesday, urging Americans to eat more protein and less added sugar and, for the first time, discouraging consumption of highly processed foods. The guidelines maintain previous limits on saturated fats but encourage consuming “healthy fat,” which they identify as including beef tallow and butter as well as olive oil. A new, inverted food pyramid emphasizing fruits and vegetables alongside protein, dairy, and “healthy fats” replaces the MyPlate chart that previously provided visual guidance.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the guidelines mark “a decisive change in federal nutrition policy,” claiming the government had previously been “lying to us to protect corporate profit-taking, telling us that these food-like substances were beneficial to public health.” Kennedy stated: “We are ending the war on saturated fats. Our government declares war on added sugar today.”
The scientific advisory committee, convened under President Biden, had deemed research on ultra-processed foods too weak to develop recommendations and favored plant-forward diets. Kennedy rejected much of the committee’s work, and the 10-page final guidelines reflect his Make America Healthy Again movement’s priorities: fewer processed foods and seed oils, more meat and dairy products. The guidelines warn about foods that are salty or sweet, sugar-sweetened beverages, artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.
Reaction from nutrition experts was mixed. Some praised the emphasis on fruits, vegetables, and limiting processed foods. Marion Nestle, professor emeritus at New York University, called the guidelines “muddled, contradictory, ideological, retro,” particularly noting that the support for animal protein contradicts evidence that plant-based protein is healthier. The guidelines recommend Americans eat protein at every meal from both animal- and plant-based sources, aiming for 1.2-1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight daily, substantially higher than previous minimum requirements.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/07/dietary-guidelines-revised-more-protein-less-sugar-highly-processed-foods/